Only non-standard passenger lifts reported an increase in the manufacturing process. The forecast is for little change with workload and enquiry levels being static. Brian Moone of Mace Business School reports 

01 / Going up

▲ Passenger lifts - non-standard

02 / Staying level

▶ Piling (pre-cast)
▶ Rotary piling
▶ Concrete works
Structural steel frames
▶ Cladding – natural materials
▶ Cladding – metal panellised
▶ Cladding – curtain walling systems
▶ Atrium roofs
▶ Roof finishes – asphalt/membrane 
▶ Roof finishes – profiled metal
▶ Facade cleaning equipment
▶ Brickwork
▶ Blockwork
Drylining
▶ Demountable partitions
▶ General joinery
▶ Specialist joinery
▶ Raised floors
▶ Suspended ceilings
▶ Architectural metalwork
▶ Decorative wall coverings
▶ Internal stone floor and wall finishes
 Soft floor finishes

▶ Escalators
▶ Electrical package
▶ Mechanical package
▶ Ductwork
▶ Sprinklers
▶ Security systems
▶ Controls
▶ IT infrastructure equipment
▶ Data and voice cabling
▶ Fire detection and voice alarm systems
▶ Hard landscaping
▶ Logistics services

03 / Lead times summary

Rotary piling ▶ lead times remain at seven weeks with no change reported. Pre-cast piling ▶ lead times remain at four weeks, no change in lead times expected in the next six months. Concrete works ▶ lead times remain at 10 weeks; contractor’s enquiry levels and workload remain static. No change anticipated in the next six months. Structural steel frames ▶ lead times remain at 15 weeks and are forecast to remain the same for the next six months.

Cladding – natural material ▶ lead times remain at 39 weeks, workload and enquiries remain at a consistent level with no change forecast for the for the next six months. Cladding – metal panellised system ▶ lead times remain at 50 weeks with some companies continue to report increased workload and enquiry levels. Cladding – curtain walling system ▶ lead times remain at 60 weeks, although companies are generally busier, enquiries are quieter than six months ago, therefore lead times are not expected to change in the next six months.

Roof finishes – asphalt / membrane ▶ lead times remain at seven weeks. Contractors do not anticipate lead times changing in the next six months. Roof finish – profiled metal ▶ lead times remain at 15 weeks. Workload remains the same but enquiries are quieter than six months ago therefore no changes in lead times are anticipated in the next six months.

Facade cleaning equipment ▶ lead times remain at 33 weeks, contractors continue to be busier, but they do not anticipate any change over the next six months. Brickwork ▶ lead times remain at 11 weeks. Workload and enquiries remain at a consistent level therefore no changes in lead times anticipated over the next six months. Blockwork ▶ lead times remain at seven weeks, companies do not expect lead times to increase over the next six months with workload and enquiries remaining the same. Dry lining ▶ lead times remain at 13 weeks. No change is reported in the next six months.

Demountable partitions ▶ lead times remain at 11 weeks with companies reporting consistent workload and enquiry level, therefore no increase in lead times are forecast over the next six months. General joinery ▶ lead times remain at 16 weeks, with increased workload and enquiry levels reported, lead times may therefore increase in the next six months. Specialist joinery ▶ lead times remain at 26 weeks following the increase last quarter. However, increases in workload and enquiries are forecast to increase lead times in the next six months.

Raised floors ▶ lead times remain at six weeks, workload and enquiries are down, but no changes forecast in the next six months. Suspended ceilings ▶ lead times remain at 13 weeks with no change reported. Architectural metalwork ▶ lead times remain at 15 weeks, with no change reported. Decorative wall covering ▶ lead times remain at four weeks with no change anticipated in the next six months. Workload and enquiries remain consistent.

Internal stone floor and wall finish ▶ lead times remain at 16 weeks, enquiry levels and workload remain stable, no change in lead times are forecast for the next six months. Soft floor finish ▶ lead times remain at 11 weeks. Increase are anticipated in the next six months.

Passenger lifts - non-standard ▲ lead times have increased by three weeks to 44 weeks, this follows a steady pattern of increases in the past 12 months, mostly in the manufacturing phase. No further increase in lead times anticipated in the next six months. Escalators lead times remain at 19 weeks with no change reported. Electrical packages ▶ lead times remain at 20 weeks, there are signs of an increase in workload and enquiries with some companies forecasting an increase in lead times in the next six months. Mechanical packages ▶ lead times remain at 25 weeks. Companies anticipate lead times increasing in the next six months.

Ductwork ▶ lead times remain at eight weeks, with workload and enquiry levels remaining static, no change is forecast for the next six months. Sprinklers ▶ lead times remain at eight weeks; contractors workload remains consistent and they do not forecast an increase in the next six months.

Security systems ▶ lead times remain at six weeks with no change forecast. Controls ▶ lead times remain at nine weeks. Contractors forecast no change in lead times in the next six months. IT infrastructure equipment ▶ lead times remain at 10 weeks. Data and voice cabling ▶ lead times remain at 13 weeks with no changes forecast. Fire detection and voice alarm systems ▶ lead times remains at five weeks, workload and enquiries remains consistent with no change forecast in the next six months.

Hard landscaping ▶ lead times remain at 15 weeks. Logistics services ▶ lead times remain at five weeks. Contractors do not anticipate change in lead times in the next six months. There continues to be very little change in lead times with only non-standard passenger lifts reporting an increase of three weeks in the manufacturing process. The forecast is for little change with workload and enquiry levels remaining static. 

Data capture and analysis by Mace Business School. For more details on the article and the contributors please visit www.macegroup.com/people/suppliers.

Lead times April - June 2019