How manufacturer involvement can mitigate labour risks

January 21, 2025

While the construction industry grapples with attracting and developing talent, clever product design and manufacturer-led training can go a long way towards boosting productivity and quality, says Graeme Leonard, EMEA fire protection division manager at Victaulic.

The construction industry’s labour woes continue. In May, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the UK reported that 21% of businesses with 10 or more employees, including in construction, were experiencing worker shortages. Meanwhile, the Construction Skills Network (CSN) projected a need for an additional 251,000 construction workers in the UK by 2028 to meet anticipated demand.

The situation is similarly challenging across the EU. Also, in May this year, the European Employment Services Network (EURES) reported construction as having the fourth highest job vacancy rate in the EU for Q2 2023, with vacancy rates rising faster than any other sector since 2016.

The main challenge faced by the construction industry when tendering for projects has always been predicting project timelines and costs. However, the reality of potentially having to deploy less skilled crews is putting even more pressure on budgeting.

Is a less experienced crew going to be able to deliver the project on time, or should additional crew members be factored in? Can the crew ensure a reliable system or will there be a risk having a recall to make corrections due to lack of installation experience? These are critical questions, especially in the fire protection sector, where the proper installation of systems is required to safeguard not only property but also human lives.

It’s clear the construction industry needs to do more to attract new people who are willing to invest time in developing their skills. In the short term, however, suppliers such as Victaulic can play an important role in mitigating the effects of labour shortages or inexperience through innovative product design and targeted training programmes.

Designing for ease of use and increased productivity

Listening to customers to pinpoint the issues they have on site and addressing them with new innovations is just a start. Developing products that are designed to speed up the installation process while making it easier and more reliable is certainly one thing that can help to mitigate the risk of having less skilled labour and provide the contractor with more certainty about the time spent on site.

A key innovation we have developed at Victaulic to help overcome installation challenges and avoid potential incorrect installations is our patented Installation-Ready™ technology. These products arrive on site ready to be installed and don’t require disassembly prior to installation. The products spread right across our full range, from couplings and fittings to even some of our sprinklers.

The idea behind Installation-Ready^TMproducts is really quite easy to follow: how can we make the installation process more efficient while reducing the risk of incorrect installation? The design of our Installation-Ready^TM products allows an installer to join pipes by simply pushing the couplings or fittings onto the grooved end of a pipe, fitting, valve or accessory, connecting it to, for instance, a second grooved-end pipe, and then tightening the nuts using standard hand tools or an impact wrench.

Installer confidence and reliability are also built into these products. When the bolt pads touch metal-to-metal, a proper, leak-free installation is guaranteed without having to meet a specific torque requirement. While precision and attention to detail are still a must, such as tightening the nuts evenly by alternating sides and making sure the bolt pads touch, the process removes the need for more skill-intensive techniques and helps to speed up the installation process.

Incorrect sprinkler installation also entails big risks for contractors because it always involves having to revisit the site and renting scissor lifts again, thus adding additional costs to the project. We try to address this as well with our Installation-Ready^TM sprinklers. This grooved sprinkler with a coupling already attached is designed so it can be installed quicker and more reliably than a threaded sprinkler, while also avoiding the risk of installers suffering repetitive strain. This in turn helps contractors to better control their labour and optimise the number of workers on the ground.

Setting a benchmark with manufacturer training

Ultimately, we’re trying to provide an ideal scenario for contractors: products that reduce time on the jobsite and save them money by mitigating the problems posed by the shortage of skilled labour. And while we’re very happy for our products to be a solution, I still believe there is more support the industry can provide contractors in the form of training standards, and here Victaulic is keen to play its part too alongside other industry stakeholders.

Undoubtedly, real value can be derived from manufacturers taking on a mandatory role in training. The manufacturers are the specialists in their own products and have the ability to disseminate product-relevant knowledge to labourers on the worksite. That is why we are driving the industry towards training programmes, both on the jobsite as well as in our training facilities.

During these training sessions, we cover a broad range of topics such as how to properly groove pipe, measure the groove depth, install and service our alarm valves, and install couplings, sprinklers and valves. If we’re talking about ideal scenarios for contractors, I believe the industry should strive to have at least one member of an installation team hold training certification from the manufacturer for the products they’re handling. That way the contractor can rest assured knowing that a specialist with the relevant skills and knowledge is always available on site to help and support other members of the installation team whenever required.

Bidding for a construction project will always entail some level of uncertainty, but as a manufacturer looking to support our customers and the industry, we are helping to mitigate risk and to build up a force of knowledgeable people in the field. We are keeping our finger on the market pulse to deliver high quality products that increase efficiency and reduce the chance of incorrect installation while making sure that their users receive the necessary training about them.

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