Great modular buildings begin with the materials that make them possible.
At ModnPods, every wall lining installed inside our modular buildings starts its journey decades earlier in responsibly managed Queensland plantation forests. From plantation-grown Hoop Pine, to Australian plywood manufacturing, to our automated ModnCoat finishing process, each stage of this supply chain plays a role in delivering consistent quality, durability and architectural finish.
This is not just about sourcing plywood.
It is about understanding the full lifecycle of the material — from forest to factory — and ensuring every step aligns with responsible forestry, Australian manufacturing, and lean modular production.
Through partnerships with HQ Plantations, Austral Plywoods and Rubio Monocoat, we are able to manufacture modular interiors that combine structural performance, design flexibility and healthier indoor environments.
From plantation to pod, the story of our plywood reflects the same principle that guides everything we build: quality begins at the source.
Long before plywood reaches our factory, the process begins in responsibly managed plantation forests across Queensland.
HQ Plantations manages more than 300,000 hectares of plantation forests, growing species such as Araucaria (Hoop Pine) specifically suited to structural and architectural timber products.
Unlike traditional forestry, plantation forestry operates on a continuous cycle of renewal. Up to 10 million seedlings are planted each year, while only 2–3% of plantation areas are harvested annually. Trees are carefully grown for decades — Araucaria typically between 40 and 50 years — before reaching maturity for harvesting.
These forests are independently certified under internationally recognised forestry standards including:
• Responsible Wood Sustainable Forest Management
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
These certifications ensure forests are managed responsibly across environmental, economic and cultural considerations while maintaining long-term resource sustainability.
At the plantation level, responsible forestry ensures the future of timber construction.
Once harvested, the Hoop Pine is processed by Austral Plywoods, an Australian manufacturer with nearly a century of experience in plywood production.
Established in 1925 in Brisbane, Austral Plywoods has played a role in some of Australia’s most recognised architectural and civic projects, including the Sydney Olympic Dome, Perth Arena and the Melbourne Recital Centre.
The company specialises in appearance-grade Hoop Pine plywood known for its:
• straight grain structure
• strength-to-weight performance
• smooth architectural finish
• excellent acoustic properties
Austral Plywoods operates under Chain of Custody certification (AS 4707:2021), meaning every sheet of plywood can be traced from certified forests through to finished product.
For modular manufacturing, this traceability matters.
Material consistency directly influences production efficiency, installation accuracy and long-term performance.
Once plywood sheets arrive at our facility, they are prepared specifically for modular construction.
Unlike traditional building sites where materials are cut and finished on site, modular manufacturing relies on controlled factory processes that prioritise precision, repeatability and minimal waste.
Before installation, plywood sheets pass through a high-capacity sanding system capable of processing up to 200 sheets per hour, ensuring each panel is prepared for consistent finishing.
This preparation stage allows us to integrate interior wall linings directly into our manufacturing workflow.
One of the core innovations inside our manufacturing process is the ModnCoat machine, a purpose-built automated system developed specifically for coating interior plywood wall linings.
The system is capable of processing up to 240 sheets per hour, allowing consistent finishing across large production volumes while eliminating the need for traditional interior painting.
This approach delivers several advantages:
• consistent coating quality
• faster production cycles
• reduced site finishing work
• minimal material waste
• streamlined installation within modular assemblies
By integrating finishing directly into the manufacturing process, ModnCoat supports lean production principles while improving final product consistency.
To achieve a refined architectural finish, the plywood panels are coated using Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C, a solvent-free hardwax oil designed specifically for timber protection.
Unlike conventional coatings, Rubio Monocoat uses molecular bonding technology that forms a strong bond with the lignin and cellulose within the timber surface.
This technology offers several advantages:
• 0% VOC content
• Red List Free certification
• durable single-layer application
• natural timber appearance
• water and heat resistance
With more than 55 colour options available, the finish allows architects and designers to customise interior palettes while maintaining consistent quality across projects.
The result is a durable, low-maintenance interior surface with a natural timber aesthetic and healthier indoor air quality.
Plywood plays an important structural role in modular buildings.
Unlike plasterboard, plywood contributes to the structural behaviour of wall assemblies, providing diaphragm strength that improves overall rigidity during transportation and installation.
This is particularly important for modular buildings that are manufactured off-site and transported to their final location.
Benefits include:
• Improved structural stability during transport
• Resistance to cracking and impact
• Faster installation
• Architectural interior finish
• Reduced site finishing work
For modular construction, plywood is both a structural and aesthetic material.
At ModnPods, responsible material sourcing, lean manufacturing and architectural design are not separate ideas — they are part of the same system.
From plantation to pod, the story of our plywood reflects a simple principle:
Build responsibly, from the ground up.
Excited about our ModnCoat machine? Check more information here
We are thrilled to share that McNab has announced a significant investment in ModnPods, marking a strategic partnership designed to accelerate residential construction and help address the growing demand for scalable modular housing solutions across South East Queensland.
McNab joins QIC, the Arc31 family office of Cathie Reid AM and Stuart Giles, alongside ModnPods founder John Christie and the broader ModnPods leadership team as investors in the business. ModnPods will continue to manufacture its established range of modular homes including single storey dwellings, duplexes and terrace housing, which remain a core part of the company’s production pipeline.
McNab Chief Executive Officer Kunjan Ganatra said the move aligned with McNab’s long-term housing strategy, providing deeper operational collaboration rather than simply taking a passive financial stake.
“Independent data confirms Australia’s housing undersupply is structural rather than cyclical, with systemic supply constraints unlikely to ease without productivity reform,” Mr Ganatra said.
“Labour shortages and cost volatility will continue to challenge traditional construction delivery models. At McNab, when we see sustained systemic pressure in the market, we respond with strategy and investment, and this partnership is a clear example of that”.
“This collaboration gives McNab direct access to a modular manufacturing platform capable of delivering the existing ModnPods product range of single storey dwellings, duplexes, terraces and low-rise housing, while also supporting the development of new medium-rise modular solutions across social and affordable housing, build-to-rent and residential projects”.
“Modular construction enables us to deliver these homes faster and with consistent quality, while expanding the types of projects we can support. Importantly, this sits alongside our traditional construction model. Modular construction provides an additional delivery pathway, allowing us to respond to different project requirements while continuing to build through conventional methods. The two approaches are complementary and together expand our ability to deliver housing at scale.”
Mr Ganatra said over the past two years McNab and ModnPods had invested millions in modular design development, global research and Queensland compliance frameworks, overcoming both the design and regulatory barriers that have historically limited modular construction, particularly in the medium-rise space.
“Together McNab and ModnPods have co-developed a proprietary medium-rise modular system and, by investing in ModnPods, we are now poised to industrialise housing delivery in Queensland while creating local jobs and unlocking faster, more certain project outcomes.”
ModnPods Chairman Stuart Giles welcomed the new partnership with McNab amid strong market demand for faster, more certain delivery models, particularly across social and affordable housing.
“We believe the ModnWay is up,” Mr Giles said.
“That philosophy runs through everything we do, whether that’s upskilling our team members and supporting their career development, uplifting the accommodation experience for our customers, or continuing to grow the scale of projects modular construction can deliver.
“ModnPods has built its reputation delivering high-quality modular homes including single storey dwellings, duplexes, terraces and low-rise developments, and those markets remain incredibly important to our business.
“This partnership with McNab allows us to continue growing those core areas while also developing the capability to deliver larger projects over time. It’s incredible that modular construction now allows us to provide housing at scale, including the potential to use land more efficiently and deliver housing solutions for more of the most vulnerable in our community, while maintaining the quality and certainty that governments, developers and communities expect.”
“Having McNab come on board brings significant operational capability, a wealth of delivery experience and valuable industry relationships. Combined with our established manufacturing facility, technical expertise and existing product range, this positions us to expand in response to the growing demand for modular construction.”
The partnership will manufacture modules locally on the Gold Coast, supporting regional employment and enabling a more diverse workforce through controlled, factory-based environments.
Factory-based construction also provides workers with greater certainty, allowing them to work from a single location with predictable hours. This creates opportunities for a more diverse workforce and enables people to better balance work and family commitments.
QIC Private Equity Head of Asia Pacific Crystal Russell said the partnership reflects growing conviction in modular construction as a scalable solution to strengthen Queensland’s housing supply.
“QIC has a clear mandate to invest in innovative local businesses that can lift productivity and deliver meaningful impact for Queenslanders,” Ms Russell said.
“There is no greater economic and social impact than delivering more housing, and vertical modular solutions are proving increasingly important to addressing structural supply challenges. Partnering with an established national contractor of McNab’s calibre provides ModnPods with the operational might to elevate their product offering and scale to a multi-storey model.”
The investment follows significant momentum for ModnPods in recent months, including a major contract win to create 29 affordable modular homes across North Stradbroke Island for the North Stradbroke Island Aboriginal and Islanders Housing Co-Operative.
Mr Giles said ModnPods continues to work with developers, builders and government partners across a wide range of housing projects and sees significant opportunity to support the delivery of new social and affordable housing across SEQ.
“This investment reinforces our long-term strategy to modernise construction, drive productivity reform and ultimately deliver homes faster for Queenslanders,” Mr Giles said.
To learn more about McNab visit www.mcnab.net.au. For information about ModnPods explore our website www.modnpods.com.au. For more information about QIC visit www.qic.com.
High resolution photos can be found here
ABOUT MCNAB
McNab is one of Australia’s largest and most trusted privately-owned construction and property groups, generating around $1 billion annually. With long-term industry relationships and a vertically integrated model that includes award-winning construction, property developments, building revitalisation, building materials, construction hire, and skilled trades and labour, McNab is uniquely positioned to deliver certainty and quality in an ever-changing environment.
ABOUT MODNPODS
ModnPods is an Australian modular manufacturing company delivering architecturally designed accommodation solutions through advanced modern methods of construction, helping address Australia’s growing demand for faster and smarter housing delivery.
ABOUT QIC
QIC is a trusted Australian investment manager and sovereign investor, delivering with discipline across a global portfolio of alternative and liquid assets. It manages more than A$137 billion on behalf of around 125 institutional and government clients, providing specialist expertise across infrastructure, real estate, private equity, private debt and fixed income and multi-asset solutions. Established in 1991 to manage the long-term investments of the Queensland Government, QIC has grown from a single-client mandate into one of Australia’s largest institutional investment managers, grounded in its sovereign heritage and guided by a global perspective.
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