Despite various setbacks and concerns within the cladding market and overall construction sector, the outlook for Statement Cladding specialists Lockmetal remains positive, having recently secured a number of new projects.

A combination of events has affected the industry of late, most recently, the collapse of Carillion, which has thrown the sector into deep uncertainty. But there’s also been a drop in demand within the commercial new build sector.

Other factors have contributed to the struggles within construction and cladding. The anxiety and unpredictability of Brexit continues to loom large and recent bad weather has hampered and delayed projects. With this in mind, only 12% of chartered surveyors think the Government will hit its ambitious new housing construction targets. (ref: www.independent.co.uk)

Adrian Rowles Commercial Manager at Lockmetal reported “Comparing the first quarter last year with the first quarter of 2018, we have secured a number of additional large projects with major building contractors, showing that in some areas confidence is high. For example Barbour reported in their February economic report that London saw a 27.9% increase in projects since Jan 2017. However we know that there are many construction companies who are struggling in the current climate and have reported losses within Q1 of 2018, which is understandable given the difficulties that the construction industry has faced”.

Specifically for the cladding market, the confusion and issues surrounding new safety measures following the Grenfell disaster has meant cladding companies have had to ensure clarity and certainty to gain consumer trust.

Lockmetal are recognised in the industry as a Statement Cladding installation and design specialists, whose work involves some of the more complicated and bespoke cladding requirements; things like recessed balconies, penthouse/plantrooms, window detailing, feature beams, canopies, under-crofts and rainwater features, those areas of the building that make a statement! Due to this, Lockmetal have great expectations moving forward and confidence is growing.