Clearview National February 2016 - Issue 171 | Page 26

INDUSTRYNEWS

Skills shortage gives timber
firm a healthy boost
Stewart Milne Timber Systems enquiries increase by 70%
»»Builders are
increasingly turning to offsite
construction and timber systems
as the construction skills shortage
continues to cause issues in the
sector.
Stewart Milne Timber
Systems, one of the UK’s leading
timber systems designer and
manufacturers, has reported that its
factories in Oxford and Aberdeen
are experiencing growing demand
for its build systems, with enquiries
up 70%.
In its most recent survey of its
8,500 members, the Federation
of Master Builders reported
that two-thirds (66%) of small
builders had turned away work
because of a shortage of labour.
With an estimated 35,000
apprentices needed to meet
market demand, only 7000
completed their training in
2013.
Alex Goodfellow, group
managing director of Stewart
Milne Timber Systems, said more
and more construction companies
were enquiring about, and then
adopting, offsite construction
m ethods to reduce site labour
requirements and take advantage
of its speed of build benefits to
meet growing market demand.
He said: “There’s huge demand
for new homes and huge demand
for skilled labour to build them.

There is a serious lack of skilled
tradespeople available in recent
times and many clients are
restricted in output or increasing
costs to meet their build
programmes.
“We’ve championed offsite
construction as a building
technique for over 20 years and our
clients are seeing the real benefits
to their businesses in using offsite
to maintain build programmes and
generate positive cash flows.
“Offsite also contributes to
higher levels of quality and health
and safety, with guaranteed
performance built in.”
Offsite manufacture
significantly increases the speed of
build on site as the build systems
arrive ready to erect, often with
windows and doors pre-fitted.
Precision engineering facilitated by
modern factory processes enables a
high quality building to be erected
quickly. The superstructure of a
typical four bedroom house can be
weather-proof within 72 hours.
The two factories operated by
Stewart Milne Timber Systems,

26 » F EB 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

in Oxford and Aberdeen, can
produce 10,000 units each year,
with precision-engineered systems
including insulated wall panels
along with floor and ceiling
cassettes.
The inherent flexibility of
timber means it can be used for
anything from residential housing
to hospitals, hotels and office
units.
It also has the benefit of
exceptional environmental
performance, which is one of the
UK Government’s four targets in
its Construction 2025 Industrial
Strategy. The strategy calls for a
50% reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions, a 50% increase in
delivery speed, a 33% reduction
in costs and a 50% improvement
in exports.
Projects built using timber
systems and offsite construction
benefit from a robust supply
chain and unlimited market
capacity. Erection of timber
systems is not weather-dependent,
so delays related to the British
climate are greatly reduced.

From an environmental
perspective, timber is the most
sustainable building product
available, and is a natural carbon
sink. The ‘fabric first’ approach
taken by Stewart Milne Timber
Systems allows buildings to be
constructed to industry-leading
environmental standards.
Alex Goodfellow said: “The
benefits of offsite construction
are significant. From a skills
perspective it reduces the impact of
labour shortages and enables very
high-quality builds in a fraction
of the time, with exceptional
environmental performance built
into the fabric of the building.
“This adds up to lower on-site
costs and means builders can
enjoy better ROI and cash flow.”
“What the ongoing skills
shortage does highlight is the
need for constant innovation
across the sector. Ultimately, we
still need to be able to build,
and the industry has to find a
way to meet demand quickly,
cost-effectively and at very high
quality.”