Innovation is in their blood

Neumann Steel’s new dual-purpose pod rail demonstrates what can be achieved when you work closely with your customers. The mesh spacer can be used for 85mm and 100mm thick concrete slabs, making it ideal for most waffle pod systems.  

The family business, based in Currumbin, Queensland, is known for their innovative contributions to the steel reinforcement industry. In 1988, Neumann Steel was a founding processor member of the Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia. Around the same time, Neumann Steel introduced RIBWIRE and RIBMESH using a cold rolling process that decreases the wire’s diameter and raises the ribs to increase tensile strength. This process has become an industry standard. Now, with the help of their onsite plastic injection moulding facility, Neumann Steel have introduced NuRail 40-55.

“By listening to our customers, we recognised an opportunity to develop a dual-purpose pod rail”, said Nick Quiel, Project Innovation Coordinator. They began the product innovation process in 2017 by manufacturing two prototypes using a 3D printer. “Once our final design passed concrete flow and load testing, we went into production using our injection moulding machines”. 

By manufacturing easy-to-use mesh spacers that meet most common waffle pod slab engineering specifications, Neumann Steel is proving that successful product innovation means everybody wins.