December 2023

“THE NEW COMPETENCE REQUIREMENTS COME INTO FORCE IN APRIL,
SO ‘DOING NOTHING’ IS NOT AN OPTION”
Carlton J Jones, Director MCRMA (Metal Cladding & Roofing Manufacturers Association)
Over the past 12 months, the construction
industry has taken important steps to adapt
to the requirements of the 2022 Building
Safety Act.
Despite the current challenging economic
backdrop, organisations including the MCRMA
have remained focused on supporting businesses
working at all points in the building envelope
supply chain to understand, and respond to, the
competence and compliance demands of the new
building safety regime.
One of the most important developments of the
last 12 months is undoubtedly the publication of
the white paper by the JCI (Joint Competence
Initiative), ‘Achieving Competence in the Building
Envelope Sector’. This was a breakthrough as it
provides a benchmark standard relating to
competencies for all Individuals working in, or
for, specialist sub-contractors and
consultants, as well as material and system
manufacturers within the building envelope
sector.
Our role in the JCI has been to ensure the voices
of businesses involved in metal cladding and
roofing are heard so the new ways of working are
feasible and achievable. And this has been one of
the reasons why many of our members have
derived greater value from their MCRMA
membership in 2023.
Looking ahead to 2024, it is likely that many more
businesses in our sector will be investing time
and resources in training and implementing new
processes, if required, to align with the JCI
framework and meet client expectations from a
regulatory perspective. This
investment will pay dividends
because demonstrating competence at
both an individual and company level will be key
to winning contracts and delivering projects in
future.
In recent months we have already seen a huge
increase in bookings for our 3-day training
programme and individuals taking our online
CPDs, and we expect the demand for specialist
training to increase further over the next year.
Remember, the new competence requirements
come into force in April, so ‘doing nothing’ is not
an option. Hence why there has never been a
more important time to prioritise knowledge and
skills development through training!
www.mcrma.co.uk
“WE’RE ALL TOO AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR REPLACEMENT CLADDING”
John Park-Davies, Group Managing Director at Vertik-Al
This time last year, even the most
insightful individual would have
struggled to predict how 2023 would
unfold. We have seen multiple conflicts
around the world, rampant inflation in the UK,
material price volatility, and firms – both large
and small – in distress. It’s safe to say that
we’ve experienced turmoil across all areas –
social, political and economic.
My personal outlook has always been – ‘what
doesn’t hurt you, makes you stronger’, and it’s a
view that I bring to the business. I am pleased to
say that we have grown stronger over this
challenging year.
I have made sure that during one of the most
challenging times in my 37 year career, our
business has maintained its exceptional standards
and service. For example, we have continued to
invest in industry leading accreditations
such as Qualicoat and the GSB
International Master Seal; standards we
have upheld for almost 30 years. Our sister
company, IKON Aluminium, also achieved the
revised PAS 24 certification on its louvre doorsets.
All too often we see businesses compromise on
quality when things are difficult. This is not how we
run a business. We want to support our customers,
to help them thrive and emerge resilient.
Our core business is powder coating architectural
aluminium, this sees us dealing with global paint
suppliers and serving many sectors of British
industry. Our customers deal with both the domestic
and commercial markets, so we coat everything
from components through to bar length, often this is
destined for prestigious building facades.
While some larger commercial projects have stalled
this year, we have a strong order book for 2024.
Demand for coated aluminium products is high – its
recyclability and lightweight properties makes it a
material of choice for many specifiers and façade
consultants. Plus, we’re all too aware of the
potential for replacement cladding.
The home improvement market has also proven to
be more resilient than we first thought at the start of
the year. While some homeowners are feeling the
pinch there are others who are using savings and
investing in their homes. This state of the housing
market has triggered this ‘improve don’t move’
reaction. Rising consumer awareness and the
growing popularity of aluminium fenestration
products and clad extensions means this has, and
continues to be, a fairly buoyant market for our
customers, and in turn, us. We don’t see this
changing in 2024. www.vertik-al.com
DECEMBER 2023 TC 15