Stocks of building materials including bathroom products continue to be disrupted by ongoing supply chain issues combined with high demand.
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, made a joint statement on the issue this week.
Bathware and sanitaryware imported from Asia has been subject to disruption in shipping, and unlikely to be fully resolved until 2023 when additional shipping container capacity is expected, their statement said.
Timber is becoming more readily available and the price has fallen for some imported timber products, it was reported.
Exceptional demand for bricks has depleted current stock to a low level and the gap is being bridged with imported products, while an exceedingly high demand for roof tiles has hindered stocks from being replenished.
The statement added: “In general, demand for construction products has fallen from the peaks seen during spring and summer. This has been particularly evident with a slight softening in residential DIY and repair, maintenance and improvement projects. Nevertheless, the overall market remains extremely strong and the expectation from all regions and sectors is that this will continue during the final quarter of the year.
“While product supply has improved in some areas, several critical challenges remain, particularly around logistics and related labour shortages, and rising product and input costs.”
The shortage of HGV drivers was seen as the most critical issue across the board, resulting in late deliveries.
Issues around global shipping also continued to hamper deliveries of imported products, components and raw materials, particularly from Asia, the experts added.