December 2023

Pitched Roofing
WE CONTINUE TO INVEST & INNOVATE
Andrew Hayward, Managing Director of Russell Roof Tiles, looks back on a year of
investment for the company in a tricky period for the sector, and gives his thoughts on
what to look out for in 2024…
This year has been a tough one, the market is
down which has been compounded by the
challenges of continued high prices for both
raw materials and energy, and generally high
charges. This means we’ve focused on maximising
manufacturing efficiencies, investing specifically in
technologies which can improve output.
For example, this year we started using a
production monitoring system that helps the focus
on key downtime hotspots and assess potential
efficiency gains. The new system is being utilised at
our dedicated plastics site, enabling us to have
real-time data on its injection moulding machines,
which produces our UPVC accessories, including
dry verge systems.
Economy
Despite the recent drop in inflation figures
announced in early November, the economy
continues to suffer.
Continued high costs from the series of interest rate
hikes have really hit the residential new build sector
hard. Even though mortgages are now slightly more
accessible, this really hit the first-time buyers. This
squeeze on the new home market has seen some
construction firms – specifically in the
housebuilding sector – struggle and even go into
administration because of the challenging wider
picture.
Despite the Government’s pledge to increase home
ownership and help boost the supply of much
needed properties, the Help to Buy scheme has
closed and the market is still awaiting the next
Government initiative to boost the market.
Housing minister Lee Rowley has said: “Helping
more people into homeownership is a priority and
Help to Buy has been pivotal in helping us achieve
that.” It may have had its critics, but the
market is still awaiting a replacement
for Help to Buy.
The uncertainty of developers is
further evidenced by the overall
reduction in planning applications.
Challenging international factors such as the
continued crisis in Ukraine, and more recently in
Gaza, impacts global trade. The supply chain
globally continues to be impacted by China and post
Brexit red tape.
What does 2024 have in store?
Despite the current tough market we continue to
invest and innovate. In May we announced an
£18.5m investment project with a new state-ofthe-art
plant in Burton on Trent. This will deliver
more manufacturing lines and a new 1600 sq m
building which will house a state-of-the-art curing
chamber (only the second of its type in the country).
The new facility, a QUADRIX from Kraft Curing
Systems GmbH, accelerates the curing process
through the controlled addition of heat and humidity.
This guarantees a continually uniform environment
for curing, with high air volumes at a low flow rate.
Not only does this new system improve quality of
the concrete roof tiles, it is the most sustainable
curing method available globally, aligning with our
commitment to sustainability.
Sustainability
This will continue to be a major theme within our
sector into 2024 and beyond, and through
construction as a whole. It is certainly an issue that
is not going away.
Advances in technology are making concrete roof
tiles an ever more sustainable pitched roofing
solution. We launched our Net Zero 2040 pledge,
Left: Andrew Hayward, Managing Director of
Russell Roof Tiles.
with a roadmap of how we intend to
reduce carbon emissions across
the operation and the wider supply
chain.
We already actively engage with suppliers
to encourage energy reductions and sustainable
practices, and are rated as ‘Excellent’ under the
BES 6001 certification for responsible sourcing. All
of our manufacturing sites are covered by ISO
14001 approved environmental management
systems, and we make a concerted effort to
minimise our impact on the wider environment.
We have worked hard to source materials locally
and are the first British roof tile manufacturer to
have achieved an “Excellent” rating for responsible
supplier sourcing. RRT is signed up to the SME
Climate Hub, which is a government initiative
aimed at getting SME businesses in the UK on the
path to Net Zero. We also achieved gold status with
the Supply Chain Sustainability School, which is a
multi-award-winning initiative that represents a
common approach to addressing sustainability
within supply chains.
Since we launched our NetZero commitment in
2022, all of our products have been reviewed to
ensure they are designed with sustainability in
mind. Our large format concrete interlocking tiles
are specifically designed to provide customers with
a product that requires less fixings and fewer
battens than small format clay alternatives, helping
reduce overall material requirements on a roof.
Contact Russell Roof Tiles
www.russellrooftiles.com
Russell Roof Tiles
36 TC DECEMBER 2023