AUTUMN
OCTOBER 2020
InSite
Towards 2022 It’s no secret that 2020 is turning out to be a strange, unpredictable and extremely challenging year for everyone: individuals, families and businesses alike. Of course H+H has been affected by various aspects of the Coronavirus pandemic, but, as things stand now, the housebuilding sector is in a better position than many industries. Our sales have certainly been volatile, but we will end the year in a better position than I could have anticipated in April. Most commentators are suggesting that the housebuilding market will not return to anything like normal until 2022. Normal, however, is a relative term. We have recognised for some time that the market is changing fundamentally and H+H needs to adapt to this change. The upgrade to Borough Green, the development of our logistics and the reorganisation of the Pollington Plant have all been part of a process to make our business fit for the future.
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The next stage is to consider how best to understand and communicate with our customers. To support our position as “Trusted Partner”, and to maintain our market leadership position, we need to anticipate the issues that affect customers’ businesses and be ready with solutions. The effects of Coronavirus will be with us for a while yet, but regardless of those challenges, we are still developing our business to ensure it is fit for the future. We need to focus on the journey towards 2022, and this edition of InSite considers what that journey looks like. Calum Forsyth, Managing Director 1
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Anticipating market trends Matthew Carter - Sales and Marketing Director If being part of the management of a business such as H+H was ever going to be challenging, the last few months have proved the ultimate challenge. None of us has ever had to deal with a market that swings from total shut-down to strong demand within weeks, or even days, even the bounce out of recession in 2013 pales into insignificance in comparison. However, while dealing with a chaotic day to day sales environment, we must not lose sight of the big issues that will affect our business over the next decade and make plans to accommodate them. My feeling is that there are three overarching issues that will challenge and change the housebuilding sector in the long term: 1. A committed focus on sustainability 2. The pressure to move to Modern Methods of Construction 3. Changes in the way housebuilders and merchants are structured New for 2020 is the fourth factor: Coronavirus. I think this will change many aspects of the way we do business, forever. All of these issues affect the way we promote and sell our products and it is worth briefly considering each of them to understand the context in which we are working.
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Sustainability Climate change really has moved up the priority list and the UK has challenging targets to reduce CO2 emissions. Meeting these targets will mean further change in the way houses are built and will also require manufacturers like us to have answers for some fundamental questions. How do we de-carbonise our manufacturing processes? What part do our products play in creating zero carbon homes? How can we recycle or re-use our materials? In addition, our approach to sustainability is not confined to manufacturing. It is integral to everything we do, including delivery, sourcing, energy use and must be embedded right at the core of our company culture.
MMC A severe shortage of site workers, combined with increasing demand for new homes is increasing the pressure to move to Modern Methods of Construction. We have our own solutions, of course. Thin-Joint and Celcon Element vertical panels provide excellent technical solutions that support an MMC agenda. Thin-Joint Systems are used widely in Europe and we continue to support their growth in the UK, especially now they have been successfully partnered with Celcon Elements. Elements are proving to be a successful addition to our product range and are set to take their place as one of the most popular MMC solutions. We have made great progress towards developing a building solutions approach, and this needs to be accelerated in line with market development. 3
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Structural change The winds of change are blowing through the major housebuilders and the major merchant groups – and we need to be agile and intelligent to anticipate those changes and capitalise on them. Merchants too are changing. The most recent Builders Merchant Federation conference highlighted the importance of sustainability and also the need for merchants themselves to focus on a more intelligent, solutions-based approach to selling to customers. We need to be better informed about the direction our customers are taking and develop stronger relationships with regional housebuilders and the regional offices of national housebuilders. This will enable us to have a better understanding of the issues and arguments that drive their choice of product and suppliers.
New ways of working As we consider these structural changes we also, of course, need to consider the long-term impact of COVID 19. Quite apart from the economic impact of the shut-down there is a major shift in working practices that I think will remain long after we have a vaccine, or “herd immunity” or whatever the end point of the virus is. The single biggest change for salespeople is the move towards less face to face contact in the short to medium term. That’s a challenge for all of us who value the tradition of a handshake and a personal chat, but it’s a challenge we need to embrace with new and persuasive online communication and sales techniques. Our reaction to this rapid acceleration of new working practices must be to ensure that we have the right structure and the right people in place to meet emerging challenges effectively.
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Director External Affairs Cliff Fudge
People first In introducing this reorganisation, we are looking first to the skills and experience already within H+H. Some people are moving to new roles, while others will be developing their responsibilities to achieve the balance we are looking for. One of the fundamental changes relates to Cliff Fudge, who moves to the role of Director - External Affairs. As everyone will know, Cliff has worked for H+H for approaching forty years and feels that the time is right to step back from some of his day to day responsibilities as head of the technical team. We are delighted that Cliff has agreed to remain an integral part of H+H, and will continue to work
with the legislators, regulators and standards committees that have such an impact on our business. There surely can be no-one within the industry who can match Cliff’s understanding of the industry and this knowledge will be hugely valuable in this new role. We must also acknowledge the recent loss of Andy Williams to cancer, and whilst it will be no easy task to replace his
knowledge and experience, our new larger house builder team will further reinforce our market leading position as a ‘Trusted Partner’. Change always brings new challenges and new opportunities. Within this new structure there is great opportunity to develop new knowledge and skills which will be very welcome to many of the team as we work towards 2022.
Presenting a joined-up team We have known for some time that we need to change, and the senior management team has been working towards a new structure, better equipped to manage the market in 2022. Fundamental to a new way of working is better co-ordination. We need a holistic approach to dealing with new market challenges – using the combined skills of our sales, marketing and technical teams to provide positive and forward-thinking solutions. So, we are combining our sales, marketing and technical departments and introducing new team structures that better reflect the market we are anticipating.
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A new structure for a different world This new structure puts more resource behind our focus on MMC and sustainability. It allows us to make better connection between technical expertise and sales and also to focus on the regional and SME housebuilders.
Sales, Marketing and Technical Team
Sales & Marketing Director Matthew Carter
Director of Building Solutions John Churchett
Head of Merchant Accounts Jill Grantham
Head of Private Housebuilding
Head of Marketing
Technical Manager
Jenny SmithAndrews
Ali Riza
Merchant Manager West Amy Kerr
Key Account Manager Private Housebuilding
Building Project Coordinator Mike Birkbeck
Merchant Manager East Bev Le Mar
Key Account Manager Private Housebuilding David Harrild
Building Demonstrator
Project Coordinator Carol Eastman
Key Account Manager Private Housebuilding
Project Coordinator Kim Barltrop
Key Account Manager Private Housebuilding
Building Solutions Manager
Building Solutions Manager
Building Solutions Research Manager
Building Develoment Manager
Amos Rodrigues
Andy Adger
Anna Williamson
Steve Knight
Andy Fillingham Building Coordinator Emily Boote
Neil Thomas
Technical Advisor Stephen Butler
Nick Howard
Kerri Hammond Key Account Manager Private Housebuilding Matthew Compton
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Our Brand & Promise
What We Deliver
We deliver wall building solutions for any wall. From internal to external walls to high-rise and low-rise buildings we have the wall solution our customers need. Integrity and Quality
Our Brand Characters
Process Expertise
We provide high-quality wall solutions, from material selection to delivery at the building site. We focus on long-term quality relationships and mutual respect, so our partners can trust us for planning advice and total transparency.
Our Internal Values
We make the building process simple, fast and hassle-free. We are experts in optimising wall building processes and we pass that knowledge onto our partners as we work together to streamline workflows and create total wall solutions.
Masonry Specialists
Better Living
We are dedicated to masonry solutions. Over the years, we’ve gained a deep know-how of building with a variety of wall materials. And while building methods may vary from country to country, our expertise doesn’t.
We believe better living and a better planet go hand-inhand. Our range of sustainable solutions improve indoor climates, offer better acoustics and enhance energy efficiency in homes, flats and offices.
We have defined four key internal values we want to be known for: professional, trusted and reliable, quality-focused, and customer-oriented.
Managing Director Calum Forsyth
Executive Management Team
HR Director Neil Griffiths
Operations Director Phil Ball
TOWARDS
PA to MD and Directors Tamsin Renno
Sales & Marketing Director Matthew Carter
Commercial Director Kelly Hunter
Finance Director Spencer Nye
Director - External Affairs Cliff Fudge
2022
Reorganisations like this can look unimportant to anyone who is not personally affected. However, the changes in reporting structures and job titles should be seen primarily as a reflection of a real and significant step forward for H+H UK. Much of what is affecting our market right now is beyond our control. This simply makes it even more essential to make sure that those areas we can control are planned and managed for the future. This new structure consolidates our already very successful business and ensures it is fit to move forward towards 2022. 7
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H+H UK Ltd Celcon House Ightham Sevenoaks Kent, TN15 9HZ hhcelcon.co.uk +44 (0) 1732 886444
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