1300TempFence has introduced a brand-new product offering that is highly suitable for major infrastructure and civil works. Bruce Fouracre, Managing Director – 1300TempFence explains what makes the SmartWall so unique.
To the naked eye, it’s a component of little influence and often disregarded. For those in the infrastructure space, it’s an essential tool in maintaining the safety and wellbeing of those within the project’s vicinity.
The component in question is that of the temporary fence, which plays a crucial role in the delivery of projects of all sizes.
As a preferred specialist in temporary fence hire and sales, 1300TempFence provides what is an essential physical barrier component, helping to ensure not only the safety of the public and construction workers, but also applying an additional level of security and privacy.
1300TempFence has a rich and famed history providing solutions to projects right across Australia. Now the company has developed a new unit, inspired by the success of an international concept.
Development of 1300TempFence’s SmartWall focused primarily on improving handling, safety, transport economics, and customisation when compared to conventional temporary fencing solutions.
The SmartWall is a single, integrated unit, unlike other products that are two-piece. This reduces the risk of breakage when moving and handling the filled units. Built-in handles also make it much easier to lift and move the empty walls around, addressing the difficulty of handling bulky and often slippery products. The one-piece design also makes for simple installation and relocation when needed.
“The biggest benefits of the SmartWall design are preventing tripping hazards, a great aesthetic, and having removable ballast (water) so manual handling risks are reduced,” Fouracre says. “The beauty of our one-piece system is that we can stack the SmartWall far more effectively for transport than conventional designs. We can pack up to 30 units on a truck within just four pallet spaces, making them far cheaper to get to and from site”
Coming in at 2385 millimetres (L) x 464 millimetres (H) x 388 millimetres (W), a capacity of 273 litres and unfilled weight of 31 kilograms, the SmartWall is suitable for projects of all sizes, including high profile projects. The SmartWall’s brightly coloured bases providing maximum visibility, alongside a sleek and visually appealing aesthetic.
1300TempFence can also tailor the SmartWall design to meet specific project requirements, such as adding shade cloth or acoustic curtains. This can also include options to cater for different wind speeds, with extensive engineering work being completed to ensure the SmartWall meets AS 4687:2022, the current Australian Standard for Temporary Fencing and Hoardings.
“We’ll get our engineers to come up with a design that suits the customer’s requirements, to withstand whatever the conditions are on their specific site,” Fouracre says.
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For higher wind speed applications requiring more ballast, 1300TempFence has worked hard to create engineer certified designs incorporating additional SmartWall units, or utilising conventional temporary fencing braces and weights.
The features and versatility of the SmartWall has them in high demand on major projects across the country, including more than 100 units deployed to the Melbourne Airport, the Suburban Rail Loop, as well as additional units at the Perth Airport and University of Sydney.
“We’re also looking to produce the product out of recycled plastic down the track,” Fouracre says. “Once we’ve got the supply and a proven concept, we’ll look to make that a big part of the SmartWall’s production going forward.”
Recycling for production is an aspect that’s far from alien for the temporary fence manufacturer and distributor.
“We’ve been recycling our ‘dead’ water barrier units for years, as well as the unrepairable steel temp fence panels and concrete feet. This is just another arm and expansion on that,” Fouracre says.
National growth
For 1300TempFence, 2025 is an opportunity to consolidate and strengthen its national reach. The company is focused on ramping up its presence beyond its Melbourne stronghold, including New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia.
Fouracre says the goal is to grow 1300TempFence’s locations and gain more market share in these other regions.
To do so, 1300TempFence is introducing more water barrier products to its line, including the X-Site and the X-Stream, which are coming into full production.
The company is also taking steps to ensure adequate supply to meet growing customer demand.
“We’re ramping up our tooling and production capacity to be able to make more SmartWall units, as well as our other designs,” Fouracre says. “We’re going from just a couple of SmartWall tools (rotomoulding moulds) to four to six, which will allow us to double and then triple our production.
“I’m really excited about where the SmartWall will go. The inquiries that are coming through have been really positive and we’re getting really good feedback on a number of our other products. There’s a lot of interest being generated across the board.”
This article was originally published in the March edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
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