A Rockhampton manufacturing business has the ambitious plan of producing “a house of day” after receiving a $500,000 Manufacturing Hub Grant grant from the State Government.

Located in Hollingsworth St, Kawana, Manuplex has already put the funds to good use, purchasing four steel roll-forming machines which will be used to create steel frames and trusses for the commercial and residential construction sector.

Member for Rockhampton Barry O’Rourke said it was great to see more manufacturing coming into Central Queensland, especially when it supported local builders.

“Manuplex has been able to pivot from its current manufacture of steel frames and trusses for mining and commercial purposes, to creating steel frames for residential homes,” he said.

“We all know the housing market is extremely tight and there’s a lot of difficulties being able to access materials, so I want to see this progress as quickly as possible.”

Manuplex director Matthew Jurkic hoped his business would be able to “relieve some frustrated builders”.

“If we can do things in house and utilise the Manufacturing Hub and grants like this, we can create sustainability in pricing for our customers rather than just raising prices while all these global pressures are on us.”

The grant will also fund computer assisted design software that will help Manuplex modernise its manufacturing capability and increase productivity.

Director Glen Donnellan said he was excited about the possibilities that the Manufacturing Hub Grant could bring to the region.

“We’ll be a one-stop shop, but it’s not just about Manuplex, it’s about Rockhampton as a whole,” he said.

“We’re not electricians, so we had to get this place fitted out, which means local electricians came on board. A lot of businesses will be coming along for the ride,” Mr Jurkic added.

The Manuplex directors said the first of the steel roll-forming machines had arrived two weeks ago and was “ready to go to work” with the other three machines arriving soon.

Manuplex has 85 full-time staff and plans to add a further 16 to operate the new machines.

“We’re ahead of schedule, with five new full time staff already employed,” Mr Donnellan said.

“This could be a real incubator, with options for the new employees to move elsewhere in our business and into the fields like mining, construction and boilermaking. The opportunities are endless.

“Producing a house’s worth of frames and trusses a day is going to be a big ask but we have a capable team.

“I think we’re going to need a bigger shed.”

The State Government has established six Regional Manufacturing Hubs in Queensland, including Rockhampton, Gladstone, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and the Gold Coast.

Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing Glenn Butcher said the ALP was “arming businesses with the tools to bring work onshore”.

“This is what the manufacturing hubs are meant to do, work with businesses, identify the needs and come up with the funding to help support a local business, particularly a local manufacturer here in Rockhampton.”