As manufacturers begin to ramp up production following the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Norbord tells PBM that it is “back in business”.
With increasing numbers of merchants (safely) opening their doors, the trade is increasingly turning its attention to getting back to business in a responsible and considered manner. The supply chain is beginning to open up, with many manufacturers ramping up production and bringing the relevant members of their sales and support teams back to work.
Norbord, for example, says that it has been “taking all the necessary precautions to ensure the continuity of its reputation as a dependable, trustworthy and leading manufacturer”. The firm states that it is “fully focused on playing a key part in restoring productivity” to service the sector and is now “back up and running, working on ensuring that service levels are optimized as soon as possible”.
Sales Director Andrew Francis said: “We are back in business and, with the sales team fully up and running, we are ready to supply product again.”
Furthermore, the company notes that its products are made in the UK, giving it the ‘supply chain security’ needed to provide the materials that will help businesses get back to work or pick up on the many projects that have been on hold.
Indeed, Norbord says that its product range of SterlingOSB Zero, CaberFloor, CaberFix and CaberWood MDF can help a merchant’s trade customers to pick up where they left off. These are all detailed in the firm’s A5 Engineered Wood Panels Product Guide, including comprehensive technical data and installation advice. In addition to this, the booklet highlights different applications, including roofing, flooring, walling, timber frames, hoarding and shopfitting.
The company has recently invested £145m in a new plant in Inverness, Scotland. Manufactured using renewable heat from on-site biomass boilers, its SterlingOSB Zero range, for example, is described as a sustainable, low-energy product with excellent physical performance characteristics. With zero added formaldehyde and even more environmentally-friendly to produce than its predecessors, a new family of products under the popular OSB brand comprises SterlingOSB Zero 3, SterlingOSB Zero Tongue and Groove, SterlingOSB Zero SiteCoat, SterlingOSB Zero Fire Solutions and SterlingOSB Zero StrongFix.
Construction 2025, the joint government and industry strategy, outlines ambitious targets for the UK construction industry. Within the next five years, both construction-related emissions and project delivery times must be halved, while construction costs are required to be reduced by a third. Offsite timber frame construction will be one of the solutions for housebuilders — and Norbord says that its range will be an “essential component in terms of green, speed and cost”.
Given the current need to make up for lost time on site, speed and continuity on site are also prime considerations with the firm’s CaberShieldPlus flooring solution. Comprising Norbord’s popular moisture-resistant CaberFloorP5 tongue-and-groove particleboard flooring panel, it is specially designed to withstand exposure to wet conditions. With protection on both sides, and not just the exposed upper surface, the system is BBA-approved for up to 60 days’ continuous exposure to the elements when used with the company’s CaberFix D4 adhesive.
To watch a series of video guides to Norbord’s panel product ranges, go to: https://www.norbord.co.uk/resources/help-advice/video-guides/
