Australian surfboard manufacturers face an uphill battle competing with overseas labour costs, even when the culture and brand loyalty are proudly local. Margins are tight and staffing is harder than ever.

The way forward is through smart automation that lowers the burden of labour while preserving the craftsmanship and character of your shapes.

After analysing the full build process over years of making technical boards for many of the big brands, one step stood out above all others: Sanding.

Meet Sand Assist, an automated sanding robot cell purpose-built for surfboards that slots into your existing workflow with minimal change. It reduces finish time from 30–40 minutes to 7–10 minutes per board, removes heavy hand tools from the sander's hands, and lifts each sander’s output with consistent, repeatable passes.

The result is uniform finishes across the range sizes and models, safer ergonomics, and more capacity from the same team without adding headcount. You gain predictable lead times and the flexibility to ramp-up production during peaks.

By offloading repetitive, high-strain work, your skilled crew can focus on shaping, glassing, and perfecting the final quality of product.