As UK housebuilding continues to battle strong headwinds, Glevum Windows Commercial says strong support from the Commercial Window Group has been invaluable in maintaining continuity of work in a challenging market landscape.
Supplying and installing new build windows for more than two decades, Gloucestershire-based Glevum Windows Commercialhas seen its fair share of ups and downs in the new build market, but recent months will surely be remembered for the latter.
Despite the Labour government’s much-publicised pledge to “build, Baby, build” – 1.5m homes over five years – construction activity remains sluggish, as UK housebuilders battle multiple challenges. These include tightening regulations and associated red tape, a depressed housing market, labour shortages, inflationary pressures and supply chain instability, which have all taken their toll.
“We’ve had a few false starts lately,” says Mike Donaldson, Managing Director at Glevum Windows Commercial.
“It felt like the wheel was about to turn, but then, for whatever reason, it just ground to a halt.
“I think the government will always tell us that we’re going to build more houses, and an awful lot more social housing has been built over the last two or three years, compared with what was built five years ago. But all that’s really done is make up for a lack of private housing being built.”
“Social housing will always give you turnover, but for the housebuilders, the profit comes out of private new build,” he adds.
Demonstrating resilience despite this downturn, September marked Glevum’s strongest month in almost a year, thanks to a steady stream of social housing projects to keep things “ticking over” until conditions improve.
Offering standardised, quality products and a secure, vertically integrated supply chain, in addition to strong peer support, Mike maintains that Glevum’s membership of the Commercial Window Group has been key to weathering the storm and maintaining stability through adverse conditions.
Combining the scale and uniformity of a national co-operative with the agility, specialist area knowledge and service focus of local installers like Glevum, it’s a model that’s highly beneficial to commercial installers and housebuilders alike.
“As a member of the Commercial Window Group we’re part of a national collective of independent, regional installer partners around the country, who are in a very similar boat to us,” he explains.
“It gives us a clear advantage over our competitors because we’re able to draw on the strength, expertise and resources of the Group, which has the clout of both Emplas and Epwin behind it. That’s always good to know, especially if things take a turn for the worse,” he adds.
But with hopes that “green shoots” could finally be emerging in the commercial housebuilding sector, Glevum’s focus is on ensuring that it’s well-positioned to take advantage when things pick up, with a long-term commitment to skills and sustainability.
“We’ve literally just taken on our first apprentice and we’re looking to take on more, because we see investing in the future as the way forward – not only for us as a company, but the country in general,” says Mike.
“The Commercial Window Group has been a big part of helping us set up our apprenticeship scheme within the business, which serves another great example of how we benefit from its support.
“It means that when things return to normal in the private new build sector, and the volumes get back up to where they should be, whether that’s today, tomorrow, or further down the line, we’ll be ready and waiting,” he concludes.
Products supplied by Commercial Window Group members are manufactured exclusively by one of the largest window and door fabricators in the UK, the Emplas Group, which brings more than four decades of expertise and supply into the commercial sector.
For more information on the Commercial Window Group’s next generation high performance window and door ranges and our regional delivery partners call 01234 567890 or email [email protected]
