Collaborating to achieve common goals

A recent report estimated that £13b was lost in construction projects due to a lack of communication between key suppliers. [1]

With the construction industry currently facing a barrage of pressures, from increasing energy bills and lack of raw materials to labour shortages, businesses operating within the supply chain cannot afford to ignore a lack of unity that is costing billions.

The answer to the problem is to collaborate and have a clear line of communication with material manufacturers’ technical support teams who can provide an essential service to drive forward specifications and lead across the lifecycle of a project.

But with budgets being stretched and a lack of raw materials available, there is the danger that contractors will look for cheaper products over quality ones. However, it is still essential that buildings are constructed to the highest specification, using the right roofing product and accessories, and are in line with legislation changes.

In recent years legislation has been introduced to ensure the safety and security of developments. The benefit of this is that it helps to protect manufacturers and contractors from post-installation claims.

This is where a technical support team can work with the specifier to ensure they understand the features and limitations of construction products.

One problem that roofing contractors are currently facing is that they are often blamed for many roofing problems, although the issues often appear when products have been supplied from different manufacturers or instructions for installation are not followed, such as assuming like-for-like compatibility when making substitutions or overlooking differences between similar systems.

Roofing systems from different manufacturers should not be mixed on a development as it could potentially jeopardise quality and reliability.

When different manufacturers are specified for roofing projects, there is no guarantee that products will work together which is a huge concern and why a technical support team is on hand to advise from start to finish on a project.

Pitched roof systems from a producer of tiles offer specific combinations of components tested for compatibility and backed by assurances from the manufacturer. Ensuring that products work safely together means that ultimately projects can be built quickly and more efficiently.

Specifiers who communicate with a manufacturing technical team will have more confidence in products and ease of checking compliance which will inevitably prevent build developments from going out of the timescale and any associated consequential losses, which will save money and time in the long run.

One product manufacturer that has seen the importance of having a technical team is Russell Roof Tiles. In the last 10 years, the company has grown its support team and is keen to discuss project suitability with specifiers and provide solutions to any project-related queries.

The team receives many calls per week with all manner of queries and has recently seen an influx of enquiries following the rising costs and uncertainty of the supply chain.

By collaborating with insightful, experienced, and knowledgeable technical experts, manufacturers can help to build smooth procedures for seamless transitions from the planning and design right through to installation and client handover. It eliminates problems or compatibility issues before they arise and reduces liabilities down the chain.

This relationship between specifiers and manufacturers’ technical teams need to be seen as a necessity rather than a luxury as it will help to reduce issues before, during, and after installation as well as give contractors peace of mind that projects are built using consistent and quality products with long service life and durability.

Russell Roof Tiles is a leading independent pitched roof tile manufacturer supplying products for national housebuilders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects. The company produces hundreds of thousands of tiles and related fittings and accessories every week that are used on roofs across the UK.