p47 BKU-DEC21 Bikbbi - Hafele_bku 04/12/2021 12:18 Page 47
INDUSTRY UPDATE
BIKBBI –What does a skills shortage actually mean for our industry?
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Häfele’s Loox Van tours to launch Loox 5 and Lighting Design Service
and its Lighting Design Service. Häfele has overhauled a Renault Relay van, installing it with the latest innovations from its new Loox range to offer customers the chance to get up close with the products and explore its breadth of capabilities. Kitchen design studios, independent retailers, merchants, architects,
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manufacturers, installers and others in the industry can now book a slot to receive their own personalised experience in the Loox Van, with Häfele’s team of lighting experts on hand to discuss the latest lighting trends and design advice. A form of LED lighting that can be integrated and built into furniture and
units, the Loox 5 range includes upgraded internal components and an improved distribution style compared to its predecessor, making it suitable for a wider variety of applications spanning the domestic and commercial markets. Häfele is also officially launching its Lighting Design Service, arming
designers, retailers, manufacturers, and installers with a free, value-added tool to ensure customers receive great-looking, holistic lighting solutions in their projects. Appointments can be made at
hafele.co.uk/loox-van.
äfele UK has started touring the UK in its brand new Loox Van to coincide with the official launch of Loox 5
t’s no secret that the world is suffering a skills shortage across many vocational occupations at present - truck
drivers, forklift operators, bricklayers and of course home improvement are just some of the trades that are in high demand and short supply. But what does that actually mean for those industries involved? It’s well known that
the British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) has been warning its stakeholders and the wider industry of a skills shortage in the KBB installation sector, and has been actively working on a number of initiatives to help navigate our multi- million pound industry away from the impending crisis, for many years. However, the stark reality of the skills gap crisis is now starting to be felt by KBB retailers and consumers, and whilst installers may be feeling they’ve never had it so good, understanding the longer-term effects of the skills shortage on the industry is vital to the future success of the sector. BiKBBI CEO, Damian Walters explains “Simply put, we have created a
‘supply and demand’ culture, which for those businesses operating within the industry currently, is great news. It means that their worth is increased, as is their earning potential. All good… right? Sadly not. In the short term, small businesses win, but the reality is that the increase in industry value will start attracting the wrong type of attention. There’s a real possibility that opportunists will descend, causing havoc with potentially disastrous results that may take years to recover from.” You only need look at the history books to see how unskilled,
unscrupulous ‘cowboys’ descended on the double-glazing industry in the 1980s, and more recently the renewable energy (solar) industry, taking advantage of the opportunity that an unregulated sector with more demand than supply, offers. As the incompetent, unqualified rogues enter the market, the effect will
reverse all the positivity from the initial ‘supply and demand’ principle. An influx will bring about price-led competition, driving down prices, de-valuing the sector and damaging the industry’s reputation; ultimately creating risk for all those involved. The absence of regulation or a mandatory requirement for registration,
just like the skills shortage, is not a new issue for our industry, but the two challenges go hand in hand. A lack of regulation will be seen as a positive for some, mainly the rogue traders, because the professional, skilled and talented installers within our sector can only be separated from others if there’s a mechanism in place to do so… institutes are that mechanism. Now is the time to step up and support professional recognition, to
take a stand and do whatever is needed to identify professionals from the rest.
BKU DECEMBER 2021 47
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