Lead times for bricks pass 12 weeks in Midlands

Grant Prior 9 years ago
Share

A housebuilding  boom in the West Midlands has seen lead times for bricks stretch to three months and a chronic shortage of skilled site staff.

Leaders at Lovell highlighted how shortages are spreading from the over-stretched London market.

David Gough, regional director in the Midlands for Lovell, told the Birmingham Post: “This sudden rush of sales and return of confidence has created challenges for housebuilders.

“Many workers had to leave the sector when the recession hit, and now the industry is crying out for skilled tradesmen.

“Similarly, many manufacturers of building products either went out of business or drastically cut production during the bad times, and now the good times are back, they are struggling to meet demand.

“The scarcity of building products in the market is currently at a peak.

“The average lead time on the staple of the housebuilding industry – bricks – is now over 12 weeks, while other products such as blocks and roof tiles are not far behind.

“It has certainly presented some logistical challenges to everyone in the industry but we, like other companies, are working hard to allocate materials and labour carefully and efficiently to ensure all our projects continue as they should.”

Gough added: “There are certain brick types where the lead time is up to 30 weeks. In the recession, when housebuilding fell off a cliff, a lot of the manufacturing plants closed temporarily and laid off staff.

“Now they are just beginning to re-open the manufacturing plants and increase capacity. The average waiting time is 12 weeks and it is all as a result of the fallout from the recession.

“Planning ahead is absolutely vital now. If you have to wait for bricks for between 12 and 30 weeks, you have to be ordering them early in the process.

“At Lovell we use eight million a year in the UK and it is down to very careful planning.

“When the recession hit, a lot of people decided to get out of the industry. Now that housebuilding is back and flying, there’s not enough skilled labour out there.

“We have taken on 21 trainees and apprentices in the last year as bricklayers, site managers, chartered surveyors, management trainees – we have had more applicants than spaces.

“It is a pleasure to face these challenges, rather than laying people off. These are better times, but different challenges.

“It is definitely improving but it is not the panacea, it is not that everything is rosy. If we get the skills base, and people continue to come through their apprenticeships and stay, the future looks pretty good.”

Latest news

Police ban mobile cranes from roads over Easter

Plant hire bosses livid as forces across the country extend abnormal load embargoes
6 hours ago

Director jailed for exposing workers to asbestos

Ten tonnes of asbestos insulating board stripped out by unqualified workers
10 hours ago

Site labour rates start rising again

Industry's biggest payroll firm says "it feels like things could be turning round"
14 hours ago

Council finds extra £33m for Buckinghamshire link road

South East Aylesbury Link Road costs soar by nearly 30% to £147m
14 hours ago

Quartet win £490m North West & Central railway works deal

Skanska, Kier, Octavius Infrastructure and Story Contracting bag major projects deal
14 hours ago

Unite Students plans first major mixed-use scheme

Developer's first mixed BTR and PBSA project to be built in Edinburgh
1 day ago

Galliford Try names new finance director

Rentokil's Kris Hampson joins contractor to replace Andrew Duxbury
15 hours ago

Council boss hits out at bat threat to £274m road job

Natural England could scupper scheme due to be built by Ferrovial
15 hours ago

Hydrogen-fuelled diggers to be allowed onto highways

Government to raise barrier to widespread use of hydrogen fuelled plant in construction
1 day ago

Plans in for £118m Government hub in Darlington

Work pencilled to start later this year on new home for 1,450 civil servants
1 day ago

New contractor highlights Henry Construction jobs on website

New firm lists jobs by failed contractor to show its experience
2 days ago

Contractors line up for £2.6bn Anglian Water AMP8 deal

Eight big names land places on pioneering @one Alliance
2 days ago

McAleer & Rushe bags first major later living project

Work to start this month on 167-flat Royal Tunbridge Wells project
2 days ago

Kier starts first all-electric prison houseblock job in Kent

Next-generation fully electric T60 prison houseblock to be built at HMP Elmley
2 days ago

Keepmoat sees better times ahead in housing market

Profits dip in 2023 despite construction of record number of new homes
2 days ago

Vistry signs partnership deals for 1,900 mixed tenure homes

West Sussex former airfield and Newmarket sites to break ground
2 days ago

Turnover at Wates tops £2bn for first time

Construction division exceeds £1bn turnover as average contract value hits record high of £48.3m
3 days ago

L&G looks to sell Cala Homes in exit from house building

Insurance giant reported to be preparing to offload 3,000 homes-a-year developer
3 days ago

Multiplex profit almost trebles as margin hits 5.5%

Revenue jumps 20% to £675m as big London scheme complete
3 days ago

TopHat puts plans to open huge Corby factory on hold

Advanced manufacturing facility was due to employ 1,000 people
3 days ago

Laing O’Rourke lands Calderdale hospital job

Enabling works to start by the end of this year at West Yorkshire site
3 days ago

Go-ahead for £475m Sunderland film and TV studios

Work to start this year on first phase Corwn Work studios
3 days ago

Willmott Dixon set for £20m Stockport Community Hub

Planning decision expected in June on Marple leisure and health clinic project
3 days ago

Police hunt for blundering dumper truck thief

Raider drove into a fence before getting stuck on a bank
3 days ago

Beattie Passive files administration notice

Passivhaus pioneer has been in business for more than ten years
4 days ago

McAlpine set for £50m space and tech centre

Northumbria Uni sign pre-con deal for new satellite research hub
4 days ago

VolkerFitzpatrick seals £34m Kent road viaduct

Work to start next year on Sturry Link Road near Canterbury
4 days ago

Eight win £600m Scottish civil engineering framework

Balfour, Farrans, Graham and Morgan Sindall win major works lot
4 days ago

Site engineer crushed to death by excavator

22-year-old victim died just months after graduating from university
5 days ago

NG Bailey fined £135,000 after hospital site death

Worker died after striking overhead beam while navigating a mobile elevating work platform
6 days ago

Contractor services