Award-winning sales intelligence software supplier, sales-i has joined forces with the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF), the UK’s leading trade organisation that represents merchants and suppliers across the building and construction industry. The BMF, which has over 500 members ranging from small companies to national organisations, is also the primary provider of specialist training for all employees covering apprenticeships, product and selling skills, and managerial development. John Newcomb, Managing Director of the BMF said, “I am pleased to welcome sales-i into BMF membership. It’s reassuring to see a number of our BMF members are already using their sales intelligence software and hopefully through their membership of the BMF these numbers will continue to grow”. Paul Black, CEO of sales-i, comments: “The BMF is dedicated to supporting businesses across the building and construction industry and so are we. We created sales-i to help suppliers sell smarter, to improve sales performance through sales intelligence, and better compete – we’re delighted to partner with the BMF and very much look forward to helping more of its members do the same!” Founded in 2008, sales-i has become the leading supplier of sales intelligence software to the building and construction industry both in the UK and North America. It has already helped thousands of customers realise greater visibility of sales, margins, and profitability, enabling them to respond faster to every sales opportunity and sell more. Existing BMF members using sales-i include Howarth Timber, TIMco, International Timber, Rawlplug, and FlexSeal. National Sales Manager of Howarth Timber, Mark Terry has been an advocate of sales-i for over 6 years. He says: “sales-i has had a real impact on our sales business. sales-i enables me to manage my external team efficiently, it gives me both positive and negative sales information which I can react upon & action accordingly.”

The sole UK supplier of Econic, a robust new fire-resistant building board, is making significant inroads into the construction industry with a portfolio of specified-led work which it anticipates will add £500,000 to sales in the next 18 months. Glasgow-based Duncryne Ltd, which imports Econic, an engineered Magnesium Oxide (MgO) board, has been specified to supply material for the West Midlands Schools programme in Birmingham following a succession of high-profile projects in Scotland. The new work follows increased awareness among manufacturers and designers that the MgO board’s fire resistant, acoustic, structural and hygrothermal performance creates opportunities for leaner and more efficient system-led applications. Keith Macnair, managing director of Duncryne, said: “There is strong evidence that specifiers and contractors are starting to appreciate the Econic MgO qualities in regard to the safety and performance advantages – which traditional materials cannot offer. We anticipate that our market share will increase as a consequence.” Duncryne imports Econic MgO boards from China, where it has a sister company in Shanghai. Since it started trading in 2013, it has won prestigious orders in such high-profile buildings as the new £842 million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and the Technology and Innovation Centre at Strathclyde University. It has supplied panels at recently re-furbished Haymarket station in Edinburgh, as well as Queen Street and Central Stations in Glasgow. Econic board has been installed in student accommodation and at Braehead’s Ferry Village in Glasgow. Now the company, which has storage and distribution facilities in Renfrew and Birmingham, has won a major contract to supply Econic board to 24 schools in the Midlands, to be used in external SIPS, render carrier and internal corridor walls. Econic was used as external sheathing for a high-density residential development being constructed on the South Bank of the Thames in London for FTSE-listed, Surrey-based housebuilder Berkeley Homes. Duncryne has also supplied pre-cut, Econic board for fire protection and lining to electrical switchgear for a tunnel project at the exhibition centre in Birmingham. This offered significant commercial savings to the project due to the onerous fire criteria. Mr Macnair said: “The board’s robust qualities complement its technical performance. It is lightweight, non-hazardous, weather-resistant, will eliminate waste and mitigate damage in transit. “We see the development of system-led solutions with off-site manufacturers as a main focus for business growth. We are making significant inroads into the most active areas of the UK market and we can also deliver anywhere in Europe and the Middle East.”

Leading decorative garden structures and fencing company, Grange, is excited to be exhibiting at Timber Expo again this October, where it will be unveiling its new corporate identity as well as significant new product developments. The new products, which have been developed in response to merchant and retail customer feedback, will fit seamlessly into Grange’s already extensive range. Consumers can still benefit from high quality, complementary products that are practical yet visually attractive, with the co-ordinated trellis, gate and fence collections creating a harmonised look within any style of garden, helping to transform ordinary garden structures into something a little bit special. Building on the continued success of its pre-painted range of decorative structures, Grange will also be revealing a refreshed colour collection at the show. The new compilation has been created to reflect the consumers love of colour and offer Grange customers a unique and eye-catching selling point with its pre-painted service. The stand (T3/400) will also be highlighting how the range can provide privacy and security as well as demonstrating its garden zoning properties, which allows homeowners to create distinct, individual spaces within their gardens. Commenting on the new product launch, Trade Marketing Manager, Antony Barrett said, “We are very excited to be exhibiting again this year and showcasing what Grange can offer the industry, as well as unveiling our new corporate identity. “We have recently invested significantly in the Grange brand and are constantly looking at ways we can take it forward whilst still retaining those attributes for which we are renowned, such as logistics and customer service. These new product and colour developments are testimony to this investment and confirmation of our continued commitment to the future of the company,” adds Antony. These new collections are all backed by Grange’s unrivalled customer service and back-up logistics. This, combined with great designs, constant development and new products, makes Grange the ideal partner for retailers and merchants. For further information visit www.grangefen.co.uk or contact Grange on 01952 588 088 or by email at sales@grangefen.co.uk.

Dedicated materials store enables increased repair and maintenance efficiencies and cost savings Managed Services, part of Travis Perkins plc, which provides maintenance materials and supply chain planning for public sector organisations, has opened a new store in West Oxfordshire, exclusively for housing association Cottsway. Cottsway, the largest housing association in West Oxfordshire, manages all day-to-day responsive repairs and empty homes maintenance work for a portfolio of 4,500 homes, including houses, flats and bungalows, and also specializes in housing for the over 55’s.In addition to general repairs, the Cottsway team provides tenants with access to aids and adaptations to their homes including green technology installations. The new store, which officially opened on 4th August 2015, is now fully managed by Managed Services and is part of a contract that will last a minimum of 4 years. Stocking all required heavy and light side materials, this dedicated store will provide everything Cottsway needs to maintain its properties in the local area with improved efficiency and at a lower cost. The dedicated store will ensure that the repairs and maintenance staff at Cottsway have instant access to whatever stock they need, whenever they need it – either by arranging delivery or paying a visit to the store. The partnership with Managed Services will also help to ensure that Cottsway secures better-value products and more efficient stock levels – with a reduction in the reliance of third party suppliers. The implementation of Managed Services full-spectrum trade supply planning system; which includes full supply chain support and a dedicated relationship manager, will enable Cottsway to reduce the amount of time spent sourcing and transporting appropriate materials, which in turn will help the repair and maintenance teams increase their work rates. The arrangement will also have a positive impact on tenants, enabling them to get their much needed repairs finished in a timely manner, whilst at the same time increasing the efficiency of scheduled property refurbishments. Sue Lakin, Operations Director at Cottsway, said: “Our new central stores, run in partnership with Travis Perkins, is handling all our stores, waste and hire needs as well as delivering materials to our repairs team on site. This will significantly increase productivity, reduce costs and deliver a better service to customers.” Stuart Hough, Managing Director of Managed Services said: “We are very proud to be opening our first Managed Services store dedicated for Cottsway and look forward to our continued partnership with the housing association. We have been working on streamlining processes and reducing costs, and the dedicated stores will help to achieve this. At Managed Services, we not only strive to improve service by providing better value and the right product selection, but seek to enhance the management of the supply chain by providing easy access to materials – freeing up employees and contractors to work more efficiently.” A study commissioned by Managed Services has revealed that housing associations and local authorities around the UK could save over £285 million each year by re-engineering their repair and maintenance (R&M) materials purchasing and management. The analysis of a range of social housing providers, undertaken by MindMetre Research, found that by re-engineering R&M materials purchase and management procedures, social housing organisations could stand to save £1.7 billion in social housing R&M costs by the end of the decade. The study highlighted that with social housing R&M constituting a significant proportion of running costs, addressing supply chain issues could enable housing authorities and social housing providers to make substantial efficiency and productivity gains, as well as large cost savings.

In just two days, 14 volunteers from the Travis Perkins plc Pace management team and local tradespeople provided a complete overhaul of Standen’s Barn Community Centre – in partnership with local charity Northampton Community Spaces. Travis Perkins plc ‘Pace’ management team and local tradespeople collaborated with charity Northampton Community Spaces to refurbish one of their Community Centres, Standen’s Barn, into a warm, welcoming and safe place for groups to meet and socialise together – the entire project was completed in only 48 hours. Standen’s Barn was known to the local area as a target for external vandalism, and was in need of a fresh, new look. In just two days, the team completed: ● A complete refit and installation of the kitchen for staff and visitors ● Redecoration of the larger communal areas including the meeting room and games room ● Renovation of the disabled toilets Travis Perkins plc supplied all internal building and decorating materials for the project including sourcing products from companies across the group including Tile Giant, CCF, Keyline and Wickes. 15 tubs of Dulux paint was also donated from Beverley Cockbain at AkzoNobel. The 14 volunteers from the company’s management team concentrated on the redecoration tasks, including the painting of all communal areas. The kitchen, featured in solid oak, was provided by Wickes employees Tony Jones and Steven Ferry and the refit was carried out by local tradespeople, including local kitchen fitters Enzo Menna and Tom Moriarty, along with electrician Shane Lothian. The charity Northampton Community Spaces, which runs and manages eight community centres in total, is very popular and host around 77 groups, seven days a week. Standen’s Barn welcomes members of the local community from all walks of life, from tiny-tots to the elderly, and hosts a variety of events and activities across the week. Richard Turner, Management Team, Travis Perkins plc, said: “It has been brilliant to get involved with this project, not only by supplying materials but also helping with the redecorating work. It was all hands on deck to get everything completed in just 48 hours, but we did it! As a Northampton-based company, it’s fantastic to be able to help with local projects and we hope that residents enjoy the use of the newly refurbished Standen’s Barn community centre.”

Many UK brick production facilities were mothballed or scaled back after the last recession hit and were unprepared for the upsurge in demand from house-builders in 2013 and 2014 when it came. Latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics show brick production in the UK has now responded, with close to a billikon bricks made in the UK in the first six months of 2015. Brick Development Association chief executive Simon Hay said: “The brick industry has reacted swiftly in order to meet new demand by increasing brick production by nearly 7% in comparison to the same period in 2014, a tremendous effort by a capital-intensive industry. “For the first time since the economic downturn, production is approaching 1 billion bricks in a six month period. Stock levels have also grown to nearly 450 million, a 33% rise in comparison to the stock levels at the first half of 2014, meaning choice in brick is now possible with reasonable lead in times.”