Annual Predictions
“ Still better than post- Brexit and post-Covid ”
JOHN CRITTENDEN , MANAGING DIRECTOR , CARL F GROUPCO
WE WORK IN THIS INDUSTRY EVERY DAY
STEVE SIDEBOTTOM , DIRECTOR , CLEARVIEW GROUP
» ‘ ANNUAL PREDICTIONS ’ is one of my favourite features of the year , because I am always curious to see the insight of people in the industry . No one can predict the future , of course , but we all have an opinion on fenestration . And , these are educated opinions , because whatever we read in the news – local , national , or global – we work in this industry every day . We know how many orders are coming in , how strong the supply chain is , where money is being sent , and what our future plans look like . No-one wants to reveal everything , but everyone has something to say , and we want to read about it !
Our 2022 planner was full of meetings and events , proving that even with options to connect remotely , there is no substitute for face-to-face meet-ups , factory tours and of course , FIT . The response to the 2022 exhibition was so positive , and it seems like people already can ’ t wait for the next one this May . We ’ ll certainly see you there .
At Clearview , last year saw our inaugural Golf Day . We wanted to organise something that combined getting everyone together and having some fun ; but most importantly , raising some money for charity . We were overwhelmed with the support . Not only did the tickets and sponsorship opportunities sell so fast that we had to turn teams away ( sorry !), but we also raised more than £ 11,000 for GM Fundraising due to prizes donated to the raffle , the auction and all profits . We already wanted to make the event an annual occurrence , but we really were testing the water to see how popular it would be . Watch out for the next one , is all I can say because people were signing up before they left the golf club at the first one !
www . clearview-uk . com
» THERE ’ S NO DOUBT IT ’ S been another rollercoaster year for the industry with many unpredictable variables at play , notwithstanding the tumultuous global conditions .
What ’ s important to remember is that , if our sales figures are anything to go by , the market is still buoyant . Despite some levelling off towards the end of the year , we are still better than we were post-Brexit and post-Covid .
There are still pressures on raw material prices and energy costs . Nevertheless , there is a glimmer of hope as steel costs and energy wholesale prices are starting to fall back at the time of writing . This should translate to a slowdown in the rate of price increases , although we do expect them to be here to stay for a while yet .
The premium end of the market is still growing and shouldn ’ t be as negatively impacted by the cost-of-living crisis . Even at the value end of the market , our customers are still reporting full order books , no doubt driven by the rising cost of energy bills .
Anecdotally , we are hearing that fabricators in the commercial and social housing sectors are still securing contracts , although there is some evidence that budgetary pressures mean unit numbers are slightly down .
We ’ ve been in business for over 70 years , and we ’ ve
thrived and survived through various market conditions and economic peaks and troughs over the decades . We continue to invest in holding high stock levels ( currently our inventory stands at £ 5 million ). This helps us maintain on time in full deliveries and ensure we can continue to supply to our customers no matter what the world throws at us next .
To sum it all up , there are undoubtedly concerns about the economy , inflation and the cost of living . But there ’ s no sign of panic and we are pretty positive about 2023 . Having said all that , I ’ m sure I won ’ t be alone in hoping for more stability in the economic and government arenas so as an industry , we can all start to plan with more confidence .
www . carlfgroupo . co . uk
26 JANUARY 2023 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM