where he and his team were responsible for achieving sustained growth.
A well-known figure in the UK timber and wood products industry, Tony Miles has worked in this sector for his entire career. He is a past president of the North West Timber Trade Association and is currently a board member of the Confederation of Timber Industries.
He has a well-earned reputation for driving customer service in both the merchanting and manufacturing sectors and has a track record of strong employee engagement and people development.
ARCHWOOD GROUP APPOINTS NEW CHIEF
EXECUTIVE The company behind Atkinson & Kirby, The Archwood Group has announced the appointment of Tony Miles as the company's new chief executive, with effect from 1 February 2017.
Tony Miles joins Archwood from International Timber, a subsidiary of Saint- Gobain Building Distribution, where he has been managing director since 2007. He initially joined the group in 1979,
CONSTRUCTION SKILLS SHORTAGE GETS
WORSE, WARNS FMB The skills shortage in the construction industry has got worse and has now spread beyond bricklayers and carpenters to other key trades, according to the latest research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said: “We’ve been experiencing a severe shortage of bricklayers and carpenters for quite some time – these latest statistics show that skills shortages are now seeping into other key trades such as roofers and plumbers. Indeed, of the 15 key trades and occupations we monitor, 40% show skills shortages at their highest point since we started to feel the effects of the skills crisis
08 | NEWS
Archwood Group executive chairman, Marcus Moir, said: “We are delighted to have attracted someone with Tony's outstanding qualities as our next CEO. His depth and breadth of industry experience and many years of commercial and business leadership will play a vital part in forging the next chapter in our growth and development.”
Tony Miles commented: “I was drawn to Archwood initially because of the first class and long standing reputation of its brands in the timber products market. This is a great opportunity to lead the business and further develop both the people and the company’s portfolio of products and brands in the coming years.
archwoodgroup.com
in 2013 when the industry bounced back post-downturn. This growing skills deficit is driving up costs for small firms and simultaneously adding to the pressure being felt by soaring material prices linked to the weaker pound.”
Berry continued: “The Government needs to be taking note of the worsening construction skills shortage now that we know that the UK will be negotiating a hard Brexit. The Prime Minister must ensure that the immigration system that replaces the free movement of people serves key sectors such as construction and house building. Our sector relies heavily on skilled labour from the EU, with 12% of the British construction workforce being of non-UK origin. As the construction industry represents around 7% of UK GDP, it’s in no one’s interest
ALTRO FLOORS ANNOUNCE ACQUISITION OF
DEBOLON IN GERMANY Richard Kahn, chief executive of Altro, has announced to its staff, customers and suppliers, the acquisition of Debolon, manufacturer of premium vinyl flooring based in Dessau, Germany.
Mr Kahn commented: “This acquisition is fully aligned to our company purpose, our core values and fully supports our company vision and strategy.
Both Altro and Debolon have very similar family cultures where its staff, its customers and its suppliers are a key focus. Sustainability, innovation, quality and customer relationships are central ideals in both businesses. Coming together in Germany will mean that we can offer an even wider product portfolio and choices to our customers, incorporating higher design flooring and hygienic walling systems.
With increased levels of support and wider availability of local stock, we believe this will provide an enhanced customer experience.”
www.altro.co.uk
to pull the rug out from under the sector by introducing an inflexible and unresponsive immigration system.”
To conclude Berry commented: “On a more positive note, construction SMEs reported steady growth in the final three months of 2016, capping off a generally positive year for the industry. In particular, demand for private refurbishment work was robust throughout 2016 and in terms of private and social house building, builders expect workloads to grow in the first three months of 2017. However, if the Government wants the objectives of its Housing White Paper to be realised, it will need to ensure the construction sector has the skilled workers it needs to build these new homes.”
www.fmb.org.uk www.tomorrowscontractfloors.com
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