Supply Chain

An “unprecedented” materials shortage in the construction sector will continue well into the second half of 2021, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has warned. Timber, roof tiles and bagged cement head the list of materials in short supply. Record demand for building materials and full pipelines of work have led…

Higher steel prices are forcing specialists to reduce their margins to win new jobs, the boss of the UK’s largest structural steel specialist Severfield has warned. Strong global demand for steel, and the raw material iron ore, has seen prices surge and availability drop over the past year. Severfield told…

Mark Fletcher is a partner at law firm Russell-Cooke The built environment contains many structures built with slavery and other forms of abhorrent conduct. This has become a topical issue, both for our inherited statues and buildings and the construction projects being undertaken today. The existence of the Modern Slavery…

The proportion of construction firms reporting higher than normal cost increases hit a new high at the end of May, data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed. More than two out of five firms (44 per cent) surveyed said in the two weeks to 30 May they had…

Aggregate Industries has opened a new concrete plant in the West Midlands to satisfy demand from major projects, including HS2. The new facility will produce 110 cubic meters of concrete an hour, and will include a hot water system, using recycled water, which will allow concrete production all year round.…

As construction activity has surged in 2021, the availability of materials has become constrained. This has resulted in lead times lengthening and costs rising. Construction News looks at the latest developments for six key items. Steel Steel supplies have been limited since 2020, with the situation deteriorating in recent months.…

The average value of legal disputes in the UK construction sector more than doubled last year as claims linked to the pandemic rose. Three out of four contractors said they were in disputes related to COVID-19, according to a report from Arcadis. The pandemic caused some sites to close and…

Clients are having to reconsider programmes for industrial units due to longer lead times for cladding, according to the boss of McLaren. Logistics units and warehouses are at particular risk from the ongoing materials shortage and delays due to the short construction time. McLaren chairman and co-founder Kevin Taylor said…

Pimlico Plumbers has stipulated that anyone applying for a job at the company must have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The specialist, which is recruiting for six members of an in-house maintenance team, said all applicants will be asked to provide proof that they have had at least one vaccine dose,…

Travis Perkins’ chief operating officer has appealed to builders to plan ahead if they want to avoid material shortages. In an interview with Construction News in the wake of the firm raising prices on many of its products, COO Frank Elkins asked businesses to give the builders' merchant as much…