Multinail: Tomorrow’s World – Machinery Show. By Campbell McInnes
In our January/February issue earlier this year, Multinail gave readers a sneak peek of what to expect at their “Tomorrow’s World” Machinery Show, held at the company’s head office in Stapylton, QLD, on 4 July.
The date may have been a good omen—while 4 July celebrations in the USA go off with a bang, the energy and excitement were certainly mirrored at the Multinail Tomorrow’s World Machinery Show!
Above: Trent Bucholz and Trent Taylor.
ATMOSPHERE OF THE SHOW
Upon arrival, guests were welcomed by Multinail staff dressed in matching Multinail green checked shirts and iconic Aussie Akubra hats. Their warm smiles and friendly demeanour set the tone for what would be an outstanding show. The Akubra hats felt especially fitting, given that Multinail is an Australian company, and the One Touch truss machinery system is proudly manufactured right here in Australia.
After signing in via the QR code, we were guided down the “Green Carpet” hallway, through the impressive foyer and down the timber staircase—past the theatre and boardrooms—to the rear section of the office, where more of Multinail’s friendly staff were waiting.
A quick photo with one of the stars of the show—none other than a KUKA robot—and it was time to mingle in the open-plan building, which fl owed seamlessly into the outdoor arena. This space was decked out with wine barrel tables, chairs, fire pits, straw bales, bars, and a designated area for the caterers, who were tending to butterflied pigs, lamb, chicken, pineapples, vegetables and more—all being cooked over open fire pits.
WELCOME AND VISION FROM CEO
Once the 200-odd attendees had arrived, it was time for Multinail CEO Trent Taylor to kick off the formalities with a welcome speech and an overview of what we were about to see. Trent began, “Welcome, everyone, and thank you for taking the time to join us today. Over the past seven years, we’ve been working towards something truly innovative—though in reality, it reflects 47 years of pushing boundaries at Multinail to help fabricators stay ahead of the curve. Today marks a milestone—a culmination of a journey that started, like many great ideas, with a simple sketch (which I drew on a napkin, and a request for a couple of million dollars) and a bold question:
‘What if we could build a truss plant where timber is only touched once?’”
Trent continued, “Today, we’ll see that vision come to life. You are about to witness the launch of a new, end-to-end manufacturing system for trusses, which we call the One Touch System. Why ‘One Touch’?
Because it’s built on automation that allows a truss plant to handle timber just once—from the initial pack to the finished stack of trusses.
What you’ll see today is a series of machines working seamlessly together as an integrated system. At the heart of it all is our new robotic truss machine, the GlideAway.”
HOW THE ONE TOUCH SYSTEM WORKS
Trent continued with a brief overview of the process that we were about to witness:
1. The PieceGiver feeds timber into the PieceMaker linear saw.
2. The PieceTaker then sorts the cut members at various jig stations.
3. Operators collect the pieces and assemble them onto a table jig, using automatic bobbins, lasers, and joints fastened with corrugated fasteners.
4. The GlideAway picks, plates, and presses the joints with nail plates.
5. The truss is finalised with a double roller press.
6. Lastly, the trusses are stacked—currently with mechanical assistance, but full automation of this step is upcoming.
BENEFITS AND ACCESSIBILITY
The beauty of the One Touch system, as Trent explained, “This isn’t just for large operations. It’s for all fabricators—whether you’re a small team in regional Australia or managing multiple sites.
It’s modular, simple, and scalable. You don’t need to implement the entire system right away. Start where it makes the most sense for your plant and grow from there.”
RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND PARTNERSHIPS ONE QUESTION YOU MIGHT WANT TO ASK:
Why not a fully autonomous, no-human system?
It comes down to affordability. At Multinail, we believe that the technology to assemble error-free, non-dimensionally accurate timber should be reliable, feasible, and affordable. That’s what the One Touch System offers.
The research and development (R&D) for this project was extensive and took several years. As Trent explained, “We haven’t reached this stage alone. I want to acknowledge three ambitious truss plants here in Queensland that partnered with us to develop this technology:
• Ashley and Lochie from Fortruss, who collaborated with us on the automated infeed system—the PieceGiver.
• Matt and Jamie from King Truss, who first installed the GlideAway press in 2021. That machine taught us valuable lessons, leading to a complete rebuild just before the pandemic—an effort that paid off.
During the pandemic, supply chain disruptions posed challenges—parts that previously had a 1-week lead time now took up to 47 weeks.
In the midst of this, we were approached by Chris and Paul from CQ Building Supplies, who, with support from the government, planned a large-scale automated truss plant in Maryborough.
In May 2024, the newly rebuilt GlideAway was installed and is now operating at a high level of efficiency and accuracy.”
“Though Chris can’t be here today, his experience highlights the value of an Australian technology partner—helping you plan, install, and support your system.”
In short, partnering with Multinail means you get more than technology—you get a committed partner supporting your success.
Trent wound up his address, “Thank you again for being part of this exciting journey. We’ll now guide you through the system in action, and our team will be on hand to answer any questions.”
Above: From the top viewing platform, looking at the GlideAway and the front section of the One Touch system.
LIVE DEMONSTRATION AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE
From here, we followed the long ‘green carpet’ that led to a large marquee— approximately 20 metres wide by 80 metres long—erected especially for the show to house the One Touch system. As we approached, bold signage on the marquee clearly read:
“TOMORROW’S WORLD – Multinail – Machinery Show 2025 – One Touch.”
Not only were Multinail staff on hand to welcome us to the demonstration area, but we were also greeted by the OneTouch KUKA robot at the main entrance. Once everyone had gathered at one of the three main viewing platforms, the OneTouch demonstration got underway.
As outlined earlier, the OneTouch System came to life—timber was picked up by suction arms, fed into the cutting system, and then fed and sorted onto the holding bays. This is where human intervention occurred: timber was removed from the holding bays and positioned to pin the trusses together using corrugated fasteners, assisted by overhead lasers and automated bobbins. Once the truss was assembled, it rolled along to what I found the most fascinating part of the process—the KUKA robot. The robot selected a pre-allocated plate size and fed it into the press, where the truss awaited completion.
After all plates were pressed, the truss continued to the final roller press. Upon exiting this press the truss was stacked using hydraulic arms—completing the process.
I’ve worked in the timber industry for 40 years. For at least half of that time, I was buying and selling timber to frame and truss (F&T) plants and other segments of the industry. Over the years, I’ve visited many F&T operations and clearly remember the traditional C clamps used to manufacture trusses. I also recall seeing trusses made using large end-sections of steel pipe with a flat steel piece welded to one end, used as manual ramming hammers to assemble trusses on the floor. A number of truss companies relied on these methods when demand peaked.
Personally, for me, the Multinail OneTouch System represents a remarkable leap forward from those traditional methods of truss manufacturing. In today’s market— where staffing remains a constant challenge—the elimination of heavy manual lifting, with potential for repetitive strain and or injury, combined with the precision and speed the OneTouch System delivers, is a truly impressive step into the “tomorrow’s world” of truss production.
There was plenty of interest and questions to be asked, and the Multinail staff were outstanding. They actively mingled with visitors, proactively offering assistance and happily answering any queries.
A PERSONAL TOUR OF MANUFACTURING FACILITIES
Like many visitors, I was keen to see where the truss machinery was actually manufactured on site. As it happened, Trent Bucholz, Multinail’s Chief Customer Officer, was nearby, so I asked whether it would be possible to take a walk through the manufacturing shed.
“Absolutely, I’d be happy to show you through the setup,” Bucholz replied. He then gave me a personal tour of the truss machinery manufacturing shed, which was incredibly impressive. The other large shed on site, where the plates are produced, was just as fascinating—and I was fortunate to be shown through that part of the operation as well.
With a mix of both older and modern equipment, the plate manufacturing shed is truly the heart of the business, and the setup is equally remarkable.
COMPANY HISTORY AND GROWTH
At the conclusion of the One Touch demonstration, I was fortunate to catch up with Founder, Peter Taylor. I expressed how proud he must be, as this is an amazing setup, to which Peter replied, “Of course we are, it’s stupendous.” Peter went on to explain, “It has been a long project, which was interrupted by Covid of course, so it has taken some time to get to where we are today. When you do R&D it costs a lot of money, but we knew where we wanted to be. Part of the process was getting the right people, at the right time, looking after them, and hard work is what gets you to where you want to be.”
The Multinail journey is an interesting one, having started in the small timber town of Wauchope, NSW. The Wauchope area had an abundance of Red Cedar, which was highly sought after. This saw the establishment of several sawmills, and the Wauchope rail yard once handled more timber than any other town in Australia. Many will know this is the home of the Timber Town Museum, which still operates today. The aim of the Timber Town Museum is “as you walk through the park, to awaken the senses—sights, sounds, smells, and tastes from the late 1800s to early 1900s period— helping you to immerse yourself in an exciting time of Australian history.”
I asked Peter why they moved from the timber town of Wauchope to Brisbane. Peter explained, “We were in Wauchope for 20 years; however, we wanted to expand and realised that we could not expand there. There were several factors, which included not having the right suppliers or people and, in addition, the local Council who were quite negative, so we made the tough decision to move.” Peter added, “Brisbane was attractive as it had a larger workforce, better access to supply, and the Councils were prepared to work with us.” I asked if the Government had assisted with any of the developments. Peter expressed, “Through the life of the company, we have found that you waste too much time trying to work with and get assistance from Government, so we’ve done it all ourselves, and we expect that we will have to continue to do that!”
When manufacturing in Australia has been on the decline, it is wonderful to see a private company like Multinail bucking the trend and expanding their manufacturing. It is not only the Australian market that has shown great interest in the Multinail machinery. Peter explained, “The United States market last financial year took around one hundred forty- foot containers of machinery from us. It shows that the technology we have is being accepted in the biggest market.”
Peter explained they try to somewhat stay under the radar; they just want to do their own thing, expanding what they can into our own market and into overseas markets where they see opportunities.
Peter advised, “We are very pleased with how the truss One Touch system has progressed and advised that we are also working on new wall frame systems which will hopefully be available early to mid-next year!” The current wall frame machinery is manufactured in a different location, as there is simply not enough room on their current site to manufacture both truss and wall frame machinery. Trent advised earlier, “Multinail is moving to being a systems provider and not just a machinery provider,” he said. “We want to provide a complete system from the front of the factory to the back of the factory that is all integrated, harmonised, automated, easy to maintain and easy to operate.”
Peter concluded, “It has been a long journey to date, but we are very happy with the way things are moving.”
Above: Guests look on with interest at the automatic stacking system.
EVENING NETWORKING AND REFLECTIONS
From the demonstration arena, visitors followed the green carpet back to the outdoor entertaining area, where musician Keegan Sparke set the tone with live music and created a warm and inviting atmosphere.
As the sun set, fire pits were lit, food from the open spit was served, and guests continued to chat—most conversations centred around one thing: the impressive One Touch System they had just experienced.
Above: Campbell McInnes (Author), catches up with Peter Taylor (Multinail).
Above: Travis Taylor catching up with customers.
CUSTOMER INSIGHTS ON THE ONE TOUCH SYSTEM’S IMPACT
With the conclusion of the meal, as Chris Curtis, CEO of Spicer Trading Group, which owns CQ Building Supplies, was unable to attend, we watched a video of a case study of the One Touch System at CQ Building Supplies. In this video, Curtis told us, “I have been in the industry since 1980. The Multinail One Touch system has far exceeded all our expectations; the accuracy of the system is awesome, with lasers and robots working together.” Curtis then went on to advise, “We have invested in this technology because we see it as the way of the future. Paul and I travel the world extensively looking at truss operations and machinery setups; however, we found nothing that stacks up to the Multinail One Touch machinery, which Paul and I have been so impressed by.”
Greg Agius, Manufacturing Manager, advised, “Back in the old days, it would take around six to seven hours to build a standard size home. Today, however, we can knock one out in one and a half hours. This new technology really is exciting. The number of staff has been halved, and in addition, there is no longer any heavy manual lifting. One particular thing I really like about this new system is that within five minutes of the trusses being detailed, I can start manufacturing them. In fact, our next challenge is how to increase the speed of the design and detailing, because this new machinery can build the trusses quicker than we can design them!”
Curtis explained, “The One Touch system is actually amazing in its simplicity and has been a real game changer. We need fewer people to do the same amount of work. We recently had a sixteen-year-old kid come in and within three to four hours of training he was able to run the whole thing by himself.” He added, “This system is foolproof; you just can’t make anything wrong, which has been a real issue in the past. Having this new technology has allowed us to totally change the way we quote as well. Taking on this project with Multinail has been a breath of fresh air and working with a company in our own time zone is great.”
Looking to the future, Curtis concluded, “Looking at the capacity of the machinery, in the next five years we expect to be producing at least 180 percent more than what we are currently. We are very confident in the One Touch system; we believe we will be able to be very competitive in what is likely to be a challenging market moving forward.”
Above: From L to R: Kerry Woodman (Mackay Truss & Timber), Peter Taylor (Multinail), Brett Kelly (Irons Yeppoon), Alex Hillier (Mackay Truss & Timber).
INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS AND LONG-STANDING PARTNERSHIPS
People attending the Multinail Tomorrow’s World Machinery Show were well represented from Australia, from large cities and regional areas represented. States and Territories included Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and naturally Queensland. There were also a few New Zealanders that attended from our neighbours across the ditch, making this a Trans-Tasman gathering. There was a great cross section of both large and small companies at the show.
One familiar face I bumped into was Leon Cheney from Westruss based in Orange, NSW. In talking to Leon, I learnt that Westruss was Multinail’s first ever client. Leon explained “we have had a great partnership with Multinail and have just ordered another piece of machinery from them, they are a great company to work with.”
Above: Outdoor area an ideal setting to eat, drink and catch up after the show.
Above: Caterers cooked up a feast, fit for a King.
Above: Team Multinail celebrate what was a spectacular and successful machinery show.
MULTINAIL’S EXPERTISE THAT BUILDS TRUST
“Not everyone is looking to purchase a full production system from us right away,” says Trent. “Many customers prefer to build their systems gradually, and we’re more than happy to support that kind of organic growth. What sets Multinail apart, though, is that we offer solutions for every stage of the production process — and that’s something we plan to continue emphasising in the years ahead.”
Where Multinail really stands out is when you source both your nail plates and machinery from them, as this allows them to offer exceptional support. Their teams experience nearly 5-decades in the industry means they know exactly what’s needed, and it’s this experience that makes them so respected in the market.
THE FUTURE IS NOW
Multinail’s Tomorrow’s World Machinery Show was more than a product launch -it was a vivid demonstration of how innovation, dedication, and Australian manufacturing expertise are shaping the future of the timber manufacturing industry. The One Touch System stands as a testament to Multinail’s commitment to pushing boundaries and delivering practical, scalable automation that meets the real needs of fabricators both large and small.
With its blend of cutting-edge technology, thoughtful design, and genuine customer focus, Multinail is not only redefining truss production but inspiring confidence in an industry facing evolving challenges. As Multinail continues to expand its capabilities and develop new systems, one thing is clear: the future of timber fabrication in Australia is bright, with Multinail leading the charge.
For those who attended, the message was unmistakable—Tomorrow’s World in truss manufacturing is here today, and it’s powered by One Touch!
