All posts for 2010

Sat on a train from Cheltenham to Leeds, I thought I would share my thoughts on the events of 2010. The year began with great uncertainty as projects planned for quarter one and two were placed on hold and quickly reduced in number. The project "bank" was at its lowest for over 15 years. On existing projects, poor weather conditions at the start of the year also caused massive delays for businesses across the supply chain, inevitably increasing the amount of pressure to complete across a shorter time scale.

Investors awaited financial clarity as the general election beckoned. Money was there to invest but the environment was far too uncertain and high risk to take chances. Demand for warehouses and distribution centres was at a record low.

The slow start to the year was quickly followed by a more productive quarter two and further improvements in project starts and tenders in quarter three. Activity started to reflect at least budget levels, but big projects were still being put on hold. Following the general election, we found that project delays began to reduce and the industry as a whole got back on track. It was good to see many large projects being kick-started and although there will be cut backs within the PFI sector, this will not be significant until 2012. And all of this as revisions to Part L of the Building Regulations were again implemented on 1st October.

Against these many challenges, it was pleasing to see so many lead specialist contractors and manufacturers survive through the year. There is now a more constant stream of work moving into 2011, in comparison with the latter end of 2010. We are all coming to terms with the implications of the revisions to the Building Regulations with further changes to airtightness specifications and an increase in ‘built’ costs, to name but a few. We can all draw positives on this as the stricter guidelines mean the assurance that a building will be airtight, now holds more ‘weight’ with clients and architects.

Post recession, manufacturers which have experienced the "innovate or die" conundrum have thrown themselves feet first into the development of new products, bringing exciting new innovations such as the TIA mechanical fix for easy tapered installation, to the fore. In addition, we have seen an increase in the number of quotes and tenders being completed by contractors, but they continue to face challenges on price levels. The good news is that work is being won but at barely above overhead recovery levels. Any profit to be had is very small as the building procurement process differentiates the simplest way it can - ever lower prices.

At SFS intec, we haven’t just sat by and watched this happen but looked to see how we can help. Never before have application and fastener solutions that truly take cost out of the build been more needed. Building in the same way as last year, accepting an even lower price for the same products and services, may result in business failure. I fear many will still experience this next year.

SFS intec and a number of our partner system manufacturers are, and have brought to market, innovative products and services that bring real in-place cost savings compared to thinking and doing things the way we ‘always’ have. ‘Game’ changing product design now exists, allowing the enlightened contractor to move with the times with reduced risk. For example, the modern and high performance thread design of the New Generation SX fastener maximised in design with secondary steelwork, allowing significant cost savings in steel purchases.

As we continue to face economic challenges, collaboration between parties in the supply chain at the early design stage will save thousands of pounds at the contract stage, as we have proved time and time again. The contractor must adapt and liaise with the manufacturer early in the process to take advantage of product and service innovations, and allow them to help reduce project costs at the tender stage. The sector cannot survive on lower prices for long. Now more than ever, we need to embrace the innovation that is out there, designing smarter without increasing business risk. A closer partnership between manufacturers and envelope contractors will provide the win-win situation for a more prosperous year for all.

Since the launch of our i-Van training initiative in September 2008, our demonstrations at customer premises have gone from strength to strength. The mobile service provides a truly hands-on industry training session all across the UK, from the Highlands of Scotland to the City of London.

On our most recent tour we visited Ireland and teamed up with Tech Fasteners to introduce ourselves and the i-Van service to roofing contractors in the local area. We visited a number of companies across two weeks and got a very positive response. All who attended were really impressed with the new generation SX range of fasteners and said how beneficial it was to be able to see a digital read out of a pull-out test comparison.

We often find that contractors have preconceived ideas about products and services, especially if they are new or unknown to them. But I can safely say that the i-Van team are able to abolish these by providing free and essential, interactive tutorials and demonstrations, so when we leave at the end of the training, the customer is much more aware of the vastly improved fastener performance particularly when used against lower quality products. For example our new pod cast shows the huge difference in drilling times that can be achieved with the new generation SX14 for hot rolled applications - over 3 times faster than competitor products.

The seminars last approximately one hour and introduce contractors to the latest stainless steel fastener innovations. We demonstrate how to optimise the full structural performance of the new SFS intec fasteners which enable value engineering options to be taken, removing the cost out of the whole construction. A short presentation on the new changes to Part L of the Building Regulations is also included, highlighting what we can expect in the future.

The i-Van touring service is valuable and beneficial for contractors and can easily be fitted into a working day. For more information or to book a visit from the i-Van team, please contact your local SFS intec representative.

•    Paul Priestly, South West and Wales, email: prpa@sfsintec.biz
•    Stewart Morgan, North East, email; most@sfsintec.biz
•    Craig Winstanley, North West, email; wcra@sfsintec.biz
•    Mick Steeples, Midlands and South East, email; smic@sfsintec.biz
•    Dave Osborne, Scotland, email; osda@sfsintec.biz

I wanted to address a reoccurring theme which has been raised in many of the conversations I have had with contractors and customers over the past 12 months and which is a ‘hot topic’ for the industry as a whole -  meeting airtightness requirements and concerns over the impending changes to Part L.

As we all know, airtightness is an increasingly critical factor for any build programme, however many of the reasons for non compliance with the design needs are overlooked until it’s too late. Many of you will have already seen presentations on insulation thickness not being the sole answer to energy efficiency, so I won’t touch on that now.

Instead I will focus on some new solutions which are coming to the market which concentrate on another problem for contractors, speed of fix. We have been working on a new stainless steel fastener range which will revolutionise envelope construction and, I am pleased to say, it is now available in the UK.

Everyone in the building trade knows just how critical onsite time is, so we have ensured that we have incorporated this into our designs. The new self drilling SX fasteners feature a hardened drill point and recessed washer which enable faster installation and also improve structural performance.

Don’t just take my word for it. To guarantee the quality and improved performance, we hosted some trials to test how quickly the new fasteners could be installed. Our results showed that you can drill up to 3 times quicker than all other generic imported stainless screws. Our on-site demonstrations prove fixers can save hours of installation time on a job, which would be a massive benefit to any project, whilst still fixing perfectly every time.

And we didn’t stop there. The range also features a step change thread design with a unique asymmetric ‘sharks-tooth’ profile within the screw thread of the fastener. This gives rapid thread engagement in the sub structure material, providing improved pull-out resistance and greater structural performance.

The drill point is another strong feature - we have made the fastener from hardened carbon steel with a longer pilot point, making it very different from imported general construction fasteners. And whereas many traditional fasteners fail due to premature thread stripping, the advanced SX fastener overcomes this issue.

And reverting back to our opening remarks on airtightness, the SX has a genuine EPDM washer with a new recess design in the fastener head. This helps to prevent washer inversion through overdriving, and EPDM ensures better airtightness compliance over the fastener design life.

At some point many contractors and installers will have had to use multiple fastener stocks but the new SX range, which has three fastener types, reduces the need for this as the individual SX application types each have a broader installation range.

There is a lot more to tell you about the range, but why not see for yourself by watching our online podcast. Better yet, give one of the team a call and we would be happy to talk you through the benefits for your project and give you a demonstration with our I-van at your offices.

NEW ROOF FIRMLY FASTENED ON £22 MILLION
GLOUCESTERSHIRE HOSPITAL

Posted by Martyn Holloway, Product Manager for SFS intec.
25th June 2010

We have completed our first project using the new ISO-TAK® TIA fastening system at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital’s £22 million Women’s Centre

Our new thermal break, self-adjusting fastener system was specified by roofing contractors Single Ply Services Ltd to secure the 2,000 m2 flat roof on the hospital.

The roof area consisted of a concrete deck followed by a 1 in 60 tapered insulation scheme, above which was installed a mechanically fastened single ply membrane.

During the construction, I visited the hospital on many occasions to chat with Single Ply Service’s on-site team. Their reaction was very positive, and it was great to see how our tools and fasteners do their job to help contractors. The team were impressed with SFS intec’s ZAK drill extensions and ZVK-STOP drill bits because it meant that drilling could be undertaken standing up and without having to measure the depth required. What's more it also cored out the insulation making insertion of the fastener sleeves almost effortless!!

Using the ISO-TAK® TIA system, fewer fastener combinations were required due to the self adjusting capability of the product. The same fastener and sleeve combination can be used for changes of insulation

thickness of up to 100mm. This certainly made order procurement and site management much easier and helped to significantly reduce the installation time at the Gloucestershire project.

The team were certainly surprised by how few drill bits were used - half the number that would conventionally be required in fact. This unexpected cost saving is not really surprising considering the reduced drilling required with TIA. Working at a reduced depth also meant that the drill bits stayed well clear of the reinforcement bars, thereby extending the life of the drill bits further.

In true British style the team from Single Ply Service’s had to battle with mixed weather conditions during construction, including both rain and frost. In addition, the exposed site, demanded high design load requirements from the fixing system. It was great to see how using the ISO-TAK® TIA fastening system, the installers were able to mechanically fix into the concrete deck, even when temperatures were below 5°C.

See how simple and quick the installation of the tapered flat roof, including Sika Trocal membrane, was by watching our new video.

If you would like more information on the ISO-TAK® TIA system please contact me on: 07785 577197 or email: holm@sfsintec.biz

- ENDS -

Chris Duffy, Specification Manager for SFS intec, provides an update on SFS intec’s new CPD seminar.

“As we all brace ourselves for the next changes to Part L of the Building Regulations which will take effect next next year, we have been busy preparing a new seminar to soothe the transition. 

With RIBA accreditation, this new CPD seminar on Airtightness and Thermal Efficiency provides advice for architects and specifiers when designing building envelopes to meet the more stringent airtightness and energy efficiency requirements demanded by the new legislation.

Air leakage and ingress through the building envelope is recognised as a principle area of heat and energy loss. Airtightness will be a key factor in meeting the proposed 25% reduction in CO² levels suggested in the 2010 revision of Part L2 Building Regulations and specifiers have made it clear to us that they are eager to understand simple best practice.

The 1 hour seminar covers:
- The main points of energy loss with examples and case studies
- How this can be overcome in several different design details
- The major changes in the new Part L Regulations
- The future for energy efficient and air tight envelope design 
- How control of airtightness through design and specification of purpose  designed fasteners and sealants is the most effective method to meet the 2010 efficiency requirements

The Specification team has already been touring the country with the seminar and enjoyed 150 bookings in the first six months!
 
If you have any specific questions regarding the changes to Building Regulations or fasteners for roofing and cladding, please give the technical team a call on 0113 2085 500.

To find out where the seminar’s are taking place in your area, contact Claire Pearson on 0113 2085 500.