When looking ahead to 2021 and what the year could bring, I instinctively find myself thinking back to this time last year when no one could have predicted how 2020 would unfold. But while it’s certain that challenges posed by COVID-19 and Brexit will continue, there are many opportunities on the horizon for the woodworking and joinery manufacture sector. We can learn from how the sector dealt with the pandemic to help strengthen the wider construction supply chain – focusing on working together and continuing our commitment to educating the broader industry on the benefits of timber.
Industry collaboration
For all its negative impacts on both our personal and professional lives, the pandemic has had the positive effect of bringing the construction industry and supply chains closer together for the first time in a long time.
When the first lockdown came into effect in March 2020, the vast majority of the construction industry shut down to comply with Government guidelines. But when the industry started to reopen, there were a myriad of challenges and obstacles to overcome. For example, how could the industry reopen, if the manufacturing of essential building products and materials were yet to restart? It was clear that a single and unified approach was needed, and together, it was exactly what we achieved.
The construction industry came together in a number of different ways – under the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) and Build UK, as well as within working groups that fed into these organisations, such as the CLC Products Availability Group, chaired by the Construction Products Association and Builders Merchants Federation.
This collaborative approach allowed each trade association and industry body to represent their members and voice any concerns on their behalf. Through regular virtual meetings, the BWF advocated for the woodworking and joinery manufacture sector on key issues such as the CLC Roadmap to Recovery, product availability as well as site operating procedures following the March lockdown.
This joined-up approach that COVID-19 enforced upon us has helped to ensure that each strand of our diverse industry is aligned. In 2021, I hope that this collaboration carries on beyond the pandemic to help support our agility and creative solutions to common challenges.
Navigating regulation
While the pandemic continues to dominate the agenda, it’s easy to forget that the construction industry is facing a considerable amount of new regulation due to the UK’s exit from the European Union with a potential ‘no deal’. This presents challenges for the entire supply chain, from manufacture, where CE Marking will change, through to architecture and specification professionals, with the need to ensure that the products they specify comply with the correct standards.
Supporting BWF members, architects and the supply chains navigate the changes surrounding regulations and product standards will be a key focus for the BWF next year. Providing educational resources and informative sessions such as webinars, the BWF will play a role in ensuring that new regulations specifically relating to timber and its use, are communicated and fully understood as we move through the next 12 months.
The opportunity for growth
The Government’s commitment to promote and incentivise sustainable building presents a major opportunity for the woodworking and joinery manufacture sector, and it’s imperative that in 2021 we capitalise on this. Timber is perfectly positioned to help the UK ‘build back better’ and ‘build back greener’.
However, education is key to driving this, as are appropriate Government incentives. To support the specification of sustainable building products, there needs to be clarity on the whole life carbon impact of building materials to ensure that truly sustainable materials are the future of our industry. Whilst we fully support the Green Homes Grant Scheme, we do feel that opportunity has been missed to focus on embodied carbon as well as operational carbon.
Throughout 2021, the BWF will continue to promote the sustainable benefits of wood to trade and consumer audiences alike, and offer targeted training for key audiences such as architects to boost understanding of what can be achieved with timber especially with regards to the key product areas of windows, doors (including fire doors) and stairs.
Driving up standards and best practice
Educating and informing on the specification of BWF members’ key products areas is intrinsic to our 2021 plan. In September 2020, we launched a fire door installation awareness course in partnership with NOCN (National Open College Network) to enhance the availability of quality training, helping to drive-up standards across the construction industry when it comes to fire doors, specifically timber fire doors. To continue to build upon this, in 2021 we plan to launch a number of new e-learning programmes covering the fundamentals of specification, installation and maintenance of timber products.
It is the BWF’s view that we can build better – and more specifically build back better – with wood, and so promoting timber and its benefits will remain at the forefront of our work.
Helen Hewitt is CEO of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF)