Leading supplier SR Timber is looking back on a busy 12 months, characterised by strong demand, but also supply chain challenges.
The shingles market continues to be focused in the RMI sector, said trading director Shaun Revill, with homeowners and SME contractors in that field being the biggest users. “Typically our customers are looking to build a garden room, or such projects as outside workspaces or barbecue areas. And yes, 2021 did see that market remaining strong,” he said. “It’s no secret that the home improvement sector has done well over the last two years and our product is very much in that space.”
SR sells cedar shingles via roofing, timber and general builders merchants and all these routes performed well through 2021.
“But growth via timber and builders’ merchants has been particularly strong – reflecting, I believe, the growth in home improvement projects involving the small building contractors,” said Mr Revill.
As for the market challenges, in common with many, SR battled with logistics during the year.
“Importing our cedar shingles from Canada means a relatively long lead time and we could see international supply chains struggling, so rather than aggressively looking to grow our sales, we instead focused on managing demand and ensuring we had sufficient stock to meet customer requirements,” said Mr Revill.
Volatility is also a problem in sourcing Canadian cedar shingles business in any event, as production and transportation take planning and time.
“In 2021 this meant we couldn’t simply produce significantly increased volume at short notice to capitalise on immediate demand,” said Mr Revill. “It also means we do not slow down our procurement process on a whim.
“We think the market in 2022 will remain very positive – although perhaps not with the extreme demand that saw prices soaring in 2020. So we’re not running down our stockholding. We continue to import at steady volume, building stocks to avoid any short-term problems with inter-continental supply routes and to ensure we have stock ready for the 2022 home improvement season.”
To date, one market that’s remained relatively immune to cedar shingles’ appeal has been UK volume housebuilding.
“It’s simply not familiar with the option – from the planning authorities looking for traditional roofing appearance, to house buyers expecting a masonry roof,” said Mr Revill.
“Shingles are mainly used on one-off developments where there’s a particular reason for wanting the cedar product, on the roof or as wall cladding, usually related to the environment where the house is situated. We also have demand from leisure developments set in woodlands or rural locations where a particular aesthetic is the priority.”
But looking forward, SR feels the overall market dynamic may be set to change.
“For the housebuilding industry the increasing focus on net zero means looking for materials with low embodied carbon and good sustainability arguments. It will be hard and costly for clay and concrete roofing manufacturers to decarbonise and may over time lead to more sustainable wood-based products being seen as viable alternatives.
“We don’t see volume housebuilders moving to cedar shingles for standard house designs in the immediate future, but do see growing interest in our products for outbuildings – bin stores or lean-tos – areas where it is relatively easy to specify a lower carbon alternative.”
This trend is also being given added impetus by government.
“Most recently, in its Net Zero Strategy, published in October, it champions timber in housebuilding, promising a policy roadmap for increasing its use,” said Mr Revill. “[Subsequently] we can see major housebuilders and, critically, their investors, looking to establish zero carbon supply chains. This will inevitably involve significant changes in manufacturing and materials use and I think cedar shingles are well positioned within this changing market.”
In the meantime, he added, SR predicts RMI demand to remain robust.
“UK families have been building up household savings over the last two years and improving their homes is high on the list of priorities,” he said. “This sector should see continued positive demand for shingles throughout 2022.
