How farmers get return on investment on their new builds sooner with X-CALIBR™
Matt Nash is a Taupo-based engineer with over 30 years of experience. His company, Arc Engineering, has delivered countless agricultural construction projects from sheds, backing gates and yards, to dairy feed pads and transport repairs.
Like most engineers, he is constantly searching for ways to do things smarter and more efficiently; to deliver a superior product, faster, at a better price.
Which was why Matt was an early adopter when Central Steel Framing (CSF) launched the X-CALIBR™ Roll-formed Structural System in 2022.
We sat down to talk with Matt about why he adopted the system, the potential applications, and the benefits he has observed.
View the full interview with Matt here, or read what he had to say about the benefits, applications, and installation of X-CALIBR™ below.
Shortening builds by 4-6 weeks
Matt has worked alongside Warren Farr, General Manager of CSF, for several years and has followed the development of X-CALIBR™ closely. He and his team looked at the product after it launched and decided to trial it, seeing impressive results:
“Traditionally if you had a very good crew of guys you would build a dairy shed over 16 weeks … With the X-CALIBR™ system as part of the build process that we've designed we can shorten that build process to 10 to 12 weeks,” Matt said.
The Arc team also found there is less background work required. Instead of commencing fabrication approximately two months before a build, they found they could go from fabrication to a standing shed within a two week period.
A perfect solution for wintering barns
Over the past five to six years, New Zealand farmers have been steadily adopting wintering barns, particularly in the South Island where harsher winters and wetter ground conditions make animal housing essential. These barns are now delivering measurable results: increased production, better animal welfare in winter, and protection from the summer sun. As Matt explains:
“They are now seeing results come out of these wintering barns. And one of the results they've seen is the increase in production. Having the ability to house the stock in winter and then obviously keep them in shade.”
Recognising this potential, Arc and CSF have developed two distinct barn designs using the X-CALIBR™ system. The first is a traditional wintering barn, designed for durability and ease of build. The second is a composting barn, a more cost-effective option with a lower upfront infrastructure requirement.
Both designs address the same fundamental goal: creating better conditions for animals and delivering a stronger return on investment for farmers.
By combining speed of build with proven durability, the X-CALIBR™ system makes these barns a practical and profitable solution for New Zealand’s evolving agricultural landscape.
Durability that farmers can trust.
When it comes to building something as important as a wintering barn, farmers need complete confidence that it will last. As Matt explains, too many imported structural products have fallen short:
“ … You don’t know the quality until you get it here … they don’t adhere to the same testing standards.
The key difference is when you're ordering products from overseas … when it lands here you own it. When something's manufactured in New Zealand you know we're not going away. We're here, we own it.”
X-CALIBR™ offers more than local accountability - it delivers superior durability too. Unlike many manufacturers that rely on standard Z250 coatings, X-CALIBR™ features a Z450 zinc content, with almost double the protection against corrosion.
That higher zinc coating can extend the steel’s lifespan by years, cutting down on maintenance costs and giving farmers peace of mind that their investment will endure.
Fastest installation on the market
X-CALIBR™ is a fantastic product according to Matt, but there is one problem with it for some builders:
“We recently talked to one of the guys that is one of the larger competitors, very well known in the market, and he has also had the experience of putting up an X-CALIBR™ building. And one of the comments that came back from him – the only comment that he could put forward that he didn’t like about the X-CALIBR™ product- is that it went up too fast and there was no money in it for him! "
Matt says it is easy to see why. Compared with its competitors, installing X-CALIBR™ is quicker, easier, and more efficient.
“When the X-CALIBR™ product arrives from the factory, all the bracketry comes already pre-assembled. All the knee joints are pretty much pre-assembled. All you've got to do is rivet off your main rivets on your sections to make your gables up, which is pretty quick.”
Because everything is pre-assembled and prefabricated, there is no cutting, measuring, or waste onsite. This means the onsite process is significantly shortened and payment schedules are simplified for the client because everything is compressed. The benefits of this are hard to overstate, according to Matt:
“... From the start to the finish, that process is a lot quicker. So that the farmers can get into their product a lot quicker and start getting a return on their investment.”
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