Page 23 - HW July 2022

change in design thinking?
Luke Poepsel again: “Many builders took a stand at the
beginning and asked, ‘Why should I do it this way? We never used to.’ But once they have tried it, they see that there is a better solution.”
So, we’re still taking baby steps towards more resilient ways of building.
Back to Rob Lawson at Simpson Strong-Tie: “It will make sense and there will be a lot of talk about it, but it’ll be a long time before real change happens and everyone gets their heads around it.
“So we are a long way off change. But it’s a good thing that we’re having the discussion – it should have happened a lot sooner after Christchurch I think.”
WHAT’S THE OUTLOOK?
Alongside changing demand and the changing shape of dwellings, there is a growing consensus that anywhere between a quarter and third of the current record numbers of consents simply won’t happen.
Is the broader construction industry facing the downward slope of yet another boom-and-bust cycle?
Tony Castledine, GM Building Product Supply Channel – Asia Pacific at MiTek Asia Pacific isn’t alone in saying 50,000+ consents “Just can’t be sustained. The country can only build 25-30,000 – there’s not enough tradies and labourers to do more.”
On a positive note, Tony continues: “But what we’re seeing
is that the pipeline is full, and it will remain full for the next 12 months. Even if it stops right now, there’s enough work to see us through until mid-2023.”
Luke Poepsel at SPAX Pacific agrees: “With all the big projects which are still in the pipeline I would say we will go back to a reasonable ‘normal,’ especially as we don’t have the resources to fulfil 50,000 consents in time.”
Simpson Strong-Tie’s Rob Lawson is another to forecast the “big backlog” in the work pipeline will keep the trade busy at current levels for a while at the same time warning not to base expectations of growth on consent numbers he feels are “misleading.”
“I don’t think there is the resource to build as many houses as there are consents. We’ve been saying that the market flattened six or seven months ago.
“I think activity will fall back. There’s a bunch of projects that have been consented for developers that won’t make sense financially anymore, so a lot of that work won’t happen.”
Looking forward, Rob adds: “I think we’ll learn some lessons out of all this. It is cheaper to make the same house 50 times than it is to make 50 different houses. Maybe New Zealanders will start to accept that?”
Although Satesh Govind at NZ Nail also believes the market may slow up “a little”, he also says: “At present, there’s still a willingness to do a lot of these projects.
“So I can only hope that things continue for a little while
longer without too much of a slowdown.”
Back to Fortress Fasteners and Tait Mitchell, who has a
positive spin on some of the negatives being bandied around. “If the world hits a bit of a recession next year, I wonder
whether the shipping companies who have moved to go to more profitable shipping routes might start coming back to New Zealand?” he asks.
Tighter times ahead may also weed out some of the 50-odd suppliers in New Zealand that are importing and/or reselling fasteners in New Zealand, he adds.
The last word goes to MiTek’s Tony Castledine: “These are the cards we have been dealt. Now it’s a case of how you play your hand.”
fasteners & fixings
ECKO Torx turkey
With traditional Phillips and square drives continuing to be replaced by Torx, ECKO Fasteners has released multi-purpose chipboard screws with a Torx drive, complete with “ECKO- Friendly” packaging.
New features & benefifits include T-REX17 cutting teeth on the threads and a Type 17 point (for all sizes 50mm and longer) with a 50mm driver bit in every packet.
ECKO has also released new self-drilling screws for metal and timber. New features & benefifits include a change from square to Torx drives on wafer or countersunk heads and for hex drive screws a hex socket bit is included in every packet.
Look out too for a new range of construction screws which National Sales Manager Shaun Matheson promises will not only be “one of the largest ranges around” but also features some unique features & benefifits.
www.ecko.co.nz
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JULY 2022 | NZHJ 21