HEAVYSIDE
BACK TO BRICK W
Wienerberger, the wall, roof and landscaping supplier, took to the road to meet customers at Jewson branches nationwide.
hen Wienerberger partnered with Jewson to plan a nationwide tour across five days in October, it felt like a symbolic return to some
sort of normality, according to Daniel Cheung, lead channel manager at Wienerberger UK, who says it’s more important than ever for merchants and manufacturers to work together.
He says: “It’s no secret that the last 18 months have been challenging for everybody in the industry, not least our customers who have been working harder than ever in difficult circumstances. Getting back in front of end users was not only an incredibly valuable exercise, but it was a fantastic morale boost for everybody involved too.
For most of the last 18 months it’s been an impossibility for manufacturers to engage directly with end users and speak to them about the issues that affect their everyday lives. Now, Cheung says that the company felt it was important to take the opportunity to get back out to merchants, dispel some myths and strengthen relationships.
Wienerberger On the Road tour The tour was hosted by builder and broadcaster, Andy Stevens, who visited a selection of Jewson branches across the UK to ask builders about the challenges and opportunities of the last 18 months. Stevens, together with bricklayers, Matt and Rob, also had some fun along the way
with the ‘Wienerberger Wheel of Fortune’, offering a host of daily prizes including Jewson gift cards, Komelon Essentials, Nando’s gift cards and a £1,000 Centre Parcs voucher. They also visited Wienerberger manufacturing sites to learn more about the distribution and production from the company’s 14 UK factories.
Cheung says: “It gave us the valuable opportunity to gather insight for future engagement and to talk about our ‘future- building’ approach. Most importantly, it also gave us the opportunity to listen to our customers and show our support after what has been a difficult time for many.”
Dispelling industry myths He adds: “We’re all aware that there have been some issues in supply in recent times and we know from feedback that for many people the general belief is that, ‘Wienerberger is German, they import lots of products and not doing this, has caused brick shortages.’ But let’s get a few things straight – to start with, Wienerberger has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Secondly around 80% of products sold by Wienerberger in the UK are made here in by our 1200 strong production workforce who have been working flat out to build up stock levels. And when it comes to shortages, the reality is that everybody has faced these regardless of where their production facilities are based. In June 2021, brick inventories hit a 20-year low as demand for deliveries continue to exceed production.”
Like all manufacturers, Wienerberger has seen unprecedented demand, and faced distribution and production challenges in the last 12 months as well as a sharp fall in typical order cancellation rates, which had been in excess of 24% for many years up to the start of 2021, but fell to just above 6% on average in Q2 2021.
Despite this, Cheung says that the company’s brick and tile factories in the UK will have produced in the region of half a billion bricks and 7 million sq m2 of roof tiles this year, enough to build over 62,000 homes and more than 100,000 roofs.
December 2021
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
“We took the opportunity to speak to customers about the supply issues, the measures we took and how we are continuing to support end users. We’re not the only industry that has lost the personal touch in the last 18 months, but we felt it was vital that we get back out and meet the men and women who are using our products day in, day out,” he says.
Another key element of the tour was around mental health. More than a third of construction workers have experienced a mental health condition in the last 12 months and 73% feel that their employers do not recognize the early signs of mental health problems. Stevens is an ambassador for the Lighthouse Club, a construction charity looking specifically at the subject of mental health awareness.
Collaborative approach Ian O’Brien, Category Manager for Jewson, said: “It felt really special welcoming the Wienerberger team into our branches across the country for the On The Road tour. Our customers found out more about the Wienerberger brand while the Wienerberger team were able to get direct feedback from the people who use their products every day.” Cheung adds: “Brands – particularly those with high recognition - have a role to play in supporting customers beyond the basic supply of products, with education and insight, forward-thinking approaches and good communication. Working with Jewson in this way enabled us to take steps to achieve all of that.” BMJ
55
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 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
