Massey University Construction Club Visits Dimond's Auckland Branch

On 26 August 2026, 16 students from Massey University's Construction Club visited Dimond Roofing's Auckland branch to see how roofing and cladding products are designed, specified, and manufactured. The group, studying towards a mix of quantity surveying and project management qualifications, spent the day getting a first-hand look at the journey from raw material to finished product.

As the construction industry continues to look for its next generation of talent, visits like this give students a chance to connect what they're learning in the classroom with the realities of manufacturing and specification on the ground.

Understanding Dimond

The day began with a presentation from Stacey Nickel, Dimond's Specification Manager, who introduced the students to who Dimond is and what the company does — from its range of roofing and cladding systems through to how the specification process supports architects, contractors, and builders across New Zealand.

From Coil to Profile

Students then took to the factory floor for a tour led by Jeff Waugh, Dimond's Auckland Branch Manager. Jeff walked the group through the manufacturing process, showing how raw steel coil is fed into Dimond's roll-forming machines and shaped into the wide range of roofing and cladding profiles used on projects throughout the country.

Bridging Study and Industry

For Dimond, hosting student visits is about more than a factory tour. According to Sylvan Cheng, Business Development Manager:

"I believe it's important to help bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world industry experience. Factory tours give students the opportunity to see how products are manufactured, learn about the people and processes behind the construction industry."

Sylvan added that the goal was for students to walk away with a better understanding of what happens behind the scenes to turn raw materials into finished roofing products, and how Dimond supports the wider construction industry. The visit didn't disappoint on that front — students asked a number of thoughtful questions on sustainability and product performance throughout the day, reflecting a genuine curiosity about the industry they're preparing to join.

A Student's Perspective

Josh De Penning, a second-year Bachelor of Construction student majoring in Quantity Surveying at Massey University, was struck by the scale and speed of Dimond's operation:

"I was impressed by the scale of output that Dimond Roofing can achieve, particularly the 3-day turnaround from confirmed measurement to arriving on site for all standard colours."

He also highlighted Dimond's ability to roll-form roofing directly on site, onto the roof structure itself — reducing cranage requirements, minimising transport issues, and allowing for longer sheet lengths. For Josh, the visit connected lecture theory with real-world process, following the full journey "from the coil, designing flashings, roll forming the sheets, bending the flashings, and loading the finished roofing for delivery."

Fellow student Lukas Chapple was surprised by just how streamlined the process was:

"It was a lot more streamlined than I thought, with each machine essentially printing out a certain profile — the factory just turns coils into sheets, which is pretty cool."

Lukas noted that roofing iron isn't something lectures tend to cover in detail, and the visit opened his eyes to the range of specialty trades within the industry.

Dilakshan Sivakumaran was similarly struck by the scale and efficiency of production:

"I was surprised by the scale and efficiency of the manufacturing process, particularly how quickly the roofing sheets are rolled and produced to the required profiles."

For Dilakshan, the visit gave a better understanding of the wider construction supply chain and highlighted career opportunities beyond traditional site roles — while Siddhant Dhar echoed the value of seeing manufacturing first-hand, noting the visit gave him "diverse knowledge about the industry and the people working in it."

Across the group, the response was consistent: seeing the full process — coil in, finished product out — brought lecture content to life in a way that's hard to replicate in a classroom.

Looking Ahead

Dimond looks forward to continuing to support Massey University's Construction Club and other tertiary programmes with opportunities like this, helping the next generation of quantity surveyors, project managers, and industry professionals get a real-world view of how the buildings they'll one day work on are made.