Building supply chain will be ready for comeback
THE trade body representing the building industry supply chain in Derbyshire says it is prepared as the sector gears up to restart.
The move comes as Boris Johnson singled out the construction industry as a sector being actively encouraged to go to work in his speech on Sunday.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has already produced new branch operating guidelines for its members to follow, which set a blueprint for procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 18-page document covers protocols for phone, click/call and collect and pre-arranged orders, with no public access to shops.
John Newcomb, chief executive of the Builders Merchants Federation, said: “In light of the Prime Minister’s speech, we are preparing for the industry to get back on site.
“Over the past three weeks, since the publication of our new branch operating guidelines, we have seen increasing numbers of merchants safely reopening or expanding operations to support their trade customers. It is clear the Government now sees a return to work for the construction industry as a priority.
“We are prepared for that, with the safety of merchant staff, suppliers and customers paramount.
“The top priority is to minimise the risk of transmitting coronavirus.”
The BMF is also working in a specialist group to ensure confidence in the building products supply chain, to meet increasing demand in the re-opening period.
It is working with the Construction
Products Association (CPA) to monitor the manufacturing and distribution of their respective members, in order to meet the needs of housebuilders, contractors and SME builders.
They are heading the Product Availability Group, set-up by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), which is co-ordinating the industry’s response to the Covid-19 crisis.
The BMF is gaining information from across its membership – comprising of 710 members with combined sales of £32 billion – to identify items likely to be in short supply and take steps to address them.
Mr Newcomb added: “We want to deal with potential issues in a proactive way, to ensure demand is met across the construction sector.
“We can refer to data-driven intelligence from the information we receive, and the collaboration forged within the Construction Leadership Council means that we can work to address the challenges ahead.”