Volume builders with national supply contracts are less likely to be badly affected by material shortages. Photo / Bevan Conley
Volume builders with national supply contracts are less likely to be badly affected by material shortages. Photo / Bevan Conley
The construction industry is battling supply issues caused by Covid-19 interruptions but industry representatives say there is a way to get through unsettled times.
"I think that's affecting more of the smaller guys than the larger guys at the moment because volume builders have national supply agreements," Stonewood Homes ownerand former president of Whanganui Master Builders Anthony O'Leary said.
"A lot of the smaller companies obviously don't have that volume and don't have those relationships in place. They've got jobs that are more likely to come to a standstill through no fault of their own."
O'Leary said there was around a nine-month wait for James Hardie linea products, with GIB blowing out to 15 weeks in the last fortnight or so.
O'Leary said chasing materials had become part and parcel of the current landscape, along with being told that products meant to arrive that day would be delayed.
"In terms of roofing coils, they've restricted the colour ranges from around 20 down to eight for the next six months.
"Those eight are by far the most popular colours, and I guess that enables them to focus on those, give better service and provide a bit more reassurance to the industry.
"Again, we're probably looking at between three and four months for booking in roofs. That's just to supply the materials."
Another hurdle on the horizon is a national building code update coming into effect from November next year.
"Insulation and energy efficiency is the main one, but that applies to roof insulation, glazing and windows, and aluminium joinery," O'Leary said.
There was still a lot of good development and demand in Whanganui, which could only be positive, O'Leary said.
"Merchant stores are doing well and making a good dollar, and they obviously employ more people the busier they are.
"It does have a good economic spin-off but, on the flip side, some of the smaller set-ups might have to lay off their young fellas because they don't have that continuity of work.
"It's a bit of a balancing act and we're all just wading through it as best we can."
Keryn Amon.
DML Construction owner Keryn Amon said the key to staying on top of Covid-19 interruptions was to "plan , plan, plan and plan again", and to give people as much warning as possible.
"We've (Platinum Homes) got a national IT system that's really focussed on sales and marketing, and it's kind of left the building to look after itself.
"Now more than ever we really need programming tools and at the moment they're a little bit jammed. The best form of advertising is a referral, and if people are having a bad experience, which some of our people are because it's taking so long, they're not going to refer you to others.
"Conversely, if they have a great experience, they'll tell a whole bunch of people about you."
The impacts of Covid-19 had shone a light on everybody's operational systems, and the ones that were poor were the ones that are struggling the most, Amon said.
The continued lockdown in Auckland showed just how important the City of Sails was to the rest of the country's construction sector, Amon said.
"It's frustrating when you're talking to suppliers who could be working in a safe manner but aren't allowed to.
"That's now created an absolute gridlock for them, and they are so far behind that they can't see the surface."
Amon said panic buying was also a "real thing" in the construction industry.
"There are big guys out there buying way more stuff than they need to store on site.
"If everyone just worked with their projects and we all took a little bit of pain, I think could still flow along quite nicely."
