For almost 25 years, roofing contractors, FIBCON, have been reroofing large commercial buildings around greater Melbourne, from hospitals to school and sports hubs, and even city landmarks like the iconic Flinders Street Station.

Originally operating as a specialist asbestos removal company (FIBCON is short for Fibre Control), the expansion into roofing was a logical progression for FIBCON – given the service overlap, it employed several roofers right from the early asbestos removal days. Today, most of the company’s work is on new roofing projects, although occasionally it’s still called on to safely remove asbestos.

Beginning with the company in 1997 as an estimator, FIBCON Project Manager Andrew Terpou, recalls that from day one, there has been a strong relationship with Lysaght.

“We’ve always had a Lysaght account at FIBCON and have heavily used LYSAGHT® building products over many years. Their breadth of range and technical expertise means that no matter what the project, Lysaght will likely have the solution we need,” Andrew said.

“There’s a real quality to the Lysaght range, it’s one of the main reasons why we’ve kept using the products for so many years.”

While FIBCON uses a range of LYSAGHT® steel cladding products, there’s one profile in particular that has become a ‘go-to’ choice over the years, according to Andrew.

“LYSAGHT KLIP-LOK® 700 really changed the game when it was introduced. We work on a lot of buildings that have flatish rooves with minimal fall, and KLIP-LOK® 700 cladding is perfect for this and it’s very popular throughout the projects we do,” he said.

Given the large-scale nature and importance of the building types that FIBCON works on, according to Andrew, several other attractive benefits of partnering with Lysaght also come to the fore, these include the company’s warranty credentials, and product compliance with National Construction Code (NCC) requirements.

“Using Lysaght we know that the quality of the products is there, everything has been tested, complies to code and is backed by strong warranty, technical documentation and broader support. With other suppliers, you just don’t know, especially the materials that are imported from overseas,” he said.

“Also if we have a technical query, they’re onto it, assistance is always close by – we can share a plan or particular detail with Lysaght and they come back with recommendations and great advice.”

Andrew said that increasingly, most of FIBCON’s customers are interested in knowing more about where construction materials for their projects are sourced, and in many cases, they actually request Australian-made products where available. Given that all LYSAGHT® building products are manufactured and shaped in Australia, providing an answer is easy for Andrew and the FIBCON team.

“We’re now always getting asked where the materials are coming from. People want to know and are actively seeking Australian-made products. In the case of Lysaght, they’re willing to pay a bit extra because they know they’ll be receiving premium quality while contributing to local manufacturing jobs,” he said.

On the eve of FIBCON reaching its own milestone of 25 years in business, Andrew is complimentary of Lysaght having earlier this year achieved 100 years of manufacturing in Australia.

“I know how demanding business can be and we’re very pleased to be reaching 25 years soon at FIBCON, so in the case of Lysaght, to have made it to 100 years as a local manufacturer is an outstanding achievement,” he said.