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Lead times summary

• Following a reported increase of one week last quarter, rotary piling lead times have stabilised at six weeks. Pre-cast piling remains stable at five weeks.
• There has been no reported movement in concrete works lead times, which remain at seven weeks and no change is expected within the next quarter. Shortages of reinforcement are being reported.
• Structural steel frames lead times have increased by two weeks to 16 weeks due to availability of some steel sections as forecast last quarter.
• Re-constituted stone cladding remains at 21 weeks, natural material cladding at 28 weeks, metal panellised system lead times at 27 weeks, with no change forecast by contractors, and curtain walling system lead times have remained 31 weeks for over a year.
• Atrium roof lead times have remained stable at 27 weeks for more than two years.
• Contractors are continuing to report six-week lead times for asphalt/membrane roof finishes and profiled metal lead times remain at 12 weeks. Contractors are reporting instability in the availability of steel.
• Facade cleaning equipment lead times have been restated at 37 weeks.
• Brickwork and blockwork lead times remain stable at four and six weeks respectively, despite reporting higher levels of enquiries.
• Metal doors lead times have increased by four weeks to 9 weeks due to availability.
• Drylining lead times remain stable at eight weeks and levels of enquiries remain high.
• Demountable partition lead times remain level at six weeks.
• General joinery lead times are at 10 weeks while specialist joinery has increased to 18 weeks due to longer design approval periods.
• Raised floor lead times remain static at six weeks, with no change forecast.
• Suspended ceiling lead times remain at 16 weeks with no increase reported for the next six months.
• Architectural metalwork lead times have remained static at 12 weeks for more than a year and despite forecasting being busier no change is forecast over the next six months.
• The average lead time for decorative wall covering has remained at four weeks for more than two years with no change forecast.
• Internal stone floor and wall finish lead times remain at 23 weeks.
• Soft floor finish lead times have stabilised at eight weeks for the past nine months.
• Non-standard passenger lift lead times remain at 26 weeks; there are some reports of shortages of electronic equipment from Japan as a result of the earthquake.
• No change is reported for escalator lead times, which remain at 24 weeks.
• Electrical package lead times remain at 14 weeks and mechanical packages at 18 weeks.
• The lead time for ductwork is eight weeks, with no change forecast.
• Following last quarter’s reduction, due to improved mobilisation time, sprinkler lead times have stabilised at eight weeks.
• Security system lead times have remained static at five weeks for over two year and controls lead times have remained static at 15 weeks for over a year.
• Hard landscaping lead times have remained at eight weeks for more than a year.
• Logistics services lead times remain at five weeks.
• Contractors continue to report high levels of enquiries but remain at rock bottom with their lead times, with no reports of the times reducing further. There is evidence that fluctuation in the steel market is having an effect on a number of trades including structural steel, reinforcement and steel doors. The earthquake in Japan has also been reported as causing problems with availability for some electronic control equipment used in construction, in particular the lift industry.

Data capture and analysis by Mace Business School. For more details on the article and the
contributors, please visit www.macebusinessschool.co.uk/foresite