June 2022
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With this in mind, the NFRC has launched<br />
the RoofCERT accreditation scheme which<br />
longer-term will hopefully promote<br />
roofers who have best practice and the<br />
customers’ interests at heart – are you<br />
aware of the RoofCERT scheme and is it<br />
something you will adopt for your<br />
business and team?<br />
Mark – I am a huge advocate of RoofCERT and<br />
was involved early on during my time as Roof<br />
Training Manager for the Single Ply Roofing<br />
Association. It is a fantastic scheme which needs<br />
to be utilised more – particularly here in<br />
Scotland.<br />
Moving on from this – the skills issue and<br />
attracting new entrants to the sector is a<br />
perennial problem which appears to be getting<br />
worse rather than better. How are you finding<br />
things with regards to recruiting workers, and<br />
what more do you think needs to be done to<br />
attract new entrants to roofing and the wider<br />
construction industry?<br />
It is extremely difficult to attract and recruit<br />
suitable workers. The industry as a whole is<br />
experiencing this. How do we move forward?<br />
Incentivise and train. Pump more money into roof<br />
training groups to allow them to offer more<br />
substantial training at a cost that is more<br />
affordable. We should also enforce small<br />
businesses and one-man bands to train and<br />
achieve qualifications in their roofing discipline.<br />
Issues around supply of materials such as<br />
roof tiles and timber are well<br />
documented, often leading to longer lead<br />
times and some price rises – has this<br />
been your experience and if so, how have<br />
you adapted to ensure projects run<br />
smoothly?<br />
The issue of long lead times has hit the<br />
construction industry hard. Projects are being<br />
pushed back or even put on the back burner. I’m<br />
quite hopeful this will change in time, however,<br />
it’ll likely be 18 months before any change will be<br />
recognised.<br />
“I am a huge advocate of RoofCERT – It is a<br />
fantastic scheme which needs to be utilised<br />
more – particularly here in Scotland”<br />
What have you learned about your<br />
business from working throughout the<br />
pandemic – has it impacted the way<br />
you’ll approach work, the supply chain<br />
and the types of projects you might get<br />
involved with going forward?<br />
Everyone needs a roofer, pandemic or not. We<br />
approach each and every client with empathy and<br />
work hard to ensure we deliver on our promise,<br />
whatever that may be.<br />
Online reviews appear to play a much<br />
bigger part in a homeowner / customer’s<br />
decision making process these days; what<br />
is your opinion of online reviews – are<br />
they a blessing or a curse for roofers?<br />
They certainly have a place but we find that word<br />
of mouth referrals are still the main source of the<br />
majority of our enquiries.<br />
“Price is a big driver in<br />
today’s market,<br />
especially now as the<br />
cost of living is rising”<br />
Is price the main driver for projects in<br />
today’s market?<br />
Price is a big driver in today’s market, especially<br />
now as the cost of living is rising. However, we<br />
have found that an honest and systematic<br />
approach to each of our clients means that cost<br />
usually takes a back seat.<br />
What’s the most satisfying thing about<br />
your job?<br />
The lovely people we get to meet on a daily<br />
basis. Each one has a different story to tell and<br />
we are proud to add our little chunk of life to<br />
theirs.<br />
And the most frustrating?<br />
Having to let people down because of situations<br />
out of our control – the biggest one being the<br />
weather!<br />
What’s your most important tool, either in<br />
the office or on site?<br />
Our operatives on site. They are continually<br />
complimented for their knowledge, expertise and<br />
for being extremely polite and quiet!<br />
Following what has been a challenging<br />
period for roofing and the wider<br />
construction industry, are there reasons<br />
to be optimistic going forward?<br />
Yes, definitely. People continue to need roofers<br />
and contractors and we’re getting lots of<br />
enquiries and are extremely busy. We know we<br />
will face future challenges – particularly in the<br />
labour market and that’s something we aim to<br />
combat by investing in training our staff.<br />
It’s also likely we will hit a recession in the<br />
coming months which could be a cause for<br />
concern but generally we are optimistic about the<br />
future.<br />
What can we expect from Old Plean<br />
Roofing in the coming years?<br />
We will continue to offer the same reliable and<br />
transparent service as we have always done as<br />
we strive to become the roofing builder and<br />
maintenance contractor of choice in Central<br />
Scotland. We also plan to expand our<br />
maintenance and repairs division and offer new<br />
services.<br />
Contact Old Plean Roofing:<br />
01786 811 033<br />
www.oldpleanroofing.co.uk<br />
@oldpleanroofing<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> TC 13
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