Work has begun on a multi-national building supply company’s $60-million manufacturing facility in Melbourne’s west.

Mapei said the project at Truganina was a significant expansion of its operations in Melbourne after more than three decades in the Australian market.

The plant is scheduled to open this year and will produce high-performance construction materials for major infrastructure works across Victoria.

The facility is expected to supply projects including the Suburban Rail Loop and the North East Link.

The company produces chemical building products including adhesives, sealants, concrete admixtures, waterproofing systems, grouts, mortars and protective coatings used across construction and infrastructure projects.

Mapei said the development aligned with the pipeline of works under Victoria’s Big Build, which encompasses more than 180 transport projects planned through to 2051.

The company said commissioning, recruitment and workforce training activities for the new facility already in progress.

Mapei chief executives Veronica Squinzi and Marco Squinzi said the investment was part of the company’s long-term commitment to the Australian construction sector.

They said the expansion into Melbourne would strengthen the supply of materials to infrastructure projects across metropolitan and regional areas.

A rendering of the Mapei facility now rising at Truganina, west of the Melbourne CBD.

▲ A rendering of the Mapei facility now rising at Truganina, west of the Melbourne city centre.

Mapei Australia general manager Marco De Santis said the facility would increase local manufacturing capacity and support project delivery timelines.

He said the plant would also reduce transport requirements and associated emissions while improving responsiveness to market demand.

The investment comes as Australia’s construction sector faces supply chain constraints, material shortages and labour availability pressures.

Industry data shows the national infrastructure pipeline is valued at more than $213 billion.

The Victorian Government’s 2025–26 budget included $8.1 billion in new capital investment directed towards infrastructure delivery.

Mapei said the new plant was intended to support contractors and project partners in meeting delivery requirements for major works.

▲ The Mapei plant at Milan. The company was founded, and is headquarted in the Italian city, in the 1930s.

The family-owned company was founded by in 1937 Rodolfo Squinzi in Milan, where its headquarters remain, and operates across 59 countries with 98 subsidiaries and 106 manufacturing plants.

Co-chief executives Veronica and Marco are Rodolfo’s grandchildren.

It entered the Australian market in the early 1990s.

Mapei reported global revenue of $7.4 billion (€4.4 billion) in 2024 and employs more than 13,200 staff worldwide.

In Australia, the company operates a manufacturing facility in Brisbane producing construction materials at scale.

Mapei has supplied products to such major projects as the Sydney Opera House and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Truganina facility is expected to become a key node in the company’s Australian operations.

Western Suburbs

Industrial

23 Apr 26

Mapei’s $60m Construction Material Plant Under Way at Melbourne’s Truganina

Lindsay Saunders