UK steelwork contractors ready to meet future demand

UK constructional steelwork contractors will have sufficient capacity to meet a forecast upturn in demand without the need for capital investment.

A report from KPMG concludes that UK steelwork contractors hold latent capacity of between 205,000t and 406,000t.
The UK’s constructional steelwork capacity therefore lies between 1,142,000t and 1,343,000t against a forecast demand for constructional steelwork of 1,050,000t in 2019.

KPMG’s UK Head of Infrastructure, Building and Construction, Richard Threlfall said: “UK steelwork contractors hold latent capacity which will allow them to quickly increase production to meet the forecast rise in demand from the construction industry.”

The required increase in constructional steelwork output in the UK will be achieved through a combination of increasing shifts, use of agency staff, and fully utilising current production facilities, without the need for any capital investment, the report states.

BCSA Director General Sarah McCann-Bartlett said: “It is clear that with sufficient UK capacity to meet future demand for constructional steelwork, there is every reason to use a UK steelwork contractor.

“Using a UK steelwork contractor means shorter lead times, contractual security, exceptional quality of design work, better logistics on site and an excellent health and safety record.”

The report also says that recent events in the wider steel-making industry do not provide a material short- term threat to the supply chain.

KPMG identified the availability of skilled staff as a risk for the sector, but concludes that the industry has made significant recent investment in apprentices in order to address this issue, including the development of a sector specific apprenticeship scheme.