In a joint statement from John Newcomb, CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation and Peter Caplehorn, CEO of the Construction Products Association, co-chairs of the Construction Leadership Council’s Product Availability working group, it was revealed that transport issues continue to be the most common and pressing concern across the supply chain. Extended delivery times will therefore likely continue until the end of the year and some allocation will likely remain in place.

There was some easing in the shortages of bulk and bagged cement in August, with additional cement brought from abroad however, delivery has been particularly constrained by the lack of domestic haulage capacity. The main concerns are around bricks and blocks, with some regions experiencing increased delays in securing supplies concrete roof tiles, where lead times are averaging 24-30 weeks, and bagged cement. That said, certain items – timber battens, chipboard, steel lintels and PVC products – remain in short supply. Overall product supply has improved slightly with lead times stabilising in some product areas. While there has been a slight levelling off in construction demand, mostly in the domestic Repair, Maintenance and Improvement sector, demand remains high, with strong projections based on the anticipated pipeline of work for the rest of the year.

Seat media system plus update