profile
Derrick McFarland
Derrick has been integral to the success of Keystone Group for almost 25 years. Moving from the company’s base in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, to set up its operation in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, two decades ago, the move was a natural fit and rapid growth quickly followed.
Derrick is passionate about the building trade. His focus is on delivering excellent customer service through good people and great products. Working with an amazing group of colleagues, Derrick ensures clients are welcomed to Swadlincote in a way that has become customary for Keystone Group.
Keystone Lintels
Keystone Lintels Limited is a leading manufacturer of steel lintels, founded in 1989. The short history of Keystone has been one of relentless expansion and continuous innovation whilst redefining the meaning of service in the lintel industry.
Production facilities in Birmingham, Cwmbran, and Cookstown provide an efficient, flexible and ergonomic working environment, which is part of the culture of quality and service at Keystone.
Keystone Lintels offers a comprehensive range of standard and special steel lintels, and recently developed its ground breaking Hi-Therm lintel, to address the thermal requirements of new building regulations.
Hi-Therm is up to five times more thermally efficient than a standard steel cavity wall lintel. Its GRP outer leaf acts as a thermal break, whilst the galvanised steel inner leaf maintains support for the heavier loaded internal leaf.
Hi Therm is a multi-award winning product, winning Best Eco Product at the Build It Awards 2013, Product of the Year at the Housebuilder Awards 2013, and Best Building Fabric at the 2013 and 2014 Housebuilder Product Awards.
Find out more at www.keystonelintels.com or visit the Group website at www.keystonelintels.com. Follow @KeystoneTweets
Launched in 2015, the award winning monthly Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report is the only reliable measure of repair, maintenance & improvement (RMI) activity in the UK. Filling an important gap, it can be widely used in construction, and by economists, Government, national media, commentators and influencers outside the industry.
Keystone Comment: Q3 2024
While not exciting, quarter three 2024 has at least held consistent tonnage aligned to quarter two, being a stable period in terms of volume. Stable is good, but to put the current level of activity into perspective, the National House Building Council (NHBC) registered 28,724 new homes across the UK in Q3. That’s up from an extreme low of 20,449 in Q2, but over the last 15 years only one three-month period was weaker than the last quarter, with 28,353 new homes being registered in Q3 2012, when the country was only just struggling to emerge from the financial crisis.
The House Builder sector has shown signs of improvement on a weekly house sales per site basis, however the lack of new building sites being opened has curtailed any significant growth. Reforms in the planning system are expected to streamline processes, offering house builders and the supply chain much needed planning approvals.
The Repair Maintenance & Improvement (RMI) sector, on the other hand, has not seen any notable summer demand, and with housebuilders changing cavity widths from 100mm to 150mm to provide their homes with higher levels of insulation, the merchant and the manufacture need to be managing stock levels extremely closely. New enquiry’s numbers suggest there is work out there, but not in great volumes.
Continued mortgage rate cuts should help those who need to extend or buy, but the impact of the budget will only drive material prices upwards. The new building regulations now offer home buyers a distinctive choice in terms of energy efficiency compared to older properties. The trend is for new home buyers to be more likely to put the environment as the keystone of their decision making.
Opportunities to meet demand within manufacturing will rely on continued investment in automation, something we have been doing for years. Innovation in joined up forecasting, in stock ranging, and working with our merchants in best-partnerships so they are prepared for the builders’ demands will be critical for a modern supply chain.
We have to be forward thinking and optimistic for the future.