The Construction Products Association (CPA) hosted an Autumn Lunch on 14th November 2024 at The Brewery, London. This event gathered a diverse and senior audience across the construction supply chain, including manufacturers and suppliers, major contractors, as well as influential political and media contacts.
Speaking at that event, CPA Chair Adam Turk made a speech encouraging manufacturers to take action in the face of a changing industry. The following extract is reproduced from that speech:
‘When I last spoke at the Spring Lunch, I said that it is time for us as an industry to stop walking by, to stop the “same old, same old”, and instead to make it our business to do something about it.
‘Nobody should be hoping that these new regulations and new expectations will all simply go away. Nobody should be making a mistake in thinking that, “I’m not in the high-rise resi market, so this doesn’t apply to me.”
‘The old way of playing the game is being rejected. By Inquiry judges, by regulators, by Government, by clients, and by homeowners and communities up and down the country. And I think we should be amongst the first to respond. There’s not only a moral imperative but it makes good business sense especially when we can see the work slowing down.
‘Also, quite frankly, as the Prime Minister prepares his Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, we need all the help we can get to improve our image and reputation, to put a positive rhetoric back into our sector and to demonstrate that we’ve learned and changed. It’s not about words but about actions. It seems to me that we can respond in a number of ways.
- First, take a hard look at the culture within our own organisations and ensure the message is coming down strongly from the top about doing things properly, and not just the bare minimum;
- Second, about Competence – making sure we have in place good training for both our own employees and for those that design, procure and install our products;
- And finally, and the one closest to my heart – good product information best served via the Code for Construction Product Information.
‘And about the Code in particular, we are seeing change but it’s still too slow for my liking. I’m very encouraged by the drive from key supporters including many of the housebuilders, Tier 1 contractors and merchants in the room this afternoon, to ensure they’re only procuring Code-verified products.
‘To the manufacturers in the room, I’ll only say that if you haven’t already met with the team at the Code, don’t wait or underestimate the work required, or you’ll risk being left behind as customers start to have a choice about choosing Code-verified products.
‘We’re already aware that some products that are not yet Code-verified are being called into question by procurement teams. That will happen more and more. The Code also plays into that collaborative model I spoke about earlier, where the manufacturers can be relied upon to share information that is clear, accurate, up-to-date, accessible and unambiguous. Get these things right around the three pillars of Culture, Competence and the Code, and we start playing in a new way.’
