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Pricing and supply are also key to driving our cladding business. To enhance sales, we’ve focused on keeping product lines competitive and reliable. And, fortunately, we have not yet encountered any supply concerns on larch, with the company transitioning away from Siberian and focusing on obtaining western larch. Compared to 2021, garden development projects may have dropped slightly, with fewer consumers spending prolonged periods at homes. But home improvement, with customers searching for new ways to invest in and improve the value, functionality, and aesthetic of their property using cladding continues. To demonstrate its potential, timber cladding has also been added to our Howarth Malton branch
Cladding has gained in popularity and is now also widely used in new builds as well as home renovations. This is due not just to the appearance of cladding on homes, but also the general capacity of cladding to increase thermal insulation of a property. We’re seeing cladding in new build primarily in education, modular building and new housing/eco housing projects. The sustainability of our cladding materials is an additional sales driver, as is their durability, giving developers confidence to build a property knowing that it will be long-lasting, and have enhanced environmental credentials. Equally, as a company, we are constantly striving to improve our products and further increase choice and quality. We provide a variety of colours, profiles, and finishes, with Off Set, PTGV, and Ship Lap cladding being Howarth’s most popular products. And
Above: This Howarth branch showcases red cedar cladding
will affect sales going forward remains to be seen. Many homeowners obviously have bigger priorities right now than building a garden room. But at Howarth, we emphasise the importance of trust with customers and suppliers. We give them the assurance that we offer reasonable cladding prices and quality materials from reputable suppliers, so they will keep returning and our cladding sales will continue to improve. Consequently, Howarth is optimistic for the future in terms of revenue and sales. We have also recently added AborClad products to our website, from which we hope to see a boost in purchases given current high demand for composite cladding. The range is sustainable and simple to treat, helping meet our customers’ concerns about the environment and making our company and product range still more carbon focused. We also emphasise that renovation and home improvements have multiple benefits, so when the property market does start to improve, customers’ newly renovated homes will have added value – with our company reaping the benefits of further exponential growth in cladding and timber sales.
although we have not released any additional colours or species recently, we are now in the early phases of obtaining a replacement for frake. Our objective is also to widen product choice in the future to add to claddings’ appeal and further grow sales. With the cost of living crisis spreading economic panic across the country, how this
Howarth Timber & Building Supplies has long been recognised as a prominent provider of timber cladding to the market, and with our accessible set-up in Dewsbury, we can also sell cladding to other merchants around the country. ■
For further information contact our Dewsbury branch
mfennell@howarth-timber.co.uk or visit our website;
www.howarth-timber.co.uk
NTG BUYS NORCLAD National Timber Group has acquired fire-rated cladding specialist, NORclad
National Timber Group (NTG) has acquired NORclad, specialist manufacturer and supplier of bespoke fire-rated timber cladding, facades and other timber products used by commercial and residential customers nationally.
NORclad was founded 40 years ago and offers cladding in a range of species, from Canadian western red cedar to home-grown larch and, says NTG, backs its products with technical support to customers and advice on choice of species, fire retardant and timber treatment.
NORclad’s shareholders will remain in the business, working with NTG England
managing director Patrick Guest to develop NTG’s fire-rated timber cladding category. NTG now operates from 60 sites and turns over £350m, supplying joiners, regional housebuilders, commercial operations and infrastructure projects.
“NORclad will add to what we can do as a specialist, added-value timber manufacturer and distributor and is a great example of the type of business we want to partner with,” said Mr Guest.
Managing director of NORclad Alistair Brown said the time was right “to move the business on by joining forces with a larger organisation”. ■
Above: NORclad manufactures and supplies bespoke fire-rated timber cladding
www.ttjonline.com | January/February 2023 | TTJ
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