NEWS & APPOINTMENTS


Cost of raw materials set to come down next year


Having recently seen the first drop in raw materials costs since September 2020, experts at one of the UK’s largest online metal suppliers are offering their predictions for the industry in 2024. 2023 saw the first signs of a fall in the cost of metals. A decrease in demand has seen the forecasted price deflation come to fruition, meanwhile, the ongoing unsteady economic situation in the UK has solidified this.


Paul McFadyen, Chairman at metals4U, has provided his commentary on each of the predictions for 2024 and how he sees them affecting those within the industry next year.


1.Raw materials to go down in price With supply chain disruptions and increased demand hitting the industry after the pandemic, a steadier supply of raw materials should now start to consistently drive prices down. “We’ve already seen green shoots in the cost of materials. The period between June and August 2023 saw an average drop of 1.6% in the cost of raw materials compared to the previous year, and this trend looks likely to continue into 2024. Prior to this drop in June, it had been 21 months, in September 2020, when prices last dropped across the board.”


2.The skills gap will only worsen The government has promised to invest in major construction developments by 2027, but the Construction Industry Training Board estimates that an additional 225,000 workers will be needed by this time. “There are genuine concerns about the future of the workforce when it comes to tradespeople and those within construction. Despite some real positives in government- supported developments, not enough young people are seeing construction trades as a career. Additionally, the fact that one-third of the current trade workforce is over 50 and expected to retire within the next ten years, there won’t be enough staff to meet the need.”


3.The north is set to prosper


In 2024 and 2025, construction markets in the north of England look set to outperform London and the south. This is all as a result of the government Levelling Up Fund, with £2.3 billion being shared amongst schemes in the second round of investment. “As a northern company, it’s great to see the potential, for the north of England,


to really benefit from Levelling Up. There are some very exciting projects lined up, including Eden Project North in Morecambe, a new AI campus in Blackpool and regeneration in Gateshead, amongst others. Altogether, this signals a promising boom for northern construction.”


4.Residential construction to slow, industrial to speed up The housing market is in a difficult position and housing prices are dropping, meaning workload in the residential sector is suffering. However, changes to the National Planning Policy Framework could see volume housebuilders hit the hardest. This means that the supply of development land for residential homeownership could be reduced over the medium term. However, reform of property regulations and improved post-Grenfell safety may increase the appetite for build-to-rent developers for city centre high-rises. “A general slowdown of the housing market, affected by high interest rates and new planning rules, has naturally reduced the demand for out-of-town developments. This means that industrial construction, such as that supported by the Levelling Up Fund, and city centre developments could thrive.”


HVACR Live delayed to 2025


After extensive consultation with exhibitors and key players in the industry, the decision has been taken to move HVACR Live to 2025 with the dates to be confirmed at a later stage.


After a five-year gap, Datateam was able to bring the show back to the marketplace in April of this year. It had a positive start with 84 exhibitors and more than 1,300 visitors over the two days, which was an increase in size over the 2018 show and a good platform from which to build on. Post-event research revealed that visitors wanted an annual HVACR Live, which Datateam was prepared to provide. However, the post- Covid landscape has been challenging for trade shows in general as well as some of the businesses they support.


Event manager for HVAC & Refrigeration Live


Tony Patman said: “Having consulted with the HVACR industry as a whole, it is our belief that the industry needs and deserves to have an annual dedicated platform to represent it, which Datateam Business Media is keen to be able to facilitate. It has become clear that while exhibitors are unable to commit to an annual event at this time, a traditional biennial event, in a non-European show year (Mostra and Chillventa) will be well supported by exhibitors and visitors alike and we look forward to being able to bring HVACR Live, bigger and better, back to the industry in 2025.”


4 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER DECEMBER 2023 Appointments


Samsung Climate Solutions expands key teams


Samsung has announced the expansion of its teams across product, training and sales to continually improve the quality of its offering to customers.


Klaudia Szweda-Adelaja joins the team as air conditioning product manager, marking the expansion of product development. Having qualified in environmental engineering and heating followed by experience developing new applications focusing on heat network performance, minimum energy usage and sustainability, Klaudia is very excited to develop her portfolio in the HVAC industry. Will Rossiter joins the team as the business development manager for heating in the South East. He started in this air source heat pump industry straight after graduating and now has over 8 years’ experience working across projects with developers, social housing and installers as the heat pump market expanded. Will says: “For me, it’s exciting to work for an innovative manufacturer where I can support the business with its current growth and play a part in driving this even further.” Jaimeet Alang joins the training team, with an engineering background before moving into running national training programmes at AO.com. He has experience in delivering and creating all types of training content on different platforms and also managing different teams. Jaimeet commented: “You can see that Samsung always strives to be the best in whichever industry they. My start at Samsung has been amazing, everyone has been so helpful and friendly and I can tell the company really values your wellbeing and development.”


Bex Smith joins the Northern sales team focusing on air conditioning sales in Yorkshire and the North East, with an industry background starting with ACR News before moving to wholesalers. Bex is passionate about helping customers to discover an exciting range of products that are not only technically impressive but also aesthetically pleasing. Russell Cook also joins the Northern sales teams focusing on contractor sales, bringing with him a thorough understanding of the needs of our customers given his experience over two decades on both the wholesaler and contractor side. Russell adds: “Working in both contracting and manufacturing, I know what our customers’ expectations are and the troubles they face daily contracting. I’m excited to be a part of the ever growing Samsung Climate Solutions team as we strive to become a leader of the air conditioning market” With over 20 years’ experience Paul Stack joins Samsung Climate Solutions as consultant sales manager for London and the South East. He started out as an apprentice on installation and service maintenance before moving into technical and specification sales roles. Speaking on joining the team, Paul said his main motivation was the speed of progress at Samsung and working with people who were very driven and successful, creating a really positive team culture.


Spirotech appoints new UK technical advisor


Spirotech, the system water treatment solutions specialist, has appointed its new UK technical advisor, who will also be the host of its new training sessions for domestic and commercial heating engineers.


Michael Pitt joins the team as a technical


advisor, with over 20-years’ experience in the heating and plumbing industry, having specialised in pressurisation, controls, engineering components and applications, as well as fault finding across entire systems. Prior to joining Spirotech, Michael was the technical manager at QuickPump Services, helping to design and maintain commercial pump and plant systems.


I L


Heating engineers will get the chance to meet Michael, as he hosts Spirotech’s training sessions at its new facility in Birmingham. Alongside this, Michael will also provide technical support for customers across the UK and Europe. This includes conducting site visits to investigate, advise and rectify issues they may be experiencing with their systems and equipment. Rob Jacques, UK Business Director, said: “At Spirotech, we understand the need to


provide our customers with a first-class experience when it comes to both training and technical support. We are excited to welcome Michael to the team, and he brings with him many years of experience within the industry, which will be invaluable for heating engineers attending our new training sessions to learn more about water treatment and our range of solutions.”


Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


N


R


S


I


N


E


P


F


M


G


R


U


G I


P


E


T


R


A


A


E


I T


H


O


V N


N


O


H


I


E


I


A


D


T


N


I N


C


G


E


O


N


T I


T


A


I A


R


O


T


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38