SPONSOR FOCUS W


ith only three possible


plasterboard manufacturers in the UK,


it made sense for Siniat and for NBG that there would be a solus supply deal in place. Obviously, the commercials have to be right, and they have to work for both parties. The fact that NBG has a solus deal means that, as a manufacturer, we can fully commit to supporting the NBG membership. We can work with the NBG Partners and the Category Management Team (CMT), build plans with them and help them to increase the value of their sales. Of course, it also means that we can help to increase the value of our own sales, and we can sell a broader range of products to the Partners without the worry of walking through a yard full of our competitor products.


From that perspective, it works. However, clearly, as sole Suppliers, we have to step up. The CMT and the Partners have placed their trust in us and that means we have to perform. There have been some tricky issues recently and the plasterboard industry has had significant periods of allocation, we all know that.


We heard in the NBG Supplier Summit from one Partner who joined NBG during a period of allocation; so Siniat moved things around and we helped to find some products so that he could still trade and not break the solus


“It positions our brand where we want it to be and gets us the recognition we want. Plus, having just invested in the factory, the timing is absolutely right for us. On the back of that investment, it just felt like the right opportunity and the right time to take on the headline sponsorship.”


10


PARTNERSHIP IN


ACTION


Plasterboard Supplier Siniat not only took on the Headline Sponsorship of the NBG Conference in 2024, but has also agreed an exclusive solus deal with NBG for the supply of plasterboard. Etex Group Country Manager John Sinfield told Fiona Russell Horne why the two arrangements made perfect sense.


SUPPLIER


the pandemic, then with the advent of Covid and the market disruption that


caused, the Group took a view and stepped back from the investment, putting things on pause. Then in 2022, it came back on stream and the project really started to motor, coinciding with the invasion of Ukraine. So, there have been the inevitable issues and delays.


What is very positive, though, is that this significant investment means that, by the middle of 2025 when we have all of the range certified, 98.5% of everything that we sell in the UK will be made in the UK. There will be one small product line that will come in from Germany because it’s just not worth investing in the manufacturing equipment to make that. All of our other products will be made here.


Allied to the Siniat solus supply deal is another no-brainer, and that was our Headline Sponsorship of the annual NBG Conference. As part of our relationship with NBG, we’ve been a Platinum Sponsor for a number of years. So, when we had the opportunity to step up and become the Headline Sponsor for the additional investment, we didn’t have to think twice about it.


commitment. We really do try to work with the Partners when it comes to allocation. The good news is that, with the investment in our new state-of-the-art factory, the days of allocation of our plasterboard should be long gone.


The factory is up and running, currently going through commissioning, and some product is coming through to the market from it. It’s the biggest investment the Etex Group has done globally in its manufacturing facility. It was initially planned just before


It positions our brand where we want it to be, and gets us the recognition we want. Plus, having just invested in the factory, the timing is absolutely right for us. On the back of that investment, it just felt like the right opportunity and the right time to be Headline Sponsor. I try to get to the NBG Conference because it gives me the opportunity to spend some decent time with customers face to face. I can spend more time with customers than I would in probably a month, or two months, of traveling around the countryside.


I think that the way the NBG Conference is structured with the event and the night before the exhibition helps, giving plenty of time and opportunity for that informal network building. So, I will always make it a priority to be here.


January 2025


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