If I had to sum up 2022 in a word, it would be ‘turbulent’. Our industry, from supplier to contractor, has taken a fair few hits in 2022. We’ve seen an industry still recovering from product shortages and delays now having to contend with spiralling energy costs, uncertainty from our government, and the emergence of dangerously sub-standard batten entering the UK market.
This year I’ve laboured on what I believe to be the biggest threat to the reputation of our industry – the rise of ungraded batten being sold as meeting British standards.
However, thanks to growing awareness of the standards, the influx of sub-standard batten is decreasing.
With less of this product coming in, the integrity of the market remains intact – however, diligence is still required to eliminate it from the market.
One way the industry has combatted the rise of this crisis of quality is a Roofing Batten Working Group chaired by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC), involving Timber Development UK (TDUK), SR Timber and other timber batten suppliers. Together, the trade organisations and supply companies discussed and agreed clear action to highlight the importance of quality within networks and guide customers on understanding quality.
Whether it’s communicating how SR Timber Gold Batten meets all criteria, or simply highlighting what it takes to be classified as fit for purpose, it’s important to have these conversations with customers.
Furthermore, TDUK followed up with a technical note for importers, merchants, and manufacturers highlighting the issue of poor-quality standards. Within this document is a call to action for readers to carry out spot checks on product, reiterating what to look out for and why these standards are so important.
The cumulative effect of this is reducing the amount of sub-standard product entering the UK thanks to stronger controls at the source. For your everyday contractor and merchant, this is good news as it reduces the amount of compromised timber coming in, although vigilance is still needed.
While there is less entering the market, the UK still has stocks of some dangerous battens available. We would therefore encourage checking stock or purchasing from reliable sources.
With more guidelines available on what to look for when checking battens, we should all feel empowered to question the quality of the product we’re using. Sub-standard batten might look and be labelled ‘correctly’, however, when properly inspected, the faults are clear. Imperfections such as varying sizes and knots outside of acceptable tolerances – these all impact the effectiveness of the product.
Risking the quality and safety of those using this product isn’t worth it for the perceived savings against a proper BS 5534 graded batten.
LOOKING TO THE NEW YEAR
Going into 2023, we expect the rise in energy prices and production costs to continue. This leads to what I believe will be the biggest risk in 2023 – insolvencies. It’s all too commonplace to see the cost of rising materials being passed on down the chain to those at the end.
Margins will continue to be squeezed up and down the supply chain, with little room to negotiate or absorb rises. If this practice continues, then we can expect to see more news of companies going into administration.
The sub-standard, dangerous batten issue is a perfect illustration of how pricing inflation affects and can compromise quality. Sub-contractors who turn to this batten, unaware of the presence of compromised and cheaper material, then place themselves at greater risk financially should this batten be identified as ungraded.
Housebuilders have a duty of care to ensure products meet the standards set by the National House Building Council and Local Authority Building Control (including battens conforming to BS 5534). Any sub-contractors caught out would be left footing a large portion of the bill to repurchase and fit the correctly graded batten from a reputable supplier.
Paying twice for batten could easily cripple a business already operating on thin margins.
My hope for 2023 is the continued reduction of sub-standard batten in the UK with a collaborative and transparent approach to managing the squeeze on the supply chain.
There are no ‘bad merchants’ or ‘bad contractors’, only poor choices because of difficult circumstances. The temptation to go cheap might be there, but with the industry rightly clamping down – that choice is likely to turn out to be expensive in every sense.
By using reputable suppliers who guarantee quality standards, merchants and contractors can better protect their liability and manage costs more effectively.
