This Week's News
Construction industry catches its breath during final quarter of 2014
A rare slowdown in new civil engineering projects and a pause in residential activity saw construction growth flatline in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the latest figures from industry analysts Glenigan.
The Glenigan Index for January, which covers the value of projects starting on site during the three months to December, is flat on a year earlier, with a 14% drop in civil engineering activity cancelling out a 4% rise in non-residential starts.
However Glenigan data suggests the industry remains in a strong position going into 2015, buoyed by growth in project starts of 10% in 2014 - matching pre-recession levels.
Allan Wilén, Economics Director at Glenigan, said: “While the industry appears to have been catching its breath during the final quarter, this should be no cause for alarm. Construction starts grew by 10% in 2014, on a par with 2007 and the fastest pace for seven years. “The forward pipeline is also encouraging. In contrast to the pause in starts over the last three months, the flow of projects achieving planning approval has accelerated.
“The underlying value of schemes receiving detailed approval rose by 29% on a year earlier during the three months to November. Over the first 11 months of 2014 the underlying value of schemes approved rose by 8%, following an 11% rise in 2013.”
Private housing starts are back in the black following a faltering performance in the third quarter of 2014. The sector recorded a 7% rise in the final quarter of the year, resulting in a 15% increase for 2014 as a whole.
In contrast, social housing activity continued to decline during the second half of last year, dragging down the Glenigan Residential Index. The combined value of residential starts during the fourth quarter of 2014 were flat on a year earlier, although the year as a whole saw expansion of 8%.
Read the Rest Here...
 |
Triple-glazing continues to divide as poll reveals cautious optimism
A new poll has found that going into 2015, installers continue to be split as to the impact triple-glazing will have on the window industry but remain optimistic as to continuing growth.
Published this month, [Jan] the third ‘Emplas State of the Market Report’, found that the optimism which accompanied recovery in 2013 has been eroded, so that only 63 per cent of those polled this year said that they were confident that the industry would sustain growth in 2015. This compares to 98 per cent last year.
Mike Crewdson, Sales and Marketing Director, Emplas said: “The industry has perhaps ‘sobered’ up a little in 2014. Confidence in continued growth is still high at 67 per cent, however, it’s significantly down on 2013. This may be explained by the fact that that initial release latent demand post-recession with the return of consumer confidence has been and gone.
“This shouldn’t, however, be seen as cause for alarm. The possible slowdown in the rate of growth experienced by some installers in 2014 compared to the immediate post-recession recovery in 2013, is indicative of a return to normality. The industry continues to see growth but growth at a sustainable level.”
But if there was general agreement amongst respondents as to general prospects of continuing growth in 2015, they were divided as to the contribution triple-glazing would make to that growth.
Read the Rest Here...
Technal Launches High Performance Window System
Architectural aluminium systems specialist, Technal, has launched its latest and most innovative window system to date, bringing a host of technical advancements and modern, intelligent design to enhance almost any fenestration project.
The SOLEAL window has been developed to offer exceptional security, thermal, acoustic and weather performance, and unparalleled aesthetics from one single system that is available in numerous configurations.
The system uses a 65mm deep profile and common components to give architects and contractors the benefit of an extensive choice of construction options combined with ease of specification and maximum efficiency in manufacturing.
For even greater design freedom, the SOLEAL window can be provided in two distinctive casement styles – a stylish ‘visible’ opening frame with an infill up to 52mm for a contemporary finish, or a patented ‘minimalist’ opening frame with slim, subtle sight lines that reduce the visible aluminium and a glazing infill of up to 42mm.
Read the Rest Here...
450 years loyal service recognised
The VEKA UK Group, the UK arm of the family-owned PVC-U fenestration multinational, has presented employees with long-service awards constituting over 450 years' loyal service.
The awards were presented at both the Group's Burnley HQ and its facility in Minworth. The Burnley site was visited earlier in the year by Business Secretary, Vince Cable MP who opened its £5m state-of-the-art mixing plant, praising the company for its part in the town's “positive success story”.
Recognising 31 employees in total, the awards presented ranged from five years' service through to a staggering 25 years each for Burnley's Stewart Berry and Pat Parry, Production Unit Leader and Head of Logistics respectively, and Edward Weller, Production Operative from Bowater Doors in Minworth.
The German brand was introduced into the UK in 1986, originally known as VEKA plc before, on its 25th anniversary, rebranding as The VEKA UK Group to reflect its acquisition of Bowater Building Projects. The company is now the industry's leading systems supplier, with it estimated that one in four UK commercial window installations uses VEKA UK products. Similarly successful throughout the globe, VEKA's international turnover annually exceeds €1 billion.
Read the Rest Here...
Quickslide Workforce Take The Plaudits In Company’s G Awards Win
When Quickslide Chairman Adrian Barraclough mounted the stage with a handful of colleagues at the recent G Awards to collect the winner’s trophy for the Best Training & Development Initiative, his joy was tempered by not being able to share the moment with the whole workforce. For the entry was signed by every one of Quickslide’s 100-plus employees because they had all played an important part in the training scheme which has resulted in huge financial savings, improved product quality and significant increases in output at the market leading VS fabricator.
Adrian therefore set out to correct that by staging his own re-enactment of the ceremony for the G Awards where winners were presented with their trophies at the lavish event that took place at the Hilton Hotel in London’s Park Lane recently. So with numbers limited at the official event, Adrian presented everyone at Quickslide’s Brighouse factory with their own mini ‘G Award’, to recognise their crucial part in the company’s success.
“I know it’s a cliché,” explained Adrian, “but quite literally we could not have won this award without all of our people. I wanted them all to be up on the stage with us when we were called up at the original awards but it wasn’t possible. So now we have been able to include everyone and they can look at their own trophy with pride, knowing that they played a real part in winning it.”
Read the Rest Here...
Discerning dozen join Installer Scheme on a single day
Long-standing Halo fabricator Listers Trade Frames held an open day in December, that welcomed plenty of customers, old and new, to see the latest products and services from the company.
During the course of the day, Listers signed up an impressive 12 installers to the Halo Approved Installer Scheme!
Amy Grundy - The VEKA UK Group's Installer Scheme National Sales Manager - joined the Listers team at their Stoke showroom to explain the many benefits of the scheme. She explains: “we had a very busy day over at Lister Trade Frames, where the initiative received some fantastic feedback from the company's installer customers.
“The advantages of the Approved Installer Scheme apply to both fabricators and installers. Members benefit from exclusive, customisable marketing materials which enable the company's branding to appear prominently, supported by the 'Approved' logo. The online Marketing Hub even allows companies to change images to create a brochure that best represents them and their work.
Read the Rest Here...
Resurgence in UK construction sector during Q3 2014
JLL and Glenigan’s latest UK Commercial Construction Activity Index reveals that non-residential new build activity is increasing rapidly, with the value of new starts over the year to Q3 amounting to £12.5bn - up 5.4% on the year to Q2.
Commenting on the research, Helen Gough, director of JLL’s UK Buildings & Construction team, said: “This resurgence appears to have been driven by a strong rise in office construction with a 12-month total of £5.7bn, up 55% on the equivalent figure for Q2. These figures further demonstrate blossoming developer confidence.”
Overall activity amounted to £23.6bn, a 4.2% increase on the Q2 figure, a result of a slower rate of growth in refurbishment and extension (£11.1bn, +2.9%).
Jon Neale, head of JLL’s UK Research team, added: “While the recovery is encouraging, our Index shows that there is also a strong North/South divide in office construction figures. The South East at 36% saw the most significant increase, followed by the South West at 12% and London at 10%. In contrast, volumes fell back in the North West, North East and both the Midlands regions.”
Meanwhile, the rise in activity overall is leading to supply chain issues. Helen Gough, director of JLL’s Buildings & Construction team, explained: “The increased demand is leading to procurement pressures which are in turn driving-up costs in the sector. Skills shortages in the construction industry are at their highest level since 2008. We estimate that as a result of these factors, overall costs have already risen by 4% year-on-year, and will increase to 5% by the end of 2014.”
Read the Rest Here... |
