INDUSTRYNEWS
WILL SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION SEE A DRIVE TOWARDS SELF-SUFFICIENCY POST-COVID ?
As fenestration continues to boom in the aftermath of the summer lockdown , supply chain issues are starting to bite . What impact will they have , and how will the industry react ? Andy Jones , Group Managing Director of Victorian Sliders , gives his view .
» THE ECONOMIC IMPACT of coronavirus has been huge – but while some sectors have been devastated , glass and glazing is thriving .
Businesses across fenestration are reporting record weeks and months , with many struggling to keep up – at Victorian Sliders , we ’ ve spoken to some installers who are booked up until January 2021 .
That ’ s obviously fantastic news for our industry – but it ’ s also starting to create its own problems .
Three months of almost total shutdown for manufacturers around the world , immediately followed by rocketing demand , has inevitably taken its toll on the supply chain .
In the UK , we ’ re now starting to see shortages of core glazing components . Glass , profile and hardware have all become increasingly difficult to come by – and given the events of the last six months , that ’ s not exactly surprising .
INTERNATIONAL UPHEAVAL
Coronavirus was bound to have an impact on the supply chain sooner or later .
Some of UK construction ’ s biggest and most important suppliers have been in places especially badly hit by coronavirus – China , for example , provides the sector with 16 % of its components , or £ 2.8bn in goods every year .
Spain and Italy are British construction ’ s next biggest importers , and have been some of the worst affected countries in Europe .
Put together , that ’ s made a certain amount of upheaval unavoidable .
A SHIFT TOWARDS SELF-SUFFICIENCY ?
It raises the question of whether the sector will muddle through the current spate of shortages , and return to business as usual as soon as the pandemic allows – or whether 2020 / 2021 will see a more comprehensive change in approach .
For decades , complex global supply chains have seemed like a win-win – allowing companies to cut costs by sourcing components all over the world .
Many fabricators and manufacturers have also begun to outsource a lot of the processes that go into making modern window and door products .
I don ’ t expect either to disappear – in fact , I think they ’ ll continue to play a major role as long as there ’ s a window industry .
But I ’ m beginning to wonder if , in the years ahead , we ’ ll start to see a shift away from that – and whether businesses will now start sourcing components more locally , and bringing more processes in-house , so they ’ re more self-sufficient if something similar happens in future .
CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES
At Victorian Sliders , we ’ ve not been immune to the ongoing supply chain disruption – but I think we ’ ve been less affected than most .
‘ we ’ ve been able to continue offering a high standard of service throughout this extremely challenging time ’
That ’ s because of the company ’ s long-term commitment to being an independent manufacturer . No business is entirely self-sufficient – but by keeping as many processes as possible in-house , we ’ ve been able to weather the storm much more effectively than companies that outsource .
We extrude our own profile , make our own IGUs , and we own the company that manufactures hardware exclusively for ECOSlide , for example .
That ’ s meant that while some disruption has been inevitable , we ’ ve been able to continue offering a high standard of service throughout this extremely challenging time . Many businesses are still struggling to meet demand , but we ’ re able to supply our customers in full .
Installers are experiencing growing demand for stylish , authentic , easy-maintenance sash windows like ECOSlide – and we ’ ve even seen interest from some fabricators , who are considering buying in products they previously made themselves .
We ’ re confident that , despite the challenges , we won ’ t look back on 2020 as being entirely negative , for us , or for the industry as a whole .
www . victoriansliders . co . uk
8 » NOV 2020 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM