Howick Ltd

Type: Designer and manufacturer of light gauge steel (cold-formed steel) framing machines
Head office & factory: 21 Brookby Road, Brookby, Auckland 2576, New Zealand

Howick suits builders, frame and truss fabricators, modular manufacturers and housing developers that want to produce light steel frames in-house, straight from digital building designs. Its range covers everything from house walls and roof trusses (FRAMA 3200) to heavy floor joists (FRAMA 7800), so buyers can pick a machine for their main product rather than a one-size-fits-all model. It's a strong option for affordable housing, worker accommodation and remote projects, thanks to its mobile factory and trailer-mounted machines that produce frames on site. Buyers in the US, Australia, the UK, France and Africa get local regional support.

Product Details

FRAMA 3200
Walls, trusses and panels. Gauge 0.75–1.15 mm (22–18 ga), up to 900 m/hr.

FRAMA 4200
Specialist truss system. Gauge 0.75–0.95 mm (22–20 ga), up to 700 m/hr.

FRAMA 5600
Walls, trusses and panels in heavier steel. Gauge 0.95–1.55 mm (20–16 ga), up to 800 m/hr.

FRAMA 7600
Multi-purpose convertible machine producing 75–200 mm sections. Gauge 0.95–1.55 mm (20–16 ga), up to 800 m/hr.

FRAMA 6800
Floor joist system. Gauge 2.0–2.5 mm (14–13 ga), up to 600 m/hr.

FRAMA 7800
Heavy-duty floor joist system producing 150–350 mm sections. Gauge 1.85–2.5 mm (16–13 ga), up to 750 m/hr.

X-TENDA 3600
Extended-capability framing machine, launched in 2020.

X-CALIBR
Structural framing solution, launched in 2023.

Mobile Production
The FRAMA Mobile Factory and custom trailers for producing frames on or near the building site.

Other Equipment
Custom-built roll forming machines, coil loading systems, TIPABIN and TH200 top-hat batten machines.

Software
Howick Panel Software, FRAMA machine control software and the Howick File Converter, which take designs from CAD and BIM straight to the machine.

Full Description

Howick began in 1978 as Howick Engineering, a small workshop in East Auckland set up by brothers Keith and Bruce Coubray. It's still run by the family, now led by Bruce's sons Nick and Hamish, and still designs and builds its machines in New Zealand, keeping R&D close to the factory floor.

Over almost five decades, Howick has become one of the best-known names in light gauge steel framing. It developed tube benders, roll formers and floor joist machines through the late 1980s and 1990s, and pioneered load-bearing and end-bearing connection details in the early 2000s that opened up steel framing for taller buildings. It launched its FRAMA machine range in 2013, convertible machines and its first on-site manufacturing trailer in 2015, the X-TENDA 3600 in 2020 and the X-CALIBR structural solution in 2023.

A Howick machine turns a coil of galvanized steel into finished framing members: studs, trusses, joists, battens and purlins. These are roll formed, punched, cut and labelled automatically from a digital building file. The FRAMA range is split by job. The lighter 3200 and 4200 handle walls and trusses, the 5600 and 7600 take heavier gauges and larger sections, and the 6800 and 7800 make floor joists up to 350 mm deep. Applications run from houses and commercial buildings to modular units, bathroom pods, portal frames, worker camps, low-cost housing and solar panel frames.

Howick's machines are used in more than 80 countries. It has regional offices or distributors in the USA, Australia, the UK and Europe, France and South Africa, and runs its own industry event, STEEL HORIZONS. It won the ExportNZ Best Medium Business award in 2019.

FAQ

Which Howick machine is best for house frames and trusses?
The FRAMA 3200 handles walls, trusses and panels in 0.75–1.15 mm steel at up to 900 m/hr. The FRAMA 4200 is a dedicated truss system.

Can Howick machines make floor joists?
Yes. The FRAMA 6800 and FRAMA 7800 are floor joist systems. The 7800 makes sections from 150 to 350 mm in steel up to 2.5 mm.

Can I make steel frames on the building site with Howick?
Yes. Howick's FRAMA Mobile Factory and custom trailers let you produce frames on or near the site.

How fast are Howick framing machines?
Up to 900 m/hr on the FRAMA 3200, and 600–800 m/hr on most other FRAMA models.

Does Howick have support in the USA?
Yes. It has offices in Menifee, California, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Where are Howick machines made?
In Auckland, New Zealand, where Howick has been based since 1978.

Does Howick supply design software?
Yes. Howick Panel Software, FRAMA machine control software and a file converter take designs straight from CAD or BIM to the machine.