Lead times October-December 2006

01 Going up

 

• Curtain walling
• Suspended ceilings

02 Staying level

 

• Rotary and precast piling
• Structural steel frames
• Precast concrete frames
• Reconstituted stone cladding
• Natural stone cladding
• Atrium roofing
• Profiled roofing
• Membrane roofing
• Facade cleaning equipment
• Metal windows
• Brickwork and blockwork
• Drylining
• General joinery
• Specialist joinery
• Architectural metalwork
• Decorative wall covering
• Internal stone and wall finishes
• Soft floor finish
• Non-standard lifts
• Escalator
• Electrical and mechanical suppliers
• Ductwork
• Sprinkler
• IT infrastructure
• Data and voice cabling
• Logistics
• Demountable partitions

03 Going down

 

• Raised floors

04 Lead times summary

Rotary and precast piling lead times have, for the second quarter, remained the same at seven weeks and six weeks respectively. Workload is predicted to remain steady for the next quarter.

Structural steelwork lead times for large, complex projects have been maintained at 14 weeks, although the market is getting busier.

Precast concrete frame lead times remain the same at 29 weeks.

Reconstituted stone cladding has stayed at 28 weeks and natural stone cladding at 16 weeks. However, the lead time for curtain walling has risen by 22 weeks to 40 weeks. This is partly down to the market, although increases are not as steep as shown, owing to an underestimation the last time it was reported.

Atrium roofing lead times remain high at 29 weeks, with workload increasing this year. Some suppliers say they have reached capacity for the first half of 2007. A longer lead time is expected in the next quarter owing to European float lines closing for maintenance, putting pressure on supplies of glass.

Profiled roofing and membrane roofing both remain at 15 and 10 weeks respectively, although this may change in the next quarter, which is expected to be busy.

Lead times for facade cleaning equipment have been maintained at 30 weeks, despite a high level of activity in the market

Metal windows remain at 16 weeks.

Lead-ins for brickwork and blockwork have stayed at four weeks for the second time but the market has picked up in the last quarter, with suppliers reporting an even busier quarter to come.

Drylining lead times are unchanged at nine weeks. Suppliers report that they are busier than the last quarter.

Demountable partitions lead times remain the same at nine weeks. With order books starting to fill up, it is likely that this will increase in the next quarter.

General joinery remains at 12 weeks. There is no movement in the lead times for specialist joinery , which stays at 16 weeks Despite an expected increase in the next quarter, lead times for raised floors have reduced over Christmas to six weeks

The one-week increase to 16 weeks in lead times for suspended ceilings was expected because of rising demand.

Architectural metalwork lead times remain at 13 weeks, with materials readily available.

The average lead-in for decorative wall covering has stayed at four weeks for the second quarter, with steady order books for the first quarter.

Internal stone and wall finishes remain at 16 weeks Soft floor finish lead times have been maintained at eight weeks, with some suppliers saying this may increase next time.

No change in the last quarter for non-standard lifts , with a typical lead time of 41 weeks.

Escalator lead times remain unchanged at 20 weeks despite a buoyant market.

Electrical and mechanical suppliers lead times remain at 23 weeks and 16 weeks respectively.

Ductwork stays at 14 weeks

Sprinkler lead-times remain the same at 10 weeks

Lead-ins for IT infrastructure and data and voice cabling are unchanged at six weeks.

Logistics lead times remain at four weeks.

The market has seen a steady increase in demand over the last quarter, although generally lead times have remained the same or reduced in the first quarter as order books fill up after the Christmas period. A busy second quarter is expected to have an impact on lead times across some of the key packages.