FIRE SAFETY
Stabilising Supply and Minimising Risk
As the global supply chain continues to face vast challenges , Daniel May , Director at Consort Architectural Hardware explores its relationship with the construction infrastructure and its potential impact on fire safety and security .
» SINCE EARLY 2020 , THE VOLATILITY of the global supply chain has plagued industries far and wide . The construction industry has felt the full force of it , with a lack of materials and long lead times inflating construction costs and placing constraints - and unavoidable delays - on projects large and small .
Despite many predicting economic recovery to stabilise , new challenges such as a surge in consumer inflation and HGV driver shortages ( to name a few ), means construction is still facing a disparity between supply and demand . As a result , year-on-year costs for building work rose by 24.5 % from March 2021 to March 2022 , with raw material costs for work involving steel , concrete , timber and glass rising by 23 % in the 12 months to September 2021 , according to the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy .
This cause and effect looks set to continue throughout the remainder of this year , with a substantial rise in costs and a decrease in production output documented as recently as February 2022 . This follows predictions from the Builders Merchants Federation and the Construction Products Association who raised concerns that the demand for construction products would exceed supply well into 2022 .
The weakened supply of key building products becomes even more problematic when you consider life safety and security . Whether a new project , or the upkeep of an existing building and its hardware , the stable supply of quality materials , components and hardware products must remain a critical priority , albeit one that is currently met with several setbacks . Yes , external factors can create uncontrollable circumstances , but the industry must continue to focus on quality control , so to not lose the progress that ’ s been made towards a safer construction infrastructure .
Daniel May of Consort Architectural Hardware explains :
“ From a construction standpoint , a supply chain begins with raw materials , contains up to thousands of companies , and ends with finished goods for the industry and end user - of which many are vital components to the way our buildings safely and securely operate . Amongst many things , the coronavirus pandemic taught us how fragile the supply chain can be , with various cogs in the machine being caught off guard by the circumstances . In turn , this has created a backlog and led to a surge in demand for key materials and products which supply hasn ’ t always been able to keep up with .
“ As a manufacturer , two core elements have encumbered the fire safety and security hardware sector , those being cost and production output . Crucially , almost all organisations possess links to an international supply chain and regardless of where products are manufactured , the scarcity of raw materials has had a knockon effect , especially when you consider pricing .
“ The cost of raw materials has surged and so too has the cost of transportation , where a shortage of containers and increased freight times has fallen short of demand . In turn , and when paired with a disjointed production output , we have seen a backlog of orders leading to project
delays that can incur additional penalties for those involved .
“ Ironmongery for example is a key ingredient to fire safety , and despite time pressures , decision makers must continue to recognise the necessity of trusted solutions . For time critical projects , those who face delays may fall into the pitfall of opting for cheaper , substandard products to move projects along and avoid any subsequent late penalties . This is where the future safety of projects may falter . Meticulous decision making is now more important than ever , choosing the solutions that provide greater quality and therefore predictability , as opposed to inferior products that are chosen out of convenience and that may cause issues later down the line .
“ Keeping this in mind , the global supply chain must be met with caution and advanced planning to safeguard the integrity of the built environment moving forward . As we encounter these issues , it ’ s vital to recognise the significance of decisions and how they may directly
Sources : https :// www2 . deloitte . com / us / en / insights / economy / is-the-global-surge-in-inflation-here-to-stay . html https :// www . shponline . co . uk / mental-health / haulage-industry-urged-to-take-action-after-1-in-2-companies-report-a-rise-in-mental-health-problems-amongst-drivers / https :// www . homebuilding . co . uk / news / construction-materials-shortage
44
SEP / OCT 2022
locksmithjournal . co . uk Issue Takeover
Magazine Sponsor