People are a fundamental ingredient for success. Without the right people, with the necessary skills to deliver your core service, any business is in a weak position. Aaron Barbeau, from Beissier, considers how shifting attitudes in the supply chain can make a huge difference.
Way back in 1998, Sir John Egan, a former head of Jaguar Cars, led a Construction Task Force that took the Latham Report to the next stage. It found the industry was underachieving and called for dramatic improvements. Egan suggested the industry should focus efforts on delivering value for customers, reducing waste and improving quality. What’s different now?
Our great industry remains inherently conservative and traditional, and breaking down traditional structures is very difficult. In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, the industry may finally be addressing the weaknesses of Building Regulations. Equally, the collapse of Carillion may see aggressive commercial structures tackled head on.
Construction remains a people business and, even today, report after report talks about a skills crisis. Wherever you are in the world, and in whatever specialist trade, it is people that make it happen – either on-site or off-site.
Here is where construction product manufacturers are all working to develop traditional and new products that help to satisfy customers, by providing better value and less waste, and improving quality.
At Beissier we’ve worked hard to create fillers and plaster products that suit the way specialist contractors want to work. For example, the Bagar Airliss range of spray-applied plaster is a single component product ready for use, which allows continuous and uninterrupted application to improve productivity. OK, it’s not the traditional hand-applied wet plaster, but in today’s world of skills shortages, it is a more efficient way of working and an equal to traditional finishes.
New methods also challenge traditional ways of education and training. So, training people to develop this new skill can be delivered quickly and effectively. This means new skills coming to the market to fill the gaps that are there for everyone to use.
New products can also open the door to multi-skilled trades people who can deliver a broader set of fit-out skills, filling more gaps and helping to improve business efficiency and profitability.
AARON BARBEAU
Beissier UK
