INDUSTRY VOICE
Knauf UK to sponsor BMF All Industry Conference 2023
Knauf UK has confirmed its headline sponsorship of the BMF All Industry Conference 2023. The Conference, which will be held in Istanbul from 15 to 17 June, takes the theme “Creating Connections”.
John Newcomb, BMF CEO said: “We are delighted to announce Knauf UK as our new headline sponsor for what promises to be an extremely topical industry Conference. Our focus on creating and nurturing connections in a post-pandemic, post-Brexit
environment will set an agenda to help to negotiate new trading relationships, and successfully navigate increasingly complex global supply chains. What better place to hold this conference than Istanbul, a city that for centuries has provided a strategic link between Europe and Asia.” Knauf, one of the leading manufacturers of gypsum-based building materials in the UK, supplies a range of products including plasterboard, finishes, external renders, insulating
The BMF’s Sustainability drive shortlisted for award
The BMF sustainability initiatives have been shortlisted in the prestigious Memcom Awards, which recognise excellence in professional membership organisations.
The BMF was shortlisted for its continuing work towards zero-carbon and sustainability goals. The Federation is taking action to reduce carbon output within its own operations. It is also encouraging and supporting those BMF members applying to be recognised by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) as a Zero Carbon Business Champion and sharing their progress and best practice with their BMF peers, not least
laminates and drywall accessories. Knauf UK has also been shortlisted in the BMF Supplier Member Engagement Awards 2022.
Richard Bowes, Sales Director, Knauf UK said: “We are delighted to be the headline sponsor of the 2023 BMF All Industry Conference. The builders
merchants community remains extremely important to the Knauf business, and is a cornerstone for the construction industry. We welcome you to speak to our team or me directly during the conference to discover more about how we can grow a successful and sustainable market together. Personally, I am I looking forward to meeting existing and new colleagues at what I am certain will be another engaging event.”
Registrations for the BMF All Industry Conference 2023 are now open. Merchants should register online at www.
bmfconference.co.uk while Suppliers should email june.
upton@bmf.org.uk
through the recently created BMF Sustainability Forum, which now meets twice a year.
John Newcomb, BMF CEO said: “I’m delighted that our work to help deliver the Government’s 2050 target of Net Zero carbon within our sector has been recognised in these awards. This is a critical issue for the construction industry, which is responsible for around 40% of carbon emissions in the UK. Twenty-seven BMF members have already been assessed and approved as CLC Zero Carbon Business Champions for their commitment to carbon reduction, and we encourage others to follow. Those wishing to be considered for this status should email
June.Upton@bmf.org.uk for full details.”
The winners of the Memcom Awards will be announced on 29 September.
BMF meets MSPs in the Scottish Parliament
The BMF was online with the Scottish Parliament in recent months to participate in meetings of the Cross-Party Parliamentary Group on Construction. Brett Amphlett represents the BMF there. The spring meeting discussed how to improve diversity in the workforce, and policies & practices affecting those currently in construction, to attract more workers into the industry. Guests from the Chartered Institute of Building and the Fair Work Convention spoke about equality, diversity & inclusion that employers are taking more seriously.
38 Two notable issues emerged:
• the demographics are not good: women make up 15% of the workforce, BAME 6%, the disabled 6%, those aged 19-24 years 10% and the over-50s are 35%. • long hours’ culture, bullying & harassment, and suicide risk require more effort by employers to boost workers’ mental health & wellbeing.
The summer meeting considered the supply and price of materials & products that John Newcomb spoke about in his role as co-chair of the CLC Product Availability Group. He covered the main
product categories in which there were pinch points to describe what is being done to relieve or resolve them. Newcomb also talked of distributional factors such as HGV driver shortages and rising energy & fuel prices.
The second speaker from Hunter Construction gave a contractor’s perspective to the MSPs and other guests. He said the situation was improving but long lead times and goods on allocation were a daily headache for his company. Delayed or incomplete deliveries lead to missed deadlines and projects falling behind. Who pays
for the delay ? Clients shrug their shoulders and say it’s the sub- contractor’s fault, that can cause costly and avoidable contractual disputes.
The Cross-Party Group was chaired by Monica Lennon MSP (Labour) with Alastair Burnett MSP (Conservative), Paul McLennan MSP (SNP) and Alex Rowley (Labour) also taking part.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net August 2022
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