Supply Chain

A cancelled film studio project in Hertfordshire has contributed to lower annual turnover and pre-tax profit for steel specialist Severfield. In its latest annual financial results announcement, the firm noted that the removal of the Sunset Studios project (pictured) from its order book “was the result of a client-driven decision…

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) and the Scottish Building Federation (SBF) have announced plans to merge. The England and Wales-based NFB, which can trace its origins to 1880, and the SBF, which was founded in 1895, agreed to become one organisation within the next two years. The name of…

John Wallace is managing director and head of real estate at solicitors Ridgemont The UK may still be hurting from Brexit, but the Pacific trade deal is a step in the right direction. Member states benefit from free trade, consistent trade rules and the recognition of each other’s local qualifications.…

Durham-based CA Group improved turnover and profitability last year, according to its latest accounts filed with Companies House. Turnover for the year ending 30 September 2023 reached £117.2m, compared with £107.5m in 2021/22. This was the third consecutive year of revenue growth for the firm since a downturn related to…

Small and medium-sized construction firms are finding it harder to access finance despite growing optimism over their prospects next year, a new survey shows. Quarterly research from business finance investment firm Bibby Financial Services (BFS) found that 58 per cent of construction SME business owners expected their order book to…

Inflationary pressures and higher interest rates failed to stop Essex-based D&B Scaffolding from posting higher revenue and profit for last year. Its latest accounts, covering the year ending 31 August 2023, show that turnover increased by 2.2 per cent from £18.5m to £18.9m. And pre-tax profit almost doubled from £1m…

Multinational manufacturer ArcelorMittal has warned a “catastrophic” planning decision will cut the UK’s access to concrete rebar steel by nearly a third. Chatham Docks in Kent, which is the firm’s only site producing the product, is set to close after Medway Council approved a project to develop a mixed-use scheme…

The UK construction sector is at risk of inadvertently using Russian aluminium because of a gap in EU sanctions, a trade association has warned. Specifically, the EU has not sanctioned imports of aluminium slabs, ingots and billets, which make up about 85 per cent of the Russian aluminium imports to…

The incoming government must beef up its Construction Playbook guidance to prevent its provisions from being “routinely ignored”, a leading trade body has said. The call was part of a Blueprint for Better Construction set out by the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) ahead of the general election on 4…

Materials suppliers are struggling to protect themselves against bad debts as the insurance market shows signs of losing nerve in the wake of high-profile contractor failures. A survey of members of the British Merchants Federation (BMF) has revealed that almost a third (31.2 per cent) had been unable to access…