Ross Baxter of Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions gives some good news on the supply of standard timber products, in the light of Housebuilder & Developer research on demand in the sector.

Pasquill, part of the Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions’ division and the largest supplier of trussed rafters in the UK, supported Housebuilder & Developer’s latest survey – exploring the key criteria housebuilders have when sourcing a timber supplier.

The report cited availability, price, and the capacity to deliver as high priorities. In some instances, many considered lead times to be a higher priority than health and safety or sustainability concerns.

Now, with encouraging signs over the last quarter, as availability of standard timber products continues to ease, Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions has examined the findings from the survey, which help inform how we can continue to support customers with their project requirements.

LOOKING BACK

The Government’s 2025 industrial strategy, which continues to encourage the industry to ‘build, build, build’ (and in particular the Construction Sector Deal; a £420m commitment to build new homes faster), has placed pressure on the construction industry to respond at pace.

In line with this increase in new build projects, suppliers to the housebuilding industry witnessed a disproportionate increase in demand for product between 2021-2022. According to the Builders Merchants’ Federation (BMF), “the value of sales increased by almost 18% at the start of 2022, in comparison to the same period in 2021.”

Initially, this led to product shortages and longer lead times in some instances. with the impact felt by builders, contractors and developers working on self-build, new build, renovation, and extension projects.

At the time, Pasquill, as with other responsible supply chain partners, adapted to this upsurge in demand, increasing stocks of timber products used for roof trusses and floor joists. This ensured we could continue to supply our roof and floor solutions consistently, within the lead times required by customers year-round and nationwide.  

As demand has now returned to the levels the industry is more accustomed to, housebuilders can capitalise on a more readily available supply that has been built up during this peak demand period. We have certainly experienced an easing of these stock issues during the last quarter, which was backed up by the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) report in August 2022. It states that “construction materials shortage is now easing slightly with product availability improving across most categories.”

It continues to explain that “extremely high levels of demand seen at the beginning of 2022 has eased, as has the shortage of HGV drivers in late 2021. Goods are reportedly now moving more freely between ports, although the CLC reports that only 25 per cent of goods from the far east are arriving on time.”

The market is still experiencing some challenges in lead time with specialist timber products, but the standard timber products used extensively on housebuilding projects remain in good supply.

LOOKING FORWARD

A quick Google search will reveal a variety of viewpoints on the availability of construction materials and housebuilders may still be unsure as to the real picture. So, what can we do to help alleviate any concerns our customers may have? 

It was strikingly clear in the Housebuilder & Developer survey we supported that effective communication is key, with 92 per cent of respondents agreeing that communication with their supply chain partners is important.

At Pasquill, we work closely with our customers to support their delivery schedules. Where there is a need for a short-term ‘distress’ requirement we can often adapt our manufacturing schedules to accommodate, due to how well our sites across the UK work together.  

The easing of standard timber product supply is set to continue, and we are working across the breadth of the UK to help customers to meet their deadlines and the upsurge in building demand.

Ross Baxter is managing director of Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions