Spec Finish

ROUNDTABLE 22 www.thefis.org environment but also businesses have got to survive through this to ensure that people have long term jobs and stability.” Mike Chaldecott was struck by how quickly things can change. Agility and speed are key to success for a modern supply chain, he said. He reflected on the fact that communication with the contractors and distributers has been unprecedented and the situation had underpinned the importance of digital solutions “if you haven’t got an e-commerce platform you are stuffed through a lockdown period”. ToddAltman reported thatSAShadcarried onmanufacturing throughout lockdown, linked to the international customer base, not just theUK, and is starting toseesomepositivesigns. “We areseeing theUKcomingbackquitestrongly,” he said. “Peopleareup-spec’ing, especially inLondon as theyknow itwill need tobe topquality toget thesort of tenants theywant.” Future demand Angela raised concern that demand for student accommodation and hotels is dropping owing to a lack of clarity surrounding what was going to happen in the university section and whether there would be remote learning short-termor long-term. Similarly, American investment in hotels had started to filter through post-Brexit, but uncertainty over when and how the hospitality sector would open up had stalled this. “Offices will survive but will look very different and that is going to be very exciting for us as an industry,” Rob said. “You don’t have to jam80 people in now. We can put 30 in and havemore scope in how to improve the design of that office.” The general consensus was that ultimately there would still be a good demand for office space going forward. Rob and Helen reflected on the importance of the sense of community an office facilitates. Howwe operate on site When it comes to operating on site, the social distancingmeasures have created challenges, but also demonstrated areaswhere activity and productivity can be improved. Fewer people on site andmore off-site productivity are pointing to better efficiency on certain tasks and should become standard procedure going forward. Angela said peoplemay finallywake up to the fact that gettingmore people on site to get back on programme did not equate to greater productivity. Certainly, froma drylining perspective, work hadflowedmore smoothly and efficiently by having fewer people on site at once. On theflip side, loadingwas becoming more labour intensive owing to social distancing. Ann Bentley Global Board Director, Rider Levett Bucknall Lead on Supply Chain and Business Models, CLC Well known and respected within the industry, Ann is a member of the CBI’s Construction Council, a Chartered Member of the Institution for Civil Engineers (MICE), a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS) as well as being a visiting Professor in the Built Environment at Birmingham City University and a visiting lecturer in the School of Construction Management and Engineering at Reading University. Philip Johns Managing Director, SIG UK With more than 30 years’ experience in the construction Industry, Philip re-joined SIG as UK Managing Director in April 2020. In the five years since leaving SIG he worked as CEO for the UK’s largest independent builders’ merchant MKM and more latterly as Chief Commercial Officer for IBMG. During his tenure at MKM, Philip was part of the senior management team who prepared the business for a sale to Bain Capital PE in May 2017. He also made a number of improvements to the business through procurement, market development and branch performance. Mike Chaldecott Chief Executive Officer Saint-Gobain UK and Ireland Mike is Chief Executive Officer to Saint-Gobain’s 34 UK & Ireland businesses which encompasses 17,500 employees across 1,100 building distribution branches and 45 construction materials manufacturing facilities. Prior to this he was Managing Director for British Gypsum for eight years. Mike leads the ‘Innovation in Buildings’ work stream of Construction Leadership Council. He is an active fundraiser, Patron and a past Trustee of the Construction Industry’s charity for the homeless and hospices, CRASH. Todd Altman Chief Executive, SAS International Todd is a manufacturing engineer who started his career in building products withWilliams Holdings PLC at Ancon, the UK supplier of stainless steel masonry products. Rising to Managing Director at Ancon through various operations and sales roles over 18 years, he was instrumental in the international expansion of the business through acquisition and organic growth. He later joined performance door manufacturer Leaderflush Shapland, which was subsequently acquired by SIG PLC and joined SAS International Ltd as Chief Executive in 2014. SAS International designs and manufactures metal ceilings for commercial office and infrastructure applications around the world, with a strong manufacturing base in the UK. BrianHendry ManagingDirector, BrianHendry Interiors Ltd Brian’s career in construction started as a quantity surveyor working for Balfour Beatty in the 80s. He left Balfour Beatty and worked for 5 years as Commercial Director for JHC Interiors Ltd before setting up Brian Hendry Interiors Ltd in 2004, a specialist interior company working in the commercial marketplace installing: Suspended Ceilings, drylining and all forms of partitioning in Scotland. The Glasgow-based business employs between 30-50 staff on sites across the UK. Brian has fostered strong relationships withmain contractors and clients.