The Hardware Journal May/June 2023

ADVANTAGE WEATHERSHIELD

Dulux Weathershield is Ireland’s first choice when it comes to exterior paint. Our unique formulation offers the ultimate in durability with flexible protection for all types of weather. With improved mould and algae resistance as well as superior colour retention and coverage, you’ll soon discover why so many people trust Weathershield to protect their home.

ULTIMATE DURABILITY, WITH IMPROVED MOULD AND ALGAE PROTECTION

SUPERIOR COVERAGE UP TO 16 SQM PER LITRE

BEAUTIFUL COLOURS MADE SPECIALLY FOR IRELAND

“Working along the West Cork coastline, we need an exterior masonry product that will stand up to the elements, that’s why we use Weathershield, it’s durable, covers well and is specifically formulated for Irish weather conditions”

VISIT WEATHERSHIELD.IE TO LEARN MORE

‒ Dominic Crowley, Cork based decorator @dominic_crowley_painting

Main House: PHOENIX PARK* Side Extension: INISBOFIN GOLD* Window Sillls and Plinth: WILD COTTON Front Door: BLACK

Productivity and efficiency are back on the agenda.

The most recent market figures from our Business Index, sponsored by Wavin. show the market in Q1 2023 is 3% up on that for Q1 2022. Meeting and speaking with many members recently this will hardly come as a surprise. Most agree that margins are down and that the market has become more competitive. Yet few are crying into their cups and fewer are jumping for joy. Perhaps we have reached a sort of normality, perhaps, but I really doubt it.

Innovation is very much on the agenda of many members. The main drivers of this innovation are the shortage of labour, the pressure on margins and the seemingly unending increases in business costs.

messagefromtheCEO

Unemployment is now below 4% (3.8% CSO May), effectively full employment - in actuality beyond full employment. Every sector in society is having major staff shortages. Ours is a particularly intense people business so what do you do when you don’t have enough people?

Other allied sectors are facing similar challenges. In this edition we are publishing in full the submission from the CIF to the Oireachtas covering the future of construction. Offsite construction in one form or other will be a key driver in residential building - it has had a few false dawns before and no doubt there will be hiccups but come it will. For it to succeed it needs a level of stability in the sector, a stability that has proven elusive up to now. It will definitely shape our marketplace, and many reckon that it will pose a major challenge.

Every cost in business has gone up and looks likely to continue to go up. And again, what does business do in this scenario?

It innovates.

Visiting members around the country, almost everyone that I met are thinking of how to improve their business. Some are looking at re-designing the flow of their shop, others are looking at making better use of their management information, while others are rethinking their business processes. This is innovation from within, the best type. Improving productivity and the efficiency of the business is crucial. There is an old adage that “we didn’t leave the stone age because we ran out of stones”. Our greatest invention has not been a particular product but the scientific method of thinking and its theme of constantly changing and improving.

This edition is full of articles from some of our Corporate Partners and others detailing how merchants can become more efficient. Often this is by understanding the data that they currently have at their fingertips and using it better to organise their stocks, their warehouses, and their product range. Automate where you can automate. A good example on page 44 is Topline Heavins in Athlone taking a good look at their business practices. And others are redesigning parts of their businesses. Lean processes, blueprinting and mapping terms that haven’t been heard in years are back on the agenda. Each involves change and improvement.

Digital is also important - over the last few years we have seen how this technology has been a major excellerant in our businesses.

In contrast to many businesses and other retail, merchanting is very much a people business. Customers are often customers not solely for the products stocked but for the knowledge and advice that is on offer. Yet much activity, even on the shop floor or trade counter, involves little interaction with customers. Meeting one member who installed an automated pricing system - expensive? - yes, however, he calculated that he wanted staff to spend their time dealing with customers rather than pricing products. Our Empty Homes campaign continues to be successful with more of our proposals accepted. Most recently the ¤50k and ¤70k grants have been extended to all buyers, previously they were solely for first time buyers. Investors can now buy and qualify - for details see www.gov.ie/ en/service/f8f1b-vacant-property-refurbishment-grant/. In May, we ran another successful Empty Homes Roadshow in Ballina, and we have four more planned during the summer in the run up to the budget. For details, please see page 29. Bostik have come on board as the sponsor for these roadshows. We invite members and ask them to invite their trade and retail customers who are renovating or thinking of renovating an empty property. Amongst others, fellow member Kore Retrofit will be presenting at each of the roadshows. With many years of practical experience of project managing renovations and upgrades Kore have the knowledge to pass on to you and your customers. Unlocking the potential in Empty Homes is a huge opportunity for the sector, there were 86,000 homes empty in 2022 that had been occupied in 2016. And these do not include the numbers of “above the shop” premises.

The 2022-23 cohort of students from our Retail and Merchanting course are due to graduate soon and we will be taking enrolments for our autumn intake.

And as time moves on, we are looking forward to The Hardware Show, www.thehardwareshow.ie in the RDS on the 18th and 19th of Februarymany exhibitors have already booked their space. Enjoy

Martin Markey Chief Executive Officer - HAI

FRONT COVER: Smarter Business.

Blackchurch Business Park, Naas Road, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, D24 C796 t +353 1 298 0969 e info@hardwareassociation.ie w www.hardwareassociation.ie @hardwareassoc

ISSN 2009-5481

Published by: Hardware Association Ireland

Editor: Jim Copeland, editor@hardwareassociation.ie

Editorial/Feature Contributor: Aoife Kinsella, Aoife@hardwareassociation.ie

Advertising Manager: Jim Copeland, jim@hardwareassociation.ie

Design and Production: Stephen Broad, ConceptRoom, stephen@conceptroom.co.uk

Printers: GPS Colour Graphics Ltd, Belfast.

Distribution: MMS Mailing Services, Dublin.

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:

To advertise in The Hardware Journal and reach the key decision makers in the industry please contact Jim Copeland at 01-298 0969; email jim@hardwareassociation.ie

© 2023 All editorial contents and all advertisments prepared by the publishers and Hardware Association Ireland HAI can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of contributors’ articles or statements appearing in this publication and any view or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of HAI, save where indicated. No responsibility for loss or distress occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by HAI, authors, contributors, editor or publishers. The publication of advertisements does not constitute any endorsement by HAI, authors, contributors, editor or publishers of the products advertised. Readers should take specific advice when dealing with specific situations.

6 Dulux explains how to create an outdoors feature wall with Weathershield.

9 Wavin Push-Fit Hep20 brings flexibility and security to plumbing installations.

10 Chadwicks Group unveils new-look Clonmel branch.

12 Homevalue Group’s research reveals demand for trade skills to be encouraged at school level.

14 Ames True Temper to distribute the SK brand of indoor plant pots.

15 IntelliBrand leverages AI to build orders.

16 Empty Homes Roadshow visits Ballina.

17 Intact Access 2.0 empowers remote teams.

18 Kerridge Commercial Systems unveils exciting sustainable initiatives at conference.

20 New security system launched to make work safer for public-facing staff.

21 Portwest foot protection provides maximum safety and outstanding performance.

22 Educational technology is supporting manufacturers/distributors to provide sector training.

24 Toolbank – The great Irish trade show.

25 CPM Team driving sales in dynamic DIY and hardware sector.

28 MyNet on how to make security at your site go from reactive to proactive.

29 Combilift premieres new product.

31 Flogas is the energy behind Team Ireland for Paris 2024.

35 .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 winners announced.

36 Mannok publishes performance review and business outlook.

features

26 CIF ADDRESS: Tom Parlon, Director General at Construction Industry Federation, addresses the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing.

32 THE HARDWARE SHOW 2024: The biennial Hardware Show returns in February 2024.

44 TOPLINE HEAVINS GET LEAN: The Hardware Journal talks to Paul & Derek Heavin from Topline Heavins & Euronics about how their Lean Processes have revolutionised their efficiencies.

66 A VIEW FROM EUROPE: Regular contributor Thierry Coeman conducts an enlightening conversation with Dr. Robert Rooderkerk, associate professor at Rotterdam School of Management, on the DIY retail landscape.

68 LOCAL RETAILING IN THE USA: Gina Schaefer explains how retailers must respond to the changing nature of how customers are finding information and make your physical store available online.

Paint & Home Décor

48 MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

49 DULUX PAINTS

Dulux Paints Ireland provides an update on its news, products and solutions for trade and retail customers

52 FLEETWOOD PAINTS

Interior designer and independent consultant, Patricia Wakely, is working with Fleetwood Paints to help and advise customers on their paint and home décor projects

54 PURDY PAINT BRUSHES

The Purdy team reveals their range of paint brushes and how their high quality, lightweight and durable material makes them the professional choice.

56 SANDTEX PAINTS

If painting outdoors is on your customers’ to-do list, then they’re sure to find what they need within the Sandtex range of exterior products.

58 TIMCO

TIMCO is excited to offer a comprehensive range of tools and accessories specifically developed for the professional painter and decorator.

59 ALBANY PAINTS

Albany Home Décor reflects on market trends and conditions in the Irish paint industry, and reveals that there is much to be positive about.

60 PAINT TRENDS 2023

Some paint & home interior design trends for 2023.

40 profiles

40 STORE PROFILE: TIRLÁN’S STORE OF THE FUTURE DEBUTS IN BUNCLODY

Tirlán CountyLife is proud to be the trailblazer when it comes to new store redesign across its 52 branch network. Here they give readers a grand tour of its latest redesign in Bunclody.

training

62 HAI CERTIFICATE IN HARDWARE RETAIL AND MERCHANTING

The 2022/2023 class of the HAI Certificate in Hardware Retail & Merchanting prepare for graduation in the closing stages in the programme.

63 HAI TRAINING EVOLUTION HAI launches its Autumn training schedule which includes both classroom-based and virtual workshops in a range of subjects.

business support

64 EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE Emma Neill, HR Consultant at TSA Consultants, outlines various HR amendments and new Acts of Law which employers need to be aware of.

COMMERCIAL FEATURES

70 SUSTAINABLE ROOFING

The demand for sustainable roofing materials and practices has been on the rise thanks to a growing awareness of climate change and a desire to reduce energy consumption.

79 A SELECTION OF CLASSIFIED ADS

CREATE A FEATURE WALL WITH WEATHERSHIELD

It has now never been easier for your customer to get jobs done outside the home using Weathershield to ‘Create a feature wall’ outside.

Utilising the power of paint can open up areas of your customer`s property that they would have never considered usable before. This works extremely well for people with small outdoor gardens or city dwellers. Painting a feature wall can create a focal point for their exterior space and may influence where they place garden furniture, plants or host BBQs. Dulux have provided a step-by-step guide for your customers to use to transform their small outdoor spaces:

1. To begin, customers need to clean their walls and treat any areas of mould. Dulux recommend using Weathershield Multi-Surface Fungicidal Wash.

2. In choosing their base wall paint, they need one that protects their wall against all the elements of Irish weather, Dulux recommend Weathershield Smooth Masonry.

3. To create a circle shape on their wall. All your customers need to do is cut a piece of string half the width of their desired circle. Pin it to the wall where they want the centre of their circle to be and attach a pencil to the other end.

4. They then hold the string taut and draw a circle. Then, fill in with a colour of their choice. If they’ve opted for a grey garden wall paint, such as Concrete Grey, then Jasmine White is a great choice for the circle.

5. Now they have a stencilled circle on their garden wall. Visit www.weathershield.ie to learn more.

ALAN DONOHOE APPOINTED GROUP COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR AT LAYDEX BUILDING SOLUTIONS

Laydex Building Solutions has announced the appointment of Alan Donohoe as its Group Commercial Director. Alan joins Laydex from Kilsaran, where he held the position of Head of Sales (IRE & UK) for Paving & Walling and previously he also held Sales and Management roles at Tegral Building Products. As Group Commercial Director, Alan will be responsible for driving the commercial strategy of Laydex Building Solutions, which includes developing and expanding the company’s product range, strengthening partnerships with customers and suppliers, and identifying new business opportunities. His appointment is a clear signal of Laydex’s ambitions to continue to grow and expand its business.

Commenting on his appointment, Alan said: “I am delighted to be joining the Laydex team at this exciting time in the company’s journey. Laydex has become synonymous in the hardware sector for its top-quality service and product range. Our aim is to continue to develop this product offering and the overall business, while maintaining and growing our trusted position within the industry”.

Laydex Building Solutions is a leading supplier of a wide range of high-quality Building, Roofing, Gas Protection, and Fire Protection products in Ireland and the UK, with a reputation for providing innovative solutions to the construction industry.

For more information, please visit www.laydex.com

Peter Woods, Managing Director, Laydex Building Solutions with Alan Donohoe the newly appointed Group Commercial Director.

BUSINESS INDEX Q1 2023 RESULTS

The year-on-year increase for the sector as a whole in Q1 is 3% with a contraction in March combined with an increase in both January and February.

The year on year increase in Q1 peaks significantly among Dublin members

collecting and analysing

If members would like to contribute and benefit please contact Martin

WAVIN PUSH-FIT HEP2O BRINGS FLEXIBILITY AND SECURITY TO PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS

Wavin stockists will be familiar with Wavin Hep2O, a flexible push-fit plumbing system for potable water and heating applications. Hep2O carries a 50-year guarantee allowing the plumber to purchase with confidence in the product.

With Hep2O’s In4Sure technology, the plumber can ensure a secure joint every time. One of Hep2O’s unique advantages is that the joint is safe and secure once fitted and cannot be tampered with. When a joint requires demounting or adjustment, this is done using the HepKey.

Wavin Push-fit Hep2O comes in metric (15, 22 and 28mm) and imperial sizes (1/2”, 3/4” and 1”) and are colour coded for easy identification. Fittings are also distinguishable by their internal sleeve colours, Imperial in Grey and Metric in White. Both the metric and imperial have the same Polybutylene (PB) ‘lay flat’ pipe technology which has a remarkable ability to remain straight once uncoiled. The pipe is supplied both in coils and straight lengths. Wavin Hep2O has a wide range of fittings available which are compatible with copper along with the flexible pipe

enabling easy cabling through joists, underneath floors and tight spaces making the system ideal for new build and refurbishment projects.

For 40 years Wavin Hep2O has been at the forefront of pushfit plumbing technology. The industry-leading products are engineered with unique performance and installation innovations that make them perfect for both residential and commercial applications.

Wavin Hep2O carries a British Standard Kitemark against BS7291 parts 1 & 2 Class S. Fittings carry a British Standard Kitemark against BS EN ISO 15876. Barrier pipe and fittings also carry a British Standard Kitemark against BS EN ISO 21003. It is also approved by WRAS – deemed safe for use in the supply of drinking water.

To obtain a free sample pack go to wavin.ie/hep2O

If you’re interested in stocking Wavin Hep2O contact your local sales representative or customerservices.ie@wavin.com or phone 018020202

To order online visit shop.wavin.com or speak to your sales representative.

We have a limited number of promotional Wavin Hep2O coils available in July 2023, which can be pre-ordered from 19th June 2023, so make sure you don’t miss out.

CHADWICKS GROUP UNVEILS NEW LOOK CLONMEL BRANCH

Chadwicks Group has recently unveiled its newly revamped Clonmel branch. Tipperary GAA stars Samantha Lambert and Séamus Callanan were on hand to officially cut the ribbon alongside branch manager Sean O’Sullivan.

This revamp forms part of Chadwicks Group’s ongoing nationwide rebrand and upgrade programme, which began in 2018 and has seen 31 stores upgraded and refurbished to date. Located at Carrigeen Business Park, Chadwicks Clonmel has been serving the needs of local tradespeople and the wider community for more than 40 years. The team of 22 highly trained specialists remains the same, totalling over 400 years of service at Chadwicks Clonmel.

The new store has been fully refurbished and designed with the customer in mind providing builders, engineers, specialist tradespeople and DIYers with all the tools and materials they need to get the job done in one convenient location.

Boasting a new and improved showroom and layout, the branch has been fully repainted and features new product lines across ranges including Mascot and Snickers workwear, Kärcher cleaning systems, Milwaulkee tools, Rawlplug fittings, Ashfield & Co handles, and a wide range of Colourtrend paints in the paint centre. With ranges catering to any trade job from brands such as Flair, Grant, J.G. Kelly and SmartFence, the skilled team of experts are on hand to advise based on customers’ needs and requirements.

CIRCLE K LAUNCHES OWN BRAND RANGE OF EV CHARGERS

Circle K, one of Ireland’s largest forecourt and convenience retailers, has announced it is launching a new range of own brand electric vehicle (EV) chargers across its network over the next two years. Circle K will invest a total of ¤7 million to install EV chargers at over 30 Circle K forecourts across Ireland by 2025. This investment enhances Circle K’s existing network of EV chargers, which is already the most extensive across the Irish forecourt and convenience retail industry, through its strategic partnerships with ESB, IONITY and Tesla, with chargers located at 42 service stations.

Circle K’s first two own brand EV charge points have opened at Circle K Junction 5, M9, Rathcrogue, Co. Carlow, and Circle K Junction 14, M8, Gortore, Fermoy, Co. Cork. These first two locations will offer charging speeds of up to 300kW, with future chargers to offer 150kW, giving EV drivers the ability to easily charge their vehicles quickly and conveniently.

Sean O’Sullivan, Chadwicks Clonmel Branch Manager, said:

“We’re proud to unveil our new branch and reopen the doors to our customers. The improvements made mean our customers can enjoy exciting new additions, alongside the expert advice they’re used to for any trade job – big or small. We look forward to introducing our customers to the new branch which has, as always, been designed with them in mind.”

With EVs at the heart of the Irish Government’s plans to decarbonise the transport sector, as outlined in the Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022 – 2025, Circle K is committed to supporting this strategy through the enhancement of its own EV charging network and growing the EV charging infrastructure nationwide.

To locate Circle K’s EV chargers, you can visit www.circlek.ie, Circle K Ireland on Facebook or @circlekireland on Twitter and Instagram.

At the official launch of Chadwicks Clonmel were Chadwicks group CEO Patrick Atkinson, Chadwicks Clonmel Branch Manager Sean O’Sullivan and his team who were joined on the day by GAA stars Samantha Lambert and Séamus Callanan to officially launch the revamped branch.

Pictured at the launch at Circle K, Junction 5 M9, Co. Carlow are Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD and Gordon Lawlor, Managing Director of Circle K Ireland.

AMIDST FURTHER REPORTS OF BUILDER SHORTAGES IN IRELAND, 87% AGREE THAT TRADE SKILLS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED MORE AT A SCHOOL LEVEL

As reports of skilled labourers and builder shortages continue, and with South African tradespeople being targeted to work in Ireland, new research has highlighted an appetite amongst Irish people for increasing exposure to trade skills within the school environment.

According to new research from the Homevalue Group, 87% of all people polled agreed that trade skills should be encouraged more at a school level.

Building on that, and as people struggle to access skilled tradespeople for routine work around the house, more than half of those surveyed (62%) wish they had greater exposure to building and DIY skills, which might allow them to be more active at home.

Just 3 in 10 (29%) say they have any experience working on a building site or with someone with a trade or skill, to help develop their own DIY skills.

More than half of all those polled (53%) believe that everyone should get some experience working on a building site to develop some key skills which they may use later in life, regardless of their profession.

As people struggle to access tradespeople, burgeoning DIY enthusiasts in need of upskilling, or to get something done around the house, have turned to the following alternatives to get up to speed:

• 67% - Would go to a family member or friend first for help with a DIY project.

• 50% - Said they would generally go to a local hardware store for DIY advice.

• 44% - Always turn to Tradespersons for any DIY projects required around their home.

• 38% - Have followed a social media DIY account for inspiration and guidance on their plans.

The Homevalue Group through their website homevalue.ie are seeking to engage all stakeholders by providing content including blogs, solutions, and useful tips being available to help refine consumers skills in DIY and construction and are advocating a visit to one of their nationwide stores to speak with one of their many DIY experts.

Despite the increased appetite for DIY skills, there is growing evidence to suggest that there has been a shift away from encouraging young adults to take up a career in trades, skills, and apprenticeships at secondary and Leaving Certificate level, in favour of promoting university-level studies.

Speaking about the research, David Shakeshaft, Commercial Director with United Hardware, said: “The findings show an awareness of the difficulties faced in accessing skilled tradespeople, and also highlight a number of creative ways in which people are trying to bridge these gaps themselves. A trade career can be an extremely fulfilling and a rewarding career choice, but many believe not enough is being done to encourage younger people to pursue this pathway, over university and college-level studies. Further, DIY know-how is an extremely self-fulfilling way to get bits and pieces done when you’re most in need. Anyone in need of some extra advice or information can always engage with their local Homevalue store for advice, tips and tricks to help with any DIY job, big or small.”

Of those polled, the survey found that almost 4 in 10 (38%) claim that they enjoy doing as much as they can around the house and would consider themselves DIY enthusiasts, with just over a quarter (27%) claiming that they enjoy supporting others and learning to do a few bits around the house but would not be confident without some guidance. The research for Homevalue was conducted by Empathy Research who polled over 1,000 adults.

David Shakeshaft, Commercial Director with United Hardware.

KREATOR BY VARO

Varo, a company active in the worldwide distribution of DIY materials introduces its brand of hand tools: Kreator. Kreator is a diverse product line of generalist tools and power tool accessories. The broad product range is the perfect addition to any toolbox with quality hand tools, garden tools and useful power tool accessories.

The brand offers a large number of all-round hand tools e.g., for cutting or measuring, screwdrivers, pliers, saws, levels, all necessary equipment for indoor DIYing. Also, a range of garden tools including sprinklers and garden shears. The range also includes an extended assortment of more specialised hand tools for professionals.

Accessories for power tools are also part of the Kreator product line. From drill bits, brushes, staples, nails and sanding paper

to grinding discs, milling cutters and saw blades. All Kreator accessories are perfectly compatible with most commonly used brands.

Additionally, Kreator offers a series of items to transport your customer`s tools safely, including hand trucks and carts, as well as items to protect yourself including DIY and garden gloves, dust masks, knee pads, helmets, safety goggles, toolboxes and cabinets, padlocks, and even workbenches.

“We strive for Kreator to be synonymous with essential and quality materials for both professionals and hobbyists,” says Jeroen Nys, CEO of Varo.

For further information, please contact Les Ashley, les.ashley@varo.com or directly on 087 440 8077 www.varo.com

For further information contact Les Ashley @ les.ashley@varo.com or directly on 087 440 8077

WAVIN LAUNCHES EPDs FOR ITS PRODUCTS

Wavin has recently launched Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for its suite of plumbing and above and below ground products sold in the Irish and UK markets. Based on third-party verified Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), EPDs transparently map production processes to resource impacts.

Providing details on the environmental impact across the entire life cycle, EPDs enable building designers, planners, contractors and developers to choose more sustainable products and solutions.

Customers in the Construction sector are increasingly asking for EPDs, and Wavin is one of the first companies in the sector to be able to provide these.

“We’re delighted to be able to provide EPDs across our product portfolio in order to make things easier for specifiers when selecting more sustainable solutions for their projects,” said Michael O’Donohoe, Country Director at Wavin Ireland. “Our project teams are always ready to provide technical and practical advice and having these EPDs in place further enhances this service providing reassurance to the customer around their specification.”

As a global business, Wavin aims to make a difference and become a worldwide leader in sustainability. By monitoring, measuring and communicating emissions and process impacts for its products based on LCAs and EPD disclosures, Wavin can initiate continuous product improvements and production measures that contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

“Providing detailed environmental information for each Wavin product marks an important milestone in realising a sustainable value chain for the European construction industry,” said

Anneleen Veldhuizen, Sustainability Manager at Wavin EMEA. “The LCAs and EPDs offer our customers transparency and insight into the environmental impact of their construction projects. With these EPDs, we have supported various customers in selecting the best products for their projects that also have the lowest footprints.”

Anneleen continued, “Our sustainability journey is well underway. Having more insight into the true impacts of our products globally helps us evaluate and optimise our production chain. So, our production becomes more sustainable and our suppliers and customers get cleaner, greener, high-performance products and solutions.”

The EPDs that are currently available cover the majority of Wavin’s product portfolio in Ireland and the UK. EPDs for the remaining products are expected in the near future.

If you’re looking to use EPD’s on your project, contact: projects.ie@wavin.com

AMES TRUE TEMPER TO DISTRIBUTE THE SK BRAND OF INDOOR PLANT POTS

German Company SK (part of the Scheurich-Group of Companies) manufacturers of top-quality indoor pots have signed-up Ames True Temper as their distribution partner in the Republic of Ireland. These two long-standing and well-respected companies have decided to work together to distribute the SK brand, with a clear focus on improving the marketing, distribution and sales of indoor plant pots, to the DIY and Garden Centre channels.

Indoor plant pots have shown tremendous growth in recent years and both Ames True Temper and SK are confident that their combined knowledge & resources will bring further sustainable retail growth.

The agreement started on June 1st 2023. True Temper’s team will be presenting the new product range to their customers in the coming months. “Yet another great reason to partner up with True Temper as your supplier of choice for all things outdoor”, says Niall Nugent, sales and marketing director at Ames True Temper.

For further information, Tel 00 353 21 4302433, or Email sales@truetemper.ie

INTELLIBRAND LEVERAGES AI TO BUILD ORDERS

Say hello to echo, a powerful new IntelliBrand feature from WASP Technologies to help distributors and suppliers automatically keep their sales teams up to date with real-time top-selling products.

echo is an AI driven feature that constantly monitors what products are selling to customers of similar classification and recommends these products to the sales team during and after the order capture process.

echo is dynamic and does not just suggest a static list of products but one that is sensitive to many variables, including the option for the sales representative to ask echo to remove products that are not relevant. echo swims around analysing sales data in IntelliBrand and brings useful information to the surface when it is found.

echo is already delivering benefits to many IntelliBrand users ensuring maximum order value is gained when a sales colleague is with a customer. It is particularly powerful when

new products are introduced ensuring they are highlighted during the order taking process. The response from sales teams has been overwhelmingly positive. A comprehensive set of reports in the back office allows the review and monitoring of performance of echo recommended products.

Wasp are currently working with many companies in the sector, if you would like a demonstration of echo, contact WASP Technologies at info@wasptech.com

FLEXOTHANE SIOEN IRELAND MAKE NEW APPOINTMENT

Flexothane Sioen Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of John Sheridan as new Sales Manager for their Retail Division.

John will be leading the development of Flexothane and Sioen brands into the Irish retail market. John has been employed in sales for over 30 years, twenty-one of these working within the Agri/Hardware retail sector, and as such brings a huge amount of industry experience and knowledge. During this time John has worked closely with Sioen developing their catalogues, packaging, and most importantly, new product ranges. These include the Flexothane Dairy waterproof range, Kids waterproof range and a wide selection of All weather garments, Body-warmers and Jackets.

Sioen Ireland have been based in Gweedore Industrial Estate, Donegal since 1982. They are a huge supporter of the local community in Gweedore and contribute a major added business value to the area, regularly welcoming customers to West Donegal. Sioen Industries is a Belgian company with their head offices and manufacturing plants in Ardooie, Belgium, with additional offices and facilities worldwide.

Sioen Ireland represent Sioen Apparel within Ireland, as a world renowned and well recognised brand. Sioen Apparel are one of the leading manufactures of protective clothing, meeting the highest standards of certification, whilst also market leading in design and innovation and delivering value for money to its’ customers.

Managing Director Matthew Wilmot said “This is an important and exciting move for us and our customers. The expansion of our sales team with the creation of this new role demonstrates our commitment to delivering product excellence and innovation, whilst also striving to deliver exceptional levels of customer satisfaction.”

For further information please contact John at Tel. +353 87 363 6520, john.sheridan@sioen.com, www.sioenapparel.com

John Sheridan, Sales Manager, Flexothane Sioen Ireland.

EMPTY HOMES ROADSHOWBALLINA

Hardware Association Ireland’s (HAI) series of Empty Homes Roadshows went west on May 25th to Ballina, Co. Mayo. The western counties have the highest rates of vacancy in the country, presenting a huge opportunity for potential homeowners.

Over forty attendees listened to presentations by Martin Markey CEO HAI, Tom Gilligan, Head of Services Mayo County Council, Cllr Mark Duffy Cathaoirleach Ballina MD, Caroline Ashe Brady Director Kore Insulation and Cian Begley Head of Homes AIB Galway Mayo. The presentations were followed by a lively questions and answers session.

The purpose of these events is to stage a collaborative discussion on building an active strategy in rejuvenating homes to bring 40,000 houses to life and bring ¤2.5 billion+ to our market over 3-4 years. Each to date have comprised highly insightful presentations from experts in the areas of housing, finance, retrofitting and local supports and activities.

These events are attended by HAI Members, local business owners, architects, estate agents and homeowners. All were interested in finding out more about the benefits of bringing empty/vacant properties back into use, while getting practical advice on how to go about it.

Future dates include:

Waterford: 23rd June - The Viking Hotel

Cork: 7th July - Clayton Silver Springs

Limerick: 28th July - Maldron Hotel Limerick

Dublin: 18th August - Stillorgan Park Hotel

Martin Markey CEO HAI, Caroline Ashe Brady Director Kore Insulation, Cllr Mark Duffy Cathaoirleach Ballina MD, Tom Gilligan, Head of Services Mayo County Council and Cian Begley Head of Homes AIB Galway Mayo at the Empty Homes Roadshow in Ballina.

Caroline Ashe Brady Director Kore Insulation making her presentation at the Empty Homes Ballina Roadshow.

Group discussion at Empty Home Roadshow in Ballina.

Cian Begley Head of Homes AIB Galway Mayo giving his presentation regarding financing Empty Homes Roadshow in Ballina.

MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ON-THE-GO: INTACT ACCESS 2.0 EMPOWERS REMOTE TEAMS

May saw the launch of Intact Access 2.0 from Intact Software, a specialist in business management & ERP software to a diverse range of retailers including those in the building materials, hardware, kitchen and bathroom sectors.

The new Intact Access 2.0 mobile app has been designed to revolutionise the way remote teams interact with their business management system. A seamless link to your backoffice software means your management team, sales reps and delivery teams can better access information on demand for better informed decision-making on the go.

A powerful tool that goes beyond the viewing and capturing of data, Intact Access 2.0 allows you to view live pricing, add and approve key processes such as sales quotations, sales orders, report delivery exceptions and so much more. Field staff can also record expenses and capture receipts on the go. Built using the latest technology, Intact Access 2.0 is a cuttingedge solution that has been designed to future-proof your

business and ensure you stay ahead of the curve. Utilising the power of mobile enhances the productivity and efficiency of your workforce by delivering exactly what they need, whenever they need it. Intact Access 2.0 is an essential mobile tool for any modern enterprise, offering intuitive functionality and future-fit features at a time when business practices are evolving like never before.

As well as integrating with Intact iQ and Intact Xline, the Intact Access 2.0 app works alongside Intact’s e-Commerce solution Intact Cliqx and their Business Metrics and Transport Scheduler modules. This makes it a powerful tool in your business for your remote teams.

To learn more about Intact Access 2.0, contact them on 042-9331742 or visit www.intactsoftware.com

KCS UNVEILS EXCITING AND SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES AT ITS KONNECT CONFERENCE

At the event, in March in Stratford-upon-Avon, Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) welcomed over four hundred delegates to its first live event post-pandemic. James Mitchell, Managing Director of KCS in Ireland and the UK, opened the conference and set the scene for the two days, focusing on the company’s new and exciting digital solutions. “We believe that digitisation, sustainability and profitability go hand in hand, and over the course of the next two days, we would like to share initiatives with you that can significantly help your business reduce its carbon footprint, while delivering greater efficiencies and cost savings and helping you grow your profits – a win/win/win scenario!”

KCS staff conducted in-depth demonstrations and workshops on the company’s latest mobile and web solutions, including a range of intuitive apps that deliver their customers’ efficiencies in all aspects of warehousing and operation management. In addition, KCS showcased many partner solutions, such as their relationship with Phocas, an integrated Business Intelligence platform that delivers real intelligence from the rich data held within KCS ERP solutions. They also took the opportunity to announce their partnership with the Electronic Fund Transfer solutions from Dojo and WorldPay for electronic payments, as well as the robotic process automation tools from Apollo that enable everyday tasks to be automated.

KCS also created an intuitive mobile app for conference delegates to use that enabled them to view agendas and brochures, watch videos and arrange meetings from their smart devices in line with its approach to digitisation. KCS unveiled many initiatives to deliver key benefits to all industries where its customers operate. For example, its new Konnect Online platform will enable them to quickly develop and deliver partner solutions that can be made available across all of its markets and core products. This approach underlies the company’s strategy of offering its customers best-of-breed digital products that complement its core business solutions. As a market leader in their specialism, KCS concentrates on developing core ERP solutions that deliver on their commitment to helping their customers embrace their carbon reduction targets and provide improved performance without compromising profits.

James Mitchell said, “Our EasyAP solution enables customers to automate their Accounts Payable processes and to remove paper, filing and storage. They can extract invoices from email, import and match, and electronically file an image of the supplier invoice. This innovation removes paper and printing, which means there’s no storage and results in a more efficient administration process.”

KCS also delivered updates to customers on the latest web strategies available. Customers can choose integrated B2B or B2C web trading products to quickly implement into their business to support their eCommerce strategies, together with a range of sophisticated tools that enable a customer to forge strong integrations with their customers and suppliers.

For further information please contact +353(01)5457100 or view www.kerridgecs.com

James Mitchell, Managing Director, KCS in Ireland and the UK, presents the digital strategy for KCS customers.

KERRIDGE

SYSTEMS APPOINTS SENIOR SALES MANAGER FOR IRELAND

Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) has strengthened its presence in the Irish market with the appointment of Michael Twigg as its Senior Sales Manager, responsible for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Michael brings 19+ years of experience in wholesale and distribution.

Reporting to Giles Greenslade, KCS New Business Sales Director, this position at KCS will enable Michael to further expand on this experience, giving builders’ providers, hardware stores and retailers an insight into how KCS solutions can enhance the day-to-day running of their business.

“I am looking forward to extending the excellent K8 product into these verticals in Ireland. Choosing K8 will give customers the opportunity to have greater visibility and control over their business. This proven toolset helps thousands of users worldwide to trade more efficiency and with full control, every day. The advantages this can deliver are huge, and higher control means higher margin for your business” explains Michael. Looking ahead to his first few months in the role, Michael hopes

to capitalise on KCS’ existing reputation in Ireland and position its software solutions at the forefront of builders’ providers and retailers minds.

“Wholesale and distribution are a passion of mine, so I am looking forward to meeting and working with both old and new prospects over the coming months, to understand their daily challenges and requirements. We can then advise the best solution for their business and help them to meet the challenges they face both today and in the coming years.”

K8: Business Management solution of choice for Merchants, Hardware and DIY Stores

• Cloud-based software that’s affordable, flexible and scalable

• Optimise your warehouse management and meet your customers’ delivery expectations

• Get trading online and open up new channels to market quickly and easily • Powerful financial control – manage your rebates, automate invoice processing • Improve your team’s performance, manage your margins and boost

Michael Twigg, Senior Sales Manager, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

NEW SECURITY SYSTEM LAUNCHED TO MAKE WORK SAFER FOR RETAIL AND OTHER PUBLIC-FACING STAFF

A new security solution to make public-facing workers feel safer has been launched by Netwatch, the proactive video monitoring company headquartered in Carlow. While traditional systems, such as a Panic Button, trigger an alarm when an incident occurs or a traditional CCTV system can capture the incident for future analysis, the new Netwatch solution goes further. This was demonstrated to Garda Crime Prevention Officers on a recent visit to the Netwatch headquarters. The Netwatch Staff Safety Solution allows an intervention specialist to observe an incident in real time and intervene when staff are facing intimidation or physical risk, and at the same time alerting the Gardai.

The new technology has been launched in the wake of a number of surveys showing that public-facing staff in retail premises are facing intimidation and often physical attacks on a regular basis. A recent survey from the retail group RGDATA found that 95% of retailers have been victims of crime over the last 12 months. 25% said that they had been subjected to violent burglaries and robberies in their shops.

The RGDATA survey also found that shop owners and their staff were subject to abusive behaviours by people engaging in criminal activity in their stores, including screaming and shouting, spitting, punching and kicking, sexual harassment and false defamation claims.

Another survey from forecourt and convenience retailer Circle K published in January, found that 83% of retail workers in Ireland have experienced harassment from customers. Physical assault is another serious issue which the research highlights, with 50% of

Irish retail workers having witnessed a colleague being physically assaulted by a customer.

The Netwatch Staff Safety Solution can mitigate these issues by allowing for two-way conversation between staff and a Netwatch specialist in real time if needed. Once activated the Netwatch Staff Safety Solution provides a live visually monitored situation. A highly trained Netwatch specialist will view the scene live. Along with visually verifying what is happening the specialist can also hear the conversation on the premises as it takes place. The Netwatch team of specialists will follow the agreed course of action, which may involve speaking directly to the people involved, and contacting the Gardai. The priority is keeping the people involved safe.

Colin Hayes, Netwatch managing director for Ireland and UK, says: “A safe outcome for all involved is key for Netwatch. Our team has over 20 years’ experience managing high risk situations and knows how to handle them safely. They will visually assess the event and take the appropriate action, including liaising directly with the Gardai, providing them with live details of the incident. Staff can activate the Netwatch Staff Safety Solution as soon as they feel threatened and be confident that someone is instantly available to help manage the situation safely. This is particularly valuable and comforting for situations where just one staff member is on duty such as an evening or late-night opening situation. It enhances the protection of people, property and assets without any capital expenditure, just a simple fixed daily fee.”

For further information see www.netwatchsystem.com

MAXIMUM SAFETY AND OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

The Portwest foot protection range has been engineered for maximum safety and outstanding performance. It is packed with safety features and designed using strong, flexible, and innovative construction techniques. This complete range protects against safety hazards found in tough working environments, across a wide range of industries. Recently, the popular brands of ‘Dunlop’ and ‘No Risk’ have been added to the footwear range. Dunlop Protective Footwear is a leading manufacturer of protective footwear, providing comfortable and protective footwear for workers in agriculture & fishery, food processing, construction & industry, oil, gas & mining in more than 75 countries worldwide. No Risk emerged in 1996 as a pioneering brand in Portugal with inspirations from the workwear culture, merging with the European lifestyle and always maintaining the essence of durability, safety, and style. With a strong belief in family values and a sense of tradition, its expansion from Guimarães to the world started to happen gradually. Today, it serves all types of workers, whatever their challenges. These brands join Base, the leading Italian safety foot protection brand which joined the Portwest portfolio in 2020. The research and development of Base safety foot protection incorporates Eco sustainability and gives your customer a style, protection and comfort needed with every pair produced having minimal impact on the environment. The addition of these prestigious brands to the foot protection range is a great addition for Portwest as they align with their values and offer peak protection when needed most.

For further information please contact: Martin Foran, National Sales Manager, 087 953 1616, martin@portwest.ie

BEYOND SAFETY

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IS SUPPORTING MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS TO PROVIDE TRAINING TO THE SECTOR!

Upskilling employees became problematic during the global pandemic with travelling restrictions and the very small number of participants allowed to be facilitated in one class. During this time, organisations turned to “online” and “eLearning” as teaching methods to upskill their employees. Post-pandemic, online and eLearning became the new norm! Combine both methods with face-to-face classroom teaching, and organisations now have better access to upskilling their employees than ever! Two such organisations that were early adopters of this technological approach to learning are Fleetwood Paints and Uppercross Enterprises Ltd (UEL) & NIKO Bathrooms.

The Fleetwood Paints Journey to eLearning

Fleetwood Paints celebrates 73 years of manufacturing paints and painting accessories in Ireland in 2023 as an Irish family business. And during the global pandemic, Fleetwood benefitted from the lockdown and boom in DIY sales. It would have been easy for them to ignore the upskilling of retail sales staff during such a busy time. However, they did the opposite. They embarked on a nationwide “online” paint academy in 2021 and 2022 and the design and development of eLearning courses. And finally, this year, they brought back the highly successful face-to-face Fleetwood Paints Learning Academy in Virginia Co. Cavan.

There were six key drivers that led Fleetwood to invest in eLearning:

1. Access to learners – Fleetwood recognised that Sales Assistants are the key people to upskill as they are engaging with customers all day, every day. Based on a simple equation of 500 retail stores employing two employees, the requirement to upskill Sales Assistants amounted to a 1,000. However, providing only classroombased learning with 12 persons attending meant it would take approximately four years to upskill them using traditional training methods! eLearning meant access to learners was immediate and, more importantly, had no barriers to volume and was available all at once!

2. Evergreen Learning – Critical to the uptake of learning offered by suppliers is the ability to undertake it on the learner’s own schedule, whether early morning or late evening, over a weekend or during work hours. Fleetwood made it possible by making the eLearning courses available 24/7/365!

3. Continuous upskilling – Fleetwood are constantly making improvements to their current range and introducing new paints and products to their catalogue. The biggest challenge to a manufacturer or distributor is to continuously upskill retail staff or tradespersons. eLearning is the answer! Courses can be updated within minutes, so learning is always current. And new courses can be brought to the market within days, which means that upskilling of those selling your products is continuous!

4. Learner Access – A learner’s access to learning is traditionally driven and arranged by store management. In contrast, learners can self-register to complete an eLearning course using a laptop, tablet or their own mobile phone via an app. The app allows the learner to download the course to their phone and complete it without internet access. More importantly, learners will automatically get a notification of all new courses made available and quarterly quizzes and challenges to keep their learning fresh.

5. Learner Engagement – The design and development of the learning content had to be of a high educational standard and, most critical, keep the learner engaged with the learning. The on-screen design of these courses included avatars, photos, video, gamification, animation, voice-over and quizzes and learners’ assessments.

6. Learner Recognition – Critical to any learner is the recognition for their effort by the receipt of a certificate or award. This supports their competence as well as confidence, and their career growth. Fleetwood created a Digital Badge, which is issued to the learner automatically and can be displayed on their social media accounts, emails, or CV. Digital Badges can also be displayed on the store’s website or social media channels giving the customer confidence in their professionalism. They can collect multiple Digital Badges to build their knowledge and skills.

In 2023 Fleetwood are expanding the range of courses and the audience type and reach by including “tutorials” and “how-to” for retail staff, tradespersons, and interior designers!

The UEL & NIKO Bathrooms Journey to Online & eLearning

UEL and Niko Bathrooms (part of the UEL Group) are one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of high-quality Plumbing Fittings & Heating Solutions and Bathroom Products for almost 40 years. Embracing the use of Edtech, UEL immediately recognised how it aligned perfectly and was a critical factor as they planned and developed their Employee Training Programme, with a dual focus on training and career path development within the group. Their journey began by delivering online courses for their supervisors and managers. Declan Dowling (Warehouse Manager) began exploring how to use this technology to train Warehouse Operatives in advance of them commencing their job to speed up their on-the-job learning as part of the groups onboarding process. Declan began by doing a step-by-step analysis of the various parts of the job and documenting each process. He then identified any issues or common mistakes that arose. Combining all his findings he contracted QedON to develop the material into an eLearning course. The design of the course included videos recorded in the warehouse of each picking and packing process which are then broken into component parts for the learner to learn in sequence.

As part of the Employee Training Programme, Declan then introduced the course to all of the warehouse team as a refresher for new recruits and long service employees. The uptake was high and employees engaged and embraced it with a defining factor being its ease of use.

From this Declan, in conjunction with a Health and Safety Consultant, designed and developed three safety courses, Spill Kit Training, Manual Handling Introduction & Refresher and An Introduction to Safety, Health & Welfare. The latter two courses were built for all employees, not just warehouse operatives. All these courses are hosted on a learner management system (LMS) managed by a third party. UEL and Niko Bathrooms now have five eLearning courses available to all employees in the Group and have plans to extend this to include product knowledge across their brand portfolio.

The experience of Declan and UEL management of eLearning and the LMS brought other benefits such as:

1. Launch of Employee Training Programme – It allowed UEL & Niko Bathrooms launch their Employee Training Programme with all functionalities now inhouse. Each employee has been assigned their own learning “dashboard” where they can continuously access the

learning to see their progress and engage with ad hoc learning activities set by the system. The LMS system notifies the learner of upcoming course completion dates or forthcoming assessment dates, graded assessments and then delivers certificates and Digital Badges to the user upon completion.

2. Real-Time Training Administration – Management can assess detailed reports including how long it takes a learner to complete any course, what activities they struggled with on screen, what questions they incorrectly answered or group anomalies.

3. Performance Management – To maintain high standards and performance levels employees can repeat a course (or part of a course) as requested by management as part of performance reviews. It can also act as a key indicator for management, highlighting employees that have scored optimum results in particular courses. This alerts management to employee’s skillsets which is key to managing their professional development and career progression internally. This is also useful when employees are transferring from one department to another or have been out of the business for a period of time.

4. Staff Recruitment – A key benefit when recruiting, UEL/ Niko Bathrooms now actively promote that “full training is provided” with images of the learner management system and their digital badging as part of group’s recruitment initiatives.

5. Learning Opportunities for Career Progression – Paul Thompson, MD requested that all online course and study materials be made available to all employees to allow them to review the material and study in their own time to encourage employees to consider career opportunities and enhance their own career path progression within the Group.

The future plans for UEL & Niko Bathrooms when it comes to eLearning and LMS is to develop their ability to provide computer skills, particularly MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint in an online format.

For further information on these eLearning programmes please contact, Fong Hayes, Director of EdTech Development at QedON, 089 2607509 and fong.hayes@qedon.com or Jim Copeland, jim@hardwareassociation.ie, 087 6671361

THE GREAT IRISH TRADESHOW

In early May Toolbank Ireland introduced their Great Irish Tradeshow to the hardware industry for the first time ever. Toolbank Ireland would like to extend their deepest appreciation to all their wonderful customers for making their Great Irish Tradeshow an extraordinary event. It was a great opportunity for industry professionals, innovators, and enthusiasts from various sectors to come together under one roof and celebrate the best in Irish Trade. There was a vibrant atmosphere on the day, filled with lively conversations and valuable connections from beginning to end.

Toolbank Ireland would also like to extend their sincerest appreciation to the exhibitors who showcased their products, services, and innovations at the tradeshow. Their contributions played a vital role in creating an engaging and informative platform, allowing attendees to gain invaluable

insights into the latest trends and developments in the industry. Their commitment to excellence truly shone through, and Toolbank are grateful for their partnership. Toolbank intend to build on the connections established, explore new avenues of collaboration, and strive for excellence throughout the hardware industry. Together, they suggest that we can all continue to contribute to the growth and success of the Irish business community!

For further information please call Toolbank Ireland

+353 (01) 1 4677000 or email irishsales@toolbank.com

Early Morning Sales Briefing by Toolbank Ireland Sales Director Donal Moulton & Tucks Fasteners & Fixings Sales Director Pat Buckley.

Attendees gaining invaluable insights into the latest trends and developments in the industry.

Wayne Flory, CEO of Toolbank, joins Gary Hogan, Managing Director of Toolbank Ireland, to celebrate ‘The Great Irish Tradeshow’.

CPM TEAM DRIVING SALES IN DYNAMIC DIY AND HARDWARE SECTOR

It’s the time of year when people head to Hardware and DIY stores to refresh and brighten up their homes and gardens for the summer. No wonder, then, that the DIY sector in Ireland is valued at ¤1.9bn, ranked 16th in Europe in 2023 (of 27 total EU countries) and the industry has grown 3.7% per year on average between 2018 and 2023, www.ibisworld.com/ ireland/industry-statistics/hardware-home-improvementstores/3022/

CPM, Ireland’s longest established and largest Field Sales Agency, are experts in driving sales in the hardware and DIY sector, working in partnership with clients across the island of Ireland. Every member of the CPM team is fully trained, coached and developed to work as an experienced representative for our client brands. They work seamlessly with clients, ensuring that their campaigns stand out in store and have maximum impact by managing:

• Agile Salesforces - in-store, face to face, telesales and digital sales.

• Merchandising - creating high impact visual in-store displays that get noticed.

• Events / Demonstrations - in-store and out of store engaging customers on how to use the client’s products and advising how to get the optimum result.

• Technical support and customer care through CPM’s call centre.

CPM’s team work with many clients in the hardware sector, whom they partner with to enable them to sell more, achieve greater return on investment and create brilliant brand experiences.

Commenting on CPM’s work in the sector, John Healy, General Manager of CPM Ireland said: ‘This sector has changed and grown dramatically in the last decade, and it is a fiercely competitive business. With more than 30 years of experience in sales & merchandising, we are constantly updating our knowledge to deliver high impact solutions for our clients. We are transforming the way our clients’ products are presented to customers, delivering increased sales and return on investment, through the optimum mix of traditional and digital solutions, using our Liquid methodology”.

Welcome to LIQUID, CPM’s unique methodology helping brands to sell more and achieve greater return on investment. LIQUID utilises data and insights to deliver dynamic blended sales solutions and create brilliant brand experiences.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing Meeting

on MMC

(Modern Methods of Construction)

Chairman, Deputies and Senators, on behalf of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), I would like to thank you for the opportunity to meet with the Committee and to address this important issue which could have a major influence on the way that we deliver housing in the future. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) are defined in the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government MMC cross industry working group with seven different levels. These range from simple onsite innovative processes employing new techniques, equipment or materials, right up to 2D (panelised systems such as timber frame housing) and 3D volumetric units which are complete or near complete 3D units. Both 2D and 3D units typically employ either timber or steel fabrication.

In 2016 the Construction Industry Federation set up a policy committee to support the digitalisation and modernisation of our approach to delivering construction projects. This committee contributed to the establishment of the Construction Sector Group’s sup-group on innovation and digital adoption. That subgroup has seven key actions to answer the productivity challenges and steer construction towards a more sustainable delivery model. These seven actions are already delivering national centres to drive digital adoption, research and innovation and the development of MMC.

We are all aware of the need for the continued development of a modern facing industry that delivers best value for clients and answers the major societal challenges we are facing. We know that there is a race to secure the next generation of skilled labour for all industries and with the ongoing rollout of the NDP, Ireland’s construction sector is meeting those challenges head on.

Our members have been adopting off-site supply chains for the past three decades in certain specialist sub-sectors. Elements of the housing industry has used timber frame, a form of 2D MMC, to deliver its homes for the past 30 years culminating in 50% of scheme homes being delivered using this technology in 2022. Apartment developments have been extensively using pre-cast or hybrid concrete frame systems for the past 20 years to efficiently deliver medium to high rise developments. Using offsite manufacturing supply chains can offer certainty of delivery in terms of time and cost and bring major advantages in the onsite programme duration.

But we have an industry that relies on certainty. It relies on a sightline for demand of a particular type of service or at least a pipeline that allows a degree of preparation and investment based on the skills and product that will definitely be procured. Our industry can have a long lead in time to delivery, but when the green light is given, all the demand and risk passes on to the supply chain partners. You are expected to respond with resources as if you have been storing them up waiting for an instruction to proceed.

The report on the cost of residential construction commissioned by the Department of Housing (https:// www.gov.ie/en/publication/2bf87-residentialconstruction-cost-study-report/) focusses on typologies and the variation in standard specifications across the four European exemplar sites.

The industry itself can focus on the optimisation of its supply chain by streamlining demand and ensuring that investment supports a focus on standardisation of approach to delivering a high performance product; a product that can meet the highest standard required by our Building Regulations and offer a high quality solution for building users.

Opening Remarks from Tom Parlon, Director General of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).

Moving toward the use of off-site fabrication allows for better quality controls, better use of labour so skilled people can perform higher value works and provide traceability for assurance of standards and cost-effective asset management. The offsite manufacturing companies need to have better visibility on client demands and want to see direct frameworks being established so they can commit their investment. The recent news of market failures for both Entekra and Legal and General should be a wake up call for the market and housing clients in particular. Ireland’s construction sector remains a very fragmented network of sub-supply chains with almost 50,000 registered enterprises, over 90% of which have less than 10 employees. That network of enterprises has to respond to where demand lies. There is very little room for investment in future development, research and innovation and carrying out pilot projects to try and move into new emerging sectors.

Unless there is a clear signal from construction clients that there will be a sustained demand for particular services, companies don’t have the luxury of being able to reposition their business to build that capacity and take advantage of it.

During the past three years the Construction Industry Federation has published three separate reports on Modern Methods of Construction, which are included in our appendix to this statement.

There are a number of key issues facing the sector in Ireland that will determine whether or not we build greater capability in the sub-supply chain to deliver through the use of off-site manufacturing. They include:

• The need for platform-based designs to allow the supply chain to calibrate their offering in a standardised approach and generate efficiencies from scale.

• Enterprise grants and low-cost finance to stimulate capital investment and support growth in capacity.

• Repositioning our skills delivery to allow the provision of task-based training for industrial needs that recognises where production demand is.

• A standardised procurement pack, with frameworks, pre-construction services agreements and alignment to allow collaboration with contract parties.

• Alignment of the required standards to support MMC, removing barriers to entry but demanding a golden thread of technical compliance data.

• A financial delivery model to support the business process cycle with front loading for procurement, vesting linked funding models, insurance and alignment of certification sign-off.

• Appropriate design development and information management, with a Design for Manufacture and Assembly enabled process.

The Smart Offsite association within the Construction Industry Federation is made up of some of the biggest providers of off-site fabrication in the State. There is an opportunity for the industry to double their production scale which would significantly contribute to meeting the targets set out in Housing For All. Add to that the additional opportunity for education and health in offsite manufacturing supply chains and you can see how there could be demand constraints ahead.

Alignment of the needs of the State under the NDP as well as major private sector clients can help to establish what requirements there are for MMC services. In response the MMC sub - supply chain will no doubt respond to the need for greater capacity.

We can truly aspire to a more digitally enabled, sustainable, modern industry that is capable of delivering our infrastructure, homes, schools and hospitals. We can also have an industry that is world class and that exports those services and products all over the world when demand contracts domestically.

We are already doing this in many mission critical facilities for global clients. Now is the opportunity to scale that offering for the rest of the NDP and housing.

Appendix:

CIF MMC report 1

https://cif.ie/download/cif

CIF MMC report 2

https://cif.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/1271-CIFModern-Methods-of-Construction-Report- v4.pdf

CIF MMC report 3 in conjunction with Construction

Professional Skillnet

https://www.skillnetireland.ie/wp-content/ uploads/2022/05/Modern-Methods-of- ConstructionDefining-MMC-Business.pdf

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), theft crime has climbed by 39% in 2022, resulting in the crime category having the largest increase over that period. By using Proactive CCTV monitoring the aim is to reduce this figure and encourage those in the Hardware and Builder’s Merchants Industry not to become another statistic of the CSO. Many suppliers and retailers in the hardware and builder’s merchant industry have already begun upgrading their site security systems.

Users are replacing their current outdated systems with new ones that come with high-resolution images, first class analytics, easier initial setup and generally a longer lifespan that require less maintenance.

However, many users forget that it is not all about camera quality and that often the most important component in making your security system PRO ACTIVE is a fast response time.

In most situations, owners, keyholders, and Gardaí arrive at the scene within 15-20 minutes. Significant damage can be done by that time.

By utilising Live Audio Systems, site owners can challenge and prevent intruders prior to their entry into your facility. This greatly decreases the likelihood of damage and theft. Using live audio can cut the reaction time from 15-20 minutes to 15-20 seconds.

HOW TO MAKE SECURITY AT YOUR SITE GO FROM REACTIVE TO PRO-ACTIVE IN MEMORY OF CON COAKLEY

From the experience of MYNET Security, providing this extra layer of security has seen a success rate of over 90% in the prevention of any criminal activity. Thus, saving their clients unnecessary damage to property, increased theft of assets and any potential downtime for the business.

For further information please contact Ana Zupetic, MYNET Security, ana@mynet.ie, 083 892 6264 / 062 69112, www.mynet.ie

It is with deep regret that Dosco inform the trade of the passing of their dear friend Con Coakley. Con worked in Dosco as a sales rep from 1965 to 2000. He started working with Dosco while Dosco was working out of the old Merchants Quay site in Cork. He would have seen the company grow substantially following its move to the South Douglas Road. During his years of loyal service to Dosco, Con began dealing with a great number of customers in the Dublin area and the West of Ireland territory in particular. Many of the customers he worked with are still customers of Dosco today. When Con retired his territory was taken over by Alan Flynn in the West of Ireland and John Delaney in the Dublin territory – where they continue to build on the work started by Con.

A native of Cork, Con lived most of his life in Drumcondra and was often known to rub shoulders with the greats in Fagan’s of Drumcondra. Con is still fondly remembered and to this day is still asked after by his former customers. He will be sadly missed by his family, friends, work colleagues and customers.

‘Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis’.

READYDOOR, the Highly Commended Winner in the Hardware / DIY Product category at The Hardware Show 2022, is the revolutionary door frame kit designed by carpenters for carpenters & DIY enthusiasts. The co-designers & manufacturers of READYDOOR Mark O`Brien & Nigel Elliott have brought the traditional door frame into the 21st century. With a combined 45 years’ experience in the construction industry and with their company Greywood Carpentry Ltd, hanging an average 4,000 doors a year for the past 10 years on some of Dublin’s most iconic buildings they know a thing or two about doors.

READYDOOR is Ireland’s only fully machined, fully reversible, fully adjustable & fully primed door frame kit that can be assembled in less than two minutes and take any door on the market and have it swing any one of four ways. It’s fully primed which reduces the time required by a painter and comes with the doorstops, lock, receiver, three hinges & all the required fixings to assemble & install. READYDOOR kits come in three widths. The standard 107mm, 132mm & now the 300mm oversized frame that works on any wall from 132mm up to 300mm.

READYDOOR also offer a door machining service that allows hardware and builders merchant stores to increase their door sales that were once lost to pre-hung door companies.

From receipt of the doors arriving at the workshop they can turn them around in 4-5 days. These turnaround times are exceptional. The doors are machined to match the ironmongery in the READYDOOR kits.

The frames & doors can be assembled into pre-hung door sets in less than five minutes saving time & money & greatly reducing the need for skilled labour which in the current economy is hard to find.

READYDOOR now has their own mobile app which allows the customer to confirm their orders directly to the workshop.

Saving time on orders & greatly reducing the room for error. READYDOOR is the future of hanging doors and now it’s at your fingertips. www.readydoorireland.com

WHO & WHAT IS READYDOOR COMBILIFT PREMIERES NEW PRODUCT AT LogiMAT

As Combilift celebrates 25 years of innovation, the company plans to ensure that 2023 will be a year to remember, by launching multiple products across various exhibitions on a global scale! To kick off, the newest product – the COMBi-CUBE was launched at the LogiMAT International Intralogistics show in Stuttgart. This new electric model incorporates a host of technological and design features that enhance handling procedures and also offer a high level of driver comfort.

Immediately noticeable is the new vibrant colour - this bold fresh Combi-green shade will contribute to improved safety as the trucks will be easily visible in their operational environment. Aside from optics however, a focus is on a number of ergonomic features. The driver’s position in the centre of the cab offers generous room and excellent all-round visibility. The angle of the telescopic steering column can be adjusted and the Grammer MSG65 seat, combined with hydraulic cabin mounts guarantees a comfortable ride. An adjustable arm rest is mounted to the seat suspension which incorporates a multi-function joystick and an LCD colour touch screen.

Combilift’s unique dynamic 360-degree steering that enables seamless directional change while on the move can be integrated into the Combi-CUBE as an optional extra, making it the most manoeuvrable counterbalance forklift on the market.

Further notable features are the large rear wheel and rubber tyres on all three wheels. This means that this model is not restricted

to super flat floors and is eminently suitable for working indoors and out, ensuring that semi-rough terrain is no impediment to reliable operation. And for quicker battery changeover during heavy shifts, two new easy-change roll-out batteries are provided (Overall Design Copyright 015019216-0001).

Combilift CEO and Co-Founder Martin McVicar said: “Our engineers and R&D department have been tirelessly preparing for a year of new launches, and the Combi-CUBE is proof of our continued commitment to provide the best and most innovative handling solutions for our worldwide customers.” Further information is available from www.combilift.com

HAI PRESIDENT’S PRIZE

What a great day was had at our first outing of 2023 at the historic and challenging Mullingar Golf Club on Thursday 25th May. Kindly sponsored as usual by Crown Paints the Hardware Association Ireland President, Paul Candon’s Prize Outing was very well attended and enjoyed by all. The course, which is home to the famous Mullingar Scratch Cup, was in great condition and a true test of golf.

The welcome we received from the golf and catering staff was

exceptional and our sincere thanks go to them. In welcoming everyone to the event, President Paul encouraged all those attending to invite their trade colleagues and friends to the remaining outings in 2023 at Mount Wolseley on Friday 30th June, Monkstown GC on Friday 21st July and County Meath GC on Friday 25th August. Congratulations to all our winners and of course thanks again to Crown Paints for their continued support which is very much appreciated.

Mens Winner David Bolger receiving his prize from Hardware Association Ireland President Paul Candon.

Class 1 Winner Tim Lodge accepting his prize from Ken Kinsella, Regional Sales Manager, Crown Paints.

Ladies Winner Áine Parkes receiving her prize from Hardware Association Ireland President Paul Candon.

Class 2 Winner Jim Cuddy accepting his prize from Ken Kinsella, Regional Sales Manager, Crown Paints

Mens Second Place James Wallace, accepting his prize from Ken Kinsella, Regional Sales Manager, Crown Paints.

Class 3 Winner Paddy O`Leary accepting his prize from Ken Kinsella, Regional Sales Manager, Crown Paints.

Mens Third Place John Hassett, accepting his prize from Ken Kinsella, Regional Sales Manager, Crown Paints.

HAI Golf Society Captain Kieran Burke presenting HAI President, Paul Candon with his golf society tie.

FLOGAS IS THE ENERGY BEHIND TEAM IRELAND FOR PARIS 2024

Flogas is now the Official Energy Partner of Team Ireland for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The announcement was recently made at the National Sports Campus in Abbottstown at which three Olympic hopefuls, boxer Amy Broadhurst, swimmer Daniel Wiffen and track and field athlete Mark English were present

Commenting on the announcement, John Rooney, Managing Director, Flogas Ireland said: “Flogas is thrilled to be sponsoring Team Ireland for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and excited to support these incredible athletes as they represent Ireland on the world stage. We believe that everyone should have access to the energy they need to achieve their goals, whether that’s powering their homes, businesses, or their sporting careers. We cannot wait to see Team Ireland performing at the highest level.”

Flogas is committed to supporting strong vibrant communities and believes that sport plays a vital role in doing so. Through its partnership with Team Ireland for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, Flogas will be supporting the country’s top sportspeople and encouraging young up and coming athletes to follow their dreams and pursue their passions.

At the announcement that Flogas is now the Official Energy Partner of Team Ireland for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics were (front row, l/r) John Rooney, Managing Director, Flogas Ireland and track and field athlete Mark English. Back row: Peter Sherrard, CEO, Olympic Federation, boxer Amy Broadhurst and Sarah Keane, President, Olympic Federation.

ALL INDUSTRY SUPPORT FOR THE BIENNIAL HAI HARDWARE SHOW 2024

Preparations are well underway for The Hardware Show 2024, www.thehardwareshow.ie, set to take place at the RDS Simmonscourt next February on Sunday 18th and Monday 19th. Launched at The Hardware Conference held recently in Kilkenny, stand sales are already well ahead of expectations with leading Industry brands including Bostik, BW Hardware, Dulux, Guardian Distribution, Hultafors Group, Laydex, Locks & Hardware, Mascot Workwear, TEC 7 and the Whiteriver Group, already confirming their participation.

The Hardware Show is the biennial showcase for new and innovative products and solutions for the Hardware, Building Materials and allied sectors. Over 2,000 merchants and Industry professionals are expected to visit, network, and source new suppliers and products. With over 99% of the visitors to the 2022 event describing their visit as either worthwhile or very worthwhile, it’s time to start planning for your presence at the 2024 show.

The Hardware Show is an event organised by your Industry for your Industry! As well as showcasing 100’s of new products and services, the show will also host the Innovation Awards and The Hardware Association Ireland (HAI) President`s Ball.

The Innovation Awards 2024 are devised to celebrate new and innovative products within The Hardware Show`s main sector categories, namely Home, Garden, Build and DIY, while the HAI President`s Ball is the most popular social gathering within the sector amongst suppliers and merchants throughout the country.

To book your stand and tap into this unique sales and marketing opportunity please contact Hardware Association Ireland’s event partners EventHaus today.

Margaret Andreucetti, Sales Manager, Eventhaus. Phone: + 353 (0) 1 846 0020, Mobile : +353 (0)86 0554181, Mail : margaret.andreucetti@eventhaus.ie

NUISANCE COMMUNICATIONS

ComReg is actively working with the telecoms industry to mitigate the scourge of scam texts and calls in Ireland. Since early 2022, ComReg and the telecoms industry have been working together to restore trust in our telecommunications.

Research conducted for ComReg in late 2022 showed that over 90 per cent of adults in Ireland have received a scam call to their mobile phone in the last year, while 84 per cent have received some form of scam text. The harm caused due to scam calls and texts is not just limited to direct financial fraud, there are also serious impacts upon people’s wellbeing and emotional state.

The Nuisance Communications Industry Taskforce (NCIT), which includes ComReg and representatives of telecoms industry, including fixed and mobile telecoms operators, meets regularly to develop the interventions that are needed and how to implement them.

Nuisance communications are not unique to Ireland – it is a global problem and ComReg is engaging and collaborating with other regulators, both within the EU and further afield to develop ways to combat it. In particular they are in contact with those in the English-speaking world. As an English-speaking country, Irish residents are targeted disproportionately compared with their EU counterparts as fraudsters can move seamlessly between English-speaking countries, focusing their resources on countries where scams are more likely to have the highest success rate. It is inevitable that fraudsters will continue to target and commit more fraud in countries that lack adequate protection.

www.comreg.ie/industry/electronic-communications/ nuisance-communications/

.IE DIGITAL TOWN AWARDS 2023 WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT GALA EVENT

.IE, the national registry for .ie domain names, have recently announced the winning entries for the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 at a Gala event held at the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone.

The awards were created by .IE in 2021, as part of a broader four-year ¤1 million investment in the .IE Digital Town Programme encouraging the uptake and use of internet and digital technologies for businesses, citizens and communities. The awards recognise and reward digitally inspired projects run by towns and local community groups. Each year the .IE Digital Town Awards offer a prize fund of ¤100,000 which is split across several categories.

The .IE Agri-Tech award was introduced for the first time this year and its inaugural winner, Clonmel’s Smart Skills for Farming Communities was also named as the overall winner of the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023. This year’s category sponsors included Western Development Commission, Connected Hubs, and AIB Merchant Services with Vodafone as the overall presenting sponsor.

The overall winner, Smart Skills for Farming Communities, helps farmers use new technologies to make their work easier, save time and money as well as improving the sustainability and profitability of their farm. The programme also delivers very practical digital training in areas such as soil fertility technology, grassland management technology, time and labour-saving technology, farm management systems, and handy Apps. The runner-up in the Agri-Tech category was the Achonry Farmer’s Market from Sligo.

The .IE Digital Sustainability award was another new category introduced this year with Hollymount in Mayo announced as the winner with its Eco-Powered Cabinets which store life-saving equipment. The runner-up in this category was the Open Litter Map project which maps illegal dumping and aims to reduce it by showing the positive impact of litter-picking.

The .IE Digital Business award, sponsored by Vodafone, was won by Killorglin’s RDI Hub. The hub was launched to facilitate the creation of new products, services and jobs in the South West region. It has transformed Kerry into a globally connected digital technology innovation, enterprise and skillset hotspot boosting economic growth. It runs numerous programmes including hackathons which

resulted in Augmented Reality Apps for Kerry tourism; a STEM passport programme whose graduates gain a bonus of 50 Leaving Cert points; and ongoing supports for scaling companies to attract investment and create jobs.

Town and community digital projects were recognised at this year’s .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 – these included winners and runners-up across the seven main categories, three special category winners and one overall prize winner.

Oonagh McCutcheon, National Director, .IE Digital Town Programme said ‘The quality of entries in this year’s .IE Digital Town Awards has been incredibly impressive. Ireland’s towns and communities are identifying and solving connectivity challenges, driving digital innovation and developing creative digital solutions to enhance the lives of their fellow citizens. This year 22 projects were recognised at the .IE Digital Town Awards Gala event, which add significantly to the lives of their local communities and improves our nation’s digital footprint.’

Follow .IE on Twitter and at #DigitalTownAwards

The .IE Digital Towns Awards is an initiative of .IE, the national registry for .ie domain names.

L-R is Sinead Bryan, Managing Director, Vodafone Business; Tina Mulhearne, Digital Officer, Tipperary County Council and with Tipperary BCP Digital Network, who submitted the winning project “Smart Skills for Farming Communities” (Clonmel, Tipperary); Oonagh McCutcheon, National Director .IE Digital Town Programme.

MANNOK PUBLISHES PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Mannok Holdings DAC [‘Mannok’], recently published an overview of its 2022 operating performance for the 12 months ended 31st December 2022, a period of continuing investment and progress on sustainability.

Turnover increased by 17.7 per cent on the prior year period from ¤269.9m to ¤317.7m, largely driven by inflationary induced pricing. Despite the inflationary environment, EBITDA was unchanged on the prior year period at ¤25.8m, reflecting a gradual pass through of rising input costs, fluctuations in the Euro-Sterling exchange rate and a softening of demand in response to price pressures. Notwithstanding the unfavourable cost environment, Mannok maintained employment levels and continues to employ over 800 staff, an increase of 150 since 2014, making it one of the largest employers in the region. Post year end, John Moran, CEO and founder of RHH International, Chairman of Grid Finance, Chairman of the Limerick Tunnel PPP and board member of Shannon Airport Group, as well as being a former Secretary General of the Department of Finance, former board member of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and former Chair of the Land Development Agency, was appointed non-executive Director of Mannok.

Liam McCaffrey, Chief Executive Officer, said: “I welcome John to the board and look forward to working closely with him given his top-level experience at the EIB, a leader in sustainable finance and climate change.”

With operations straddling north and south of the border, Mannok comprises two key divisions, Building Products and Packaging. Its key activities are the manufacture of cement, concrete, quarry and aggregate products, insulation materials, as well as the manufacturing of packaging products, mainly for the food industry, focussed on the island of Ireland and GB markets.

Commenting on outlook for the year ahead Chief Financial Officer, Dara O’Reilly said “Following some volatility in activity levels in 2022, we are seeing renewed momentum year to date and firmer demand, which inform a more encouraging outlook for the year ahead.

THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION IN ERP SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT

In an everchanging retail landscape, where managing margins is crucial, what can really set you apart from your competitors is your willingness to adapt and embrace new technologies. This can be a difficult mindset change for some businesses as they don’t know where to start. Core Technology’s advice is to work with a trusted solution partner to assist you on this journey. With the right partner implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system can be a smooth and highly rewarding process. At CORE Technology they are passionate about what they do and truly see their customers as partners. As a long-standing industry leader in providing software solutions, they use their expertise to truly understand industry challenges and find innovative and cost-effective solutions that empower their customers to improve margins and gain deeper insights into their business.

Designed to complement their existing CORE software solutions, CORE Technology`s mobile apps give their customers greater control over their businesses by providing 24/7 access to critical data such as account information, inventory changes, sales data and more while on the go. Their existing customers are reporting huge benefits from the adoption of mobile apps in their day-today business operations.

“We recently completed stocktakes across our branch network using the CORE Stock mobile app. Feedback from our staff was very positive and I would be happy to recommend this to others.” says Michael O’Driscoll, Retail Manager, Bandon Co-Op. To ensure future mobile app development is in line with thier customers’ future requirements CORE Technology held a recent Customer Forum, giving customers the opportunity to have their say on mobile app development. Their company motto has always been “develop what your customer wants, not what you think they need!” Get in touch with them if you would like to learn more! www.coretechnology.ie

John Moran was appointed non-executive Director of Mannok in early 2023.

CASH MANAGEMENT

HAI Corporate Partners

CORPORATE PARTNER

Brink’s Cash Services Denise McCarthy 1890 474 000 denise.mccarthy@brinks.com www.brinks.com

CREDIT & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Credit Risk Brokers

James Riordan 01 491 6007

james.riordan@creditriskbrokers.com www.creditriskbrokers.com

JPA Brenson Lawlor Ian Lawlor 01 668 9760

ian@brensonlawlor.ie www.brensonlawlor.ie

LCMS Ltd

Billy Nolan 087 2604625 billy@lcms2.com www.lcms.ie

Zero Tax Property

Stephen Holmes 01 4584770 info@ztp.ie www.zerotaxproperty.ie

ECOMMERCE AND IT SUPPORT

Agility Software Ltd David Malcolm 01 253 0282 david@agility-software.com www.agility-software.com

Core Tech

Geraldine Quinlan Burke 025 41400

geraldine.quinlan@coretechnology.ie www.coretechnology.ie

Intact Software

Mark Gurney 042 933 1742

mark.gurney@intactsoftware.com www.intactsoftware.com

.IE

Alan Finneran 01 236 5400 afinneran@weare.ie www.weare.ie

Kerridge Commercial Systems

Elaine Snuggs 01 5457100

elaine.snuggs@kerridgecs.com www.kerridgecs.com

Magico Orla Cooney 065 6864580 ocooney@magico.com www.magico.com

Monsoon Consulting Bharat Sharma 01 4750066 bharat.sharma@monsoonconsulting.com www.monsoonconsulting.com

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

DCS Group

Caroline Sugrue 066 7181836 carolinesugrue@dcsgroup.eu www.dcsgroup.eu

FIELD SALES & MARKETING

CPM Ireland

Anne Kelly 01 7080300 akelly@cpmire.com www.cpmire.com

REL Field Marketing

Paula Lawlor 046 93758 plawlor@relfm.ie www.relfm.ie

Sales-i

Ros McGill +44 345 508 7355 rmcgill@sales-i.com www.sales-i.com

HR SUPPORT

TSA Consultants

Tommy Smyth 021 4634154

tommy@tsaconsultants.ie www.tsaconsultants.ie

INSURANCE

O’Leary Insurance Group

David Lombard 021 4730005 dlombard@oli.ie www.olearyinsurances.ie

LOGISTICS

Woodland Group

Lee McMullen 01 8111500

lee.mcmullen@woodlandgroup.com www.woodlandgroup.com

MATERIALS HANDLING

Combilift

Anthony Rooney 047 80500 anthony.rooney@combilift.com www.combilift.com

Henley Forklift Group Ltd Mark Kenny 01 6209200 sales@henley.ie www.henley.ie

PAYMENT SERVICES

AIB Merchant Services

Owen Ball 087 7715973 owen.ball@aibms.com www.aibms.com

BOI Payment Acceptance

Rory Brennan 1800 806 298

rory.brennan@boipa.com www.boipa.com

PRINT MANAGEMENT

W&G Baird

Sam Sharpe

+44 (0) 75 8311 9846

sam.sharpe@wgbaird.com www.wgbaird.com

RECYCLING SOLUTIONS

European Recycling Platform

Martin Tobin 01 6624040 ireland@erp-recycling.org www.erp-recycling.ie

SECURITY SYSTEMS

MyNET Security

Jack Raeburn 062-69112 jack@mynet.ie www.mynet.ie

SHOPFITTERS / RACKING SYSTEMS

Johnston Shopfitters

STOCKTAKING

Scanmatix Alex O`Brien 089 2514005 alex@scanmatix.com www.scanmatix.com

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SALES & INSTALLATIONS

IP Telecom Sales Team 01 6877777 sales@iptelecom.ie www.iptelecom.ie

Novatel Communications Ltd. Niamh Cullen O’Reilly 022 23440 niamh@novatel.ie www.novatel.ie

#WeGetRetail

Shane Brennan 01 4190419 sales@johnston-shopfitters.com www.johnston-shopfitters.com

OHRA Racking Solutions

Seamus Coyle + 44 28 8224 7858

coyle@ohra.de www.ohra.ie

Storefit Shopfitters Limited

Eamonn Brien 021 4344544

eamonn.brien@storefit.com www.storefit.com

Why become a HAI Corporate Partner?

By becoming a Corporate Partner, you can link your organisation to the pursuit of excellence and quality in the Hardware, Building Materials & DIY sector.

Hardware Association Ireland will help you to promote your company to all key decision makers in the sector with;

• A listing on the HAI website, www.hardwareassociation.ie

• The use of the widely recognised HAI Corporate Partner logo and a Corporate Partnership Certificate

• A free listing with logo and contact details on The Corporate Partners Page in each issue of The Hardware Journal

• A preferential member rate for advertising in The Hardware Journal, plus three free classified advertisements

Want to find out more? Contact us today to become a HAI Corporate Partner info@hardwareassociation.ie or phone 01 2980969

• Preferential rates and early access to event sponsorship and networking opportunities

• A preferential rate for exhibitor space at The Hardware Show

• Positioning your company as a solution-provider for the hardware, building materials and DIY sectors

• Access to all the latest industry news via regular emails and updates.

Tirlán store of the future debuts in Bunclody

Tirlán CountryLife Bunclody is proud to be the trailblazer when it comes to the new store redesign across the business’s 52 branch network. Tirlán’s first concept store is now open and welcomed The Hardware Journal for the grand tour.

When the team at Tirlán CountryLife in Bunclody, Wexford, got word that they were to be the pilot branch for an extensive store investment programme by Tirlán, the excitement was palpable. It’s always an honour to be first, but this was an extra-special opportunity given the recent ownership model change back to a fully farmer owned co-operative.

As part of its new branding, Tirlán, formerly Glanbia Ireland, has embarked on an ¤11 million+ phase 1 investment programme to upgrade the local branch network. When all phases are complete, every one of its 52 retail outlets will offer an enhanced customer and staff experience.

Tirlán plans to carry out the development of its total retail estate over the next four-five years, which will result in a completely new-look network.

Work is already underway in several stores. But only one can be first past the post, and Tirlán CountryLife in Bunclody was the happy recipient. Following just over three months of renovation works, the project was completed in April this year, and staff and customers are delighted with the result.

For the future of our communities

For Tirlán, as an Irish 100% farmer-owned Co-op, this landmark investment programme is part of a range of measures to

future-proof its agri, retail and garden centre services in rural communities across 12 counties.

Speaking to The Hardware Journal at the Bunclody store, Senan Foley, Head of Retail at Tirlán says, “These branch improvements across all 52 stores are a further sign of Tirlán’s commitment to serving its loyal customers in rural communities today and, in a climate of change, tomorrow.”

“This major investment clearly demonstrates our promise to play a key role in supporting local jobs and rural economies.” Tirlán has outlined this commitment in its ‘Living Proof’ sustainability strategy.

“Because the needs of farmers, customers and the communities of which we are part of are evolving, Tirlán wanted to create a modern network of stores that meet current and future demands,” explains Senan.

“Many rural communities have lost their local post office, shops and other services in recent years and we aim to play our part in ensuring they remain vibrant and self-sufficient.”

“Our network provides critical services in a setting that many of our shareholders, suppliers and customers have a strong affiliation with locally.”

“Tirlán generates ¤5.5 billion of total economic activity in Ireland and supports over 19,200 direct and indirect jobs; so, as a business we’re a significant driver of economic activity in rural localities. With that contribution to rural economies in mind, each of our branches plays an important part in our wider business as the hub and face of Tirlán in 52 communities. So much more than just agri stores and garden centres.”

Brand new

Last year, following the change in ownership structure, the corporate business rebranded from Glanbia Ireland to Tirlán. The new name reflects the Irish heritage and deep connection between the Co-op, its people and the land they nurture and sustain, combining Tir, the Irish for land, and Lán, Irish for full. Together it means Land of Abundance.

The rebranding of stores is well underway and due for completion later this year. Retail stores within the estate that primarily offer an agricultural product range are being rebranded to ‘Tirlán FarmLife’. While branches with an added garden centre and broader retail offering are operating under the name ‘Tirlán CountryLife’.

Bunclody sets the template

“As the business’s new concept store, Bunclody acts as a design template and test store for all Tirlan CountryLife retail outlets,” Senan states.

“The insights we gain from the customer experiences in Bunclody will ensure we can bring consistency and high standards across the board, to meet the expectations of all our customers.”

Creating an attractive, inviting, modern, easy-to-shop ambience was vital. “Every Tirlán CountryLife or FarmLife store should be a place where customers feel at home, can easily find their way around and be guided to the products they want by knowledgeable staff.”

The creation of a consistent store idea was vital for meeting customer expectations. So, when shoppers see the brand name at the entrance, they can be confident they will have a good experience.

Store Profile

Evoking the Irish landscape

“The atmosphere is open, natural and relaxing, using the materials and colours of the Irish countryside,” says Bunclody Branch Manager Mark Morrissey. “The second customers walk inside; they will know they are in a Tirlán store.”

Senan says, “Our new design concept has taken inspiration from the genesis of the Tirlán brand; using organic materials throughout the store, including moss, wood and stone.” The simple colour palette, with its touch of green throughout, adds emphasis and creates contrast in a way unique to Tirlán and its branding.

Everything was carefully considered in the completion of the Bunclody concept store, from lighting fixtures and floors to counter tills and shelving.

Infrastructural changes and other functional improvements were also completed, including IT systems, new electric doors, a high efficiency heating system, rewiring of the premises and an upgrade to staff facilities.

The store in Bunclody stayed open for business throughout the renovation work, and Senan has high praise for the flexibility of both staff and customers.

“Special mention must go to Manager Mark Morrissey and the whole Bunclody team who have displayed huge enthusiasm for the pilot project. Despite all the upheaval to the premises over recent months, they continued to trade throughout the works, and customer satisfaction remained high as they looked forward to the new store.” said Senan.

Coffee with your climbing roses?

Bunclody is also the first branch to have a coffee dock, where gardening customers can enjoy a cuppa while browsing instore.

The new farmer counter, a design featuring natural stone and wood material that will be rolled out in future store developments.

Flexibility was built into the store signage set-up. Simple elements such as the use of magnetic aisle end signage, bench strip sliders, hooks for category aisle headers, floor display signage solutions and pallet displays amongst others; all accommodate for the ease of stock and display movement required for seasonal or stock changes. The store fit out was supplied by Cork based company Storefit Shopfitters, www.storefit.ie

This amenity, also being trialled, is part of the retail store development team’s masterplan to expand the product and service offering and create a ‘Store of Abundance’ in every way.

Delighted and excited all round

All involved are thrilled with the new-look in Bunclody’s Tirlán CountryLife store and the impact it has had already, especially with the customers.

Mark Morrissey shared the local enthusiasm. “The work completed has brought a huge wave of positive energy around the place; not only from customers but from staff too.”

“We’re seeing lots of new faces come through our doors, and customers have been really complimentary of the work, even noting what it means for the community to have this investment locally. The future is bright here in Tirlán CountryLife.”

Senan was equally impressed by how well the new format is working and the reception the store has received from local people. “It’s early days, but we are already learning a lot from this concept trial store. Key findings, including customer feedback, will inform future store developments.”

Deep local roots

Local connections and heritage are at the heart of the Tirlán ethos.

“Connecting back to our roots, which is such a strong part of the Tirlán brand, was really important to us. Our branches are often situated on the very land where our forefathers first traded,” notes Senan.

To highlight this strong relationship with rural communities, the Bunclody store features a dedicated history wall charting the Tirlán journey over the last 100 years, together with the store’s local history.

A community notice board highlights how the store supports today’s local people, places and activities. Every branch will have these features as part of their store upgrade.

As Mark tells the THJ, “Tirlán’s branches are often the heartbeat of local communities. Here in Bunclody we’re actively supporting our Tidy Towns group, along with regular support and education for primary schools in this area, particularly around the garden centre and links to biodiversity.”

“We’re on first name terms with many of our customers; both farming and garden centre store visitors. You can’t underestimate how important that connection is.”

More in store to watch out for

In addition to the store redesigns, the farmer owned co-operative has plans to add Tirlán CountryLife Garden Centres to some of its existing branches. Their store in Athboy, Meath, now boasts a brand-new garden centre just in time for summer, and firmly establishes Tirlán CountryLife as one of the largest chains of garden centres in the country.

On the Tirlán FarmLife side, the team are exploring new innovations such as centres of excellence in the area of farm hardware, along with further exciting projects in the pipeline.

The rejuvenated Bunclody garden centre, featuring new signage solutions and the Tirlán CountryLife’s new consumer message ‘Gardens. Our Second Nature’.

A dedicated history wall towards the farmer entrance of the store, charting both Tirlán’s and the Bunclody’s branch history.

L-R Jean Colleran Horticulture Growth Manager, Ben Furney Senior Operations Manager, Senan Foley Head of Retail, Grace O’Dwyer Retail Marketing Manager, Robert Kehoe Growth Development Manager.

Heavins embrace Lean to address productivity and efficiency issues

The Hardware Journal spoke to Paul & Derek Heavin, Topline Heavins & Euronics in Athlone about implementing their Lean Processes and how it has revolutionised their productivity and efficiency.

How did Heavins identify their initial need or problem?

We had found ourselves in a position where the level of business had grown beyond our operational capacity and current ways of working, and our colleagues were being stretched. This was significantly affecting the customer experience which was not at the standard that Heavins wanted to deliver.

How did Athlone Local Enterprise Office assist with a resolution?

The Local Enterprise Office suggested that the business may benefit from participation in a Lean for Micro programme and assigned Jigsaw Better Business, www.jigsawbetterbusiness.ie, to support with this. Lean for Micro programmes are designed to assist businesses in many different sectors and are an effective way to address productivity and efficiency issues. We met with Mark from Jigsaw to scope the programme and agree the best approach to resolve the issues.

What were the initial actions to identify the issues?

Jigsaw Better Business worked alongside our Lean project team, comprising colleagues from each area of the business, and after some initial Lean training we began to “process map” the product

journey, from ordering stock, goods receipt, merchandising and storage to selling and customer experience. Lean allows businesses to focus on their process and to understand the difference between “what they think they do” and “what they actually do,” and process mapping is a key Lean methodology which supports a business in achieving this understanding.

What did the process involve?

Lean has origins in Japan and has evolved from the `Toyota Way` where every process in car production is continually reviewed and improved to increase efficiency and productivity. Muda, Mura and Muri are three types of wasteful actions that negatively impact workflow, productivity and ultimately customer satisfaction. On a typical Lean project, the team will work to understand the causes of these wasteful activities and develop solutions for their removal. This is done on the sales floor and in the warehouse where, through observation of the process, they identify the activities that are happening that are wasteful and do not add value.

It is important that the team are involved in this process as their engagement and participation are vital in achieving sustainable solutions.

Was this initially a daunting prospect?

This can be a challenging process and a business needs to consider the barriers to change that they may encounter, however by working with the team, seeking their input and encouraging their ideas, there was a great effort made by all of our colleagues to make it work. By including our colleagues in the process, it empowered them to spot other areas of the business to be improved. Although there was initially some resistance, we trusted the process and we are reaping the benefits now.

How disruptive was the process?

The process required commitment from the company in terms of time and allowing the sessions to happen. However, the impact on the customer was negligible.

How long did the individual actions take to implement and improve your process?

Lean is about continual improvement, and every enhancement was achieved through gradual progress. The warehouse reflow for example was completed over a period of several weeks with each improvement incrementally building towards better efficiency and productivity. This approach ensures that we can continue to serve the customer and minimise any impacts of the process on trading.

What resources had Heavins to provide in regard to time, people, finance?

The programme was generously subsidised by our Local Enterprise Office and businesses are only required to pay a nominal fee. Our biggest commitments were in facilitating the required changes to warehouse and storage layouts in terms of people and freeing up time away from the sales floor without comprising service.

Was there buy in from the staff initially and subsequently?

Our Lean team were engaged from the beginning and felt involved in the programme. As enhancements were made and changes implemented the wider team began to see and feel the benefits. The implementation of the enhanced and improved ways of working have resulted in a marked increase in colleague engagement and staff morale. The impact of this has been significant and to some extent unexpected.

Were there any issues peculiar to Hardware or Building Materials handling that were identified?

Lean thinking and the implementation of Lean can be applied in any sector. Our approach was to apply Lean and use Lean to increase our customer facing time, reducing task and maximising the time we get to spend with customers. In Hardware and Building Materials there can be a significant time dedicated to stock handling and our focus was to minimise this. Stock storage, merchandising and stock working routines are traditionally areas where Hardware and Building Materials businesses can use resources inefficiently, and Lean allowed us to understand where our opportunities for improvement were to be found.

How did Heavins measure the improvements?

For the different tasks that we applied the Lean process to, we measured the time it took to complete the process from start to finish. By reducing the cycle time, we improved efficiency and

reduced waste. This resulted in cost saving and measuring cost savings helped us to determine the effectiveness of the Lean initiatives.

What were the tangible improvements to the Instore business, Warehouse and the Online business?

The Instore Business – We improved our customer service by having the sales staff spend 100% of their time looking after the most important part of the business which we believe are the customers. Before Lean, the sales staff were processing some goods-in at the sales desk, so their heads were looking down at paperwork instead of heads-up looking out for customers. It is a simple thing, but it made a huge difference taking goods-inwards completely away from the shop floor.

The Warehouse – Goods now flow smoothly and travel less distance in the warehouse, this resulted in faster goods-in processing which allowed us to stop processing goods on the shop floor. It also means that the products are getting to the shop shelves more quickly which results in more sales. The warehouse is not clogged up with pallets anymore which led to less frustration in the warehouse.

The Online Business – As this is a relatively new aspect of our business, we are constantly learning and trying to improve the service for our heavins.ie customer. Applying the Lean Process allowed us to re-organise the layout of the online department which leads to cost savings on staff and faster order delivery for the online customer.

How did the Lean process change the Heavins business mindset?

The Lean process has allowed us to see the benefits of “asking why,” we don’t just accept things the way they are, we are more likely to challenge the status quo, and look to see if we can do things better, quicker or cheaper and increase value for our customer. When asking why, if the answer is “because we always did it that way!” then you need to change the answer to “Is there a better way we can do this?”

How suitable did you find the Lean Process for your business in general and would you recommend the journey to others in our Hardware / Building Materials sector?

A lot of people believe the Lean Process applies only to the manufacturing industry and we found this to be false. It can definitely be applied to the Hardware / Building Materials sector, and we are proof of that. As we have said before, you need to trust the process, we had some hesitations at the start but once we took the leap, we could see the improvements. What we also learned is that the Lean Process is a continuous process, it doesn’t just stop when the initial process is over, we are in the Lean mindset now and we use the principles on all aspects of our business. We would highly recommend the Lean process to others in the sector, but don’t just do it for the sake of it, you need to embrace it. Any time you invest in Lean you will get back multiple times.

You can view Paul & Derek talking about uncovering their Lean Process on their YouTube Channel, Topline Heavins & Euronics @toplineheavinseuronics2993.

E10 PUMP FUEL

This new, standard E10 petrol is not the best option for storage This can pose problems for small engines - lawn mowers, boat engines, clearing saws etc When machines like these are fuelled with E10 petrol, the following can happen;

Rubber gaskets get damaged Ethanol is a solvent that breaks down certain materials. Among other things, rubber, and especially older rubber. This often results in leaking gaskets and hoses, and leaks in other rubber or plastic seals

The engine takes a beating A problem with ethanol is that it binds moisture This means that the amount of water in the E10 petrol can increase over time which can cause corrosion in machines that are inactive for a few months at a time The mixture deteriorates & this corrosion damages the carburettor and often leads to engine failure

The moisture binding abilities of ethanol can also have a negative effect on two-stroke mixtures – resulting in an unstable and unreliable mixing ratio This increases the risk of engine problems in boats and rarely used two-stroke vehicles

WHY USE ASPEN FUEL?

Your machine always starts and is ready to go, even after long standstill periods

Lasts for years without deterioration

Aspen does not contain ethanol

Virtually odourless

Less maintenance and a longer machine life

Available in a conveniently sized container

Premixed 2-stroke eliminates the need to mix yourself

Easy to select the correct fuel using the coloured cans and coloured reminder stickers on your machine

Protects your health and the environment

www.aspenfuels.com

Paint & Home Décor

HOMES REVITALISED

Amessage from the Editor

Welcome to the Paint & Home Décor Supplement for 2023. A big thanks to all those who have contributed and I hope as a reader you will pick up some inspiration for your customers and for your instore merchandising.

Dulux Paints are continuing to drive momentum in the paint and home décor category. This year there are many innovations including nine new colours in the Easycare Washable Matt Range. All brought to life in the 2023 Colour Inspiration Guide which has helpful advice and trend insights for your customers. The 2023 Weathershield Colour card has new colour schemes designed by their experts to make outdoor colour choice as easy as possible. There is also the exciting introduction of Hammerite Ultima, the next evolution in Metal Paint. The Dulux Academy is going from strength to strength with spray courses for professional decorators, so make sure you are ready for your professional decorator customers by contacting Dulux to organise skills training for your staff colleagues.

Fleetwood Paints bring you the highly regarded thoughts and expert view of Interior Designer Patricia Wakely. This former creator of PLUSH Interiors who has a particular expertise in private and domestic projects outlines imaginative concepts to colour consultation that will excite your customers when they are thinking about revitalising their interiors. She strongly suggests that when considering the exterior of a customer`s home or business they need to address the entire picture taking all elements into account. She is thankful that there is such an amazing selection of colours available from Fleetwood for all surfaces that encourage your customer to step slightly outside their comfort zone won`t be too much of a challenge.

Our colleagues at Purdy Brushes bring you a selection of high quality and reliable brushes that will make achieving a professional finish effortless for your trade and DIY customers. They say that their cleverly designed brushes are corrosion and rust resistant ensuring a strong brush head. In addition, they are lightweight, durable and manoeuvrable to suit many different applications ensuring a professional finish every time.

Sandtex Paints are offering a full system solution that can support your customer`s projects of any size. Their trusted quality formulations prepare and maintain your customer`s masonry and trim bringing colour and personality to outdoor spaces. Their Sandtex Sandtex Microseal® Masonry Paint is

available off the shelf in a variety of colours or it can also be mixed to match over 30,000 individual shades. This unique paint technology allows masonry to breath while at the same time protects the coated surface from water penetration.

Timco are offering your customers a comprehensive range of tools and accessories that have been specifically developed for the professional painter and decorator. Comprising a selection of 50 tools sourced by the company which includes brushes, rollers, sleeves, accessories, cleaning and PPE equipment. The range has its own dedicated website sectoral category rather than a product specific online category to inform your choice of a preferred merchandising profile and complementary range instore.

Albany Group`s Business Development Manager, Padraic McGuinness brings us their groups reflections on current trends and market conditions in the Irish Paint industry. Being in a unique position to observe the market through their 28 specialist outlets and through a retail and trade lens they suggest that there is much to be positive about. Following a slow start to 2023 due mainly to unfavourable weather conditions, they are seeing a significant uplift in exterior paint and woodcare since early May. This trend is seen as a promising indicator for the decorating market as it indicates a greater propensity for retail and trade customers to decorate earlier in the year and actively seeking out premium products and colour design advice.

And if that isn’t positive enough, Good Housekeeping Magazine are sharing some interior design trends for 2023, www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/ g42084756/interior-design-trends-2023. This will assist your conversations with customers who are searching for the right opportunity to add more style, vigour and comfort to their homes. Professional designers and industry players provide their thoughts on the top interior design trends for 2023.

Some of their picks confirm that certain things like sustainability, statement window treatments and high-style marble slabs in kitchens still stand the test of time. But some predictions may surprise you including plaster walls finishes and high-gloss wood finishes are just a few examples to note.

Jim Copeland Editor – The Hardware Journal

Dulux Paints Ireland news update 2023

The Irish market has seen many changes over the last number of years and the paint category is still evolving as a result. Dulux Paints Ireland continues to be at the forefront of these changes, working with retail partners to drive momentum in the category.

Dulux Easycare New Colours

For stain repellent technology to keep walls looking better for longer and a tough and washable matt paint that allows consumers to wipe away stains easily, the Dulux Easycare range is the ideal solution for busy households.

This year, the Easycare Washable Matt range welcomes nine new colours, Decadent Damson, Egyptian Cotton, Faded Indigo, Heathland, Honey Nut, Pebble Shore, Sapphire Salute, Stonewashed Blue, and Colour of the Year 2023, Wild Wonder. To help bring the shades to life, Dulux`s Interior Colour Team have curated a unique set of stunning palettes which work beautifully together to inspire shoppers to pick up a paint brush.

The Easycare range is brought to life in the 2023 Colour Inspiration Guide with helpful advice and trend insights designed to support consumers on their DIY journey.

Dulux’s exciting Easycare news is amplified through a widereaching TV & VOD campaign which will run up to the August Bank Holiday weekend. A range of impactful POS is available to retailers to help drive visibility and awareness of the new colours available to shoppers instore. Please contact your Dulux Sales representative for more details.

Dulux Heritage

Dulux has always stood for durable luxury, and the Heritage range encapsulates the proud history of the Dulux brand. Dulux Heritage is a collection of 112 luxurious shades inspired by the past, combined with contemporary trends to make everyday homes extraordinary. The carefully selected colours have been expertly curated into different tonal palettes to make finding the perfect shade easy. The collection of classic colours is available in two high-quality finishes: Velvet Matt with premium quality pigments for excellent depth of colour, soft to touch finish and effortless application on walls and Eggshell for a stunningly smooth finish on woodwork and metal.

Available in selected stores nationwide, Heritage will receive continued media support with a heavy-weight print, digital and PR campaign throughout June, July and September with a focus on driving awareness and footfall instore.

Consumers can explore the range and find inspiration at www.duluxheritage.ie

Dulux Exteriors

Dulux Exteriors is proud sponsor of Super Garden 2023, highlighting their exterior brands Weathershield, Cuprinol and Hammerite.

The Dulux Weathershield Advantage

The Dulux Weathershield Advantage stands for ultimate durability, superior coverage and great colours made specially for Ireland. Dulux Weathershield has improved protection against mould and algae*, ensuring a freshly painted home stays cleaner for even longer. Weathershield is in stores now with a strong radio and digital advertising campaign to support it throughout the exteriors season.

The 2023 Weathershield colour card helps make outdoor colour choice as easy as possible for the customer with new colour schemes designed by their experts and a new and improved chip layout featuring new additions to the bespoke colour range. See www.weathershield.ie for more.

*Contains a fungicide to inhibit the growth of mould and algae within the paint film and helps it stay looking cleaner for longer. Our new formulation is three times more effective than our 2020 formulation.

Paint & Home Décor

Cuprinol Ducksback New Colours

With the weather improving, people are delighted to be spending more time in their outdoor spaces and now is the time for a garden refresh with Cuprinol Ducksback. It has an advanced, wax enriched and non-drip formulation, that will add colour and weatherproof sheds and fences for up to five years. Cuprinol Ducksback is quick drying, allowing customers to complete a job in a short period of time. It is also low odour and safe to use around plants and pets. Cuprinol 5 Year Ducksback is now available in four new colours: Delicate Pine, Misty Heathland, Herring Grey and Dusted Aloe.

The Dulux Academy - open to Professional Decorators

Did you know that the Dulux Academy has been busy running spray courses for professional decorators? The Academy team has collaborated with master craftsman Dominic Crowley (Instagram; @dominic_crowley_painting) to create and deliver courses relevant to those in the trade. These courses have been running in their manufacturing site in Cork which is home to the Academy. Dulux are focused on the art of spray with their spray essentials course and for those with more experience they are running courses focused on HVLP or airless spray. They have linked in Dulux Trade Points Stores and Dulux Trade Loyalty members to allow them to focus on the world of spray. Make sure you are ready for professional decorator customers by contacting Dulux now for Dulux Trade product and skills training for your store staff.

The Dulux Academy has also been busy celebrating colour through their Heritage Masterclasses. They have been facilitating sessions with colour/paint advisors to help them to deliver combinations and specifications to consumers. Dulux will continue to support Heritage through practical sessions.

New Hammerite Ultima

2023 sees the exciting introduction of Hammerite Ultima, the next evolution in metal paint. The new water-based formula is designed to be used directly onto any metal and on rust, Hammerite Ultima is formulated to offer up to 12-year corrosion protection, creating a tough barrier which keeps water and oxygen away from the substrate, preventing rust to form. This easy to apply paint is quick drying and will allow your customers to finish the job in one day so they can rest assured that their metal surfaces are well protected for longer.

If you have any queries on the Academy or would like to find out more email - DuluxAcademyIreland@Akzonobel.com where the team are happy to help. They look forward to seeing you in the Academy soon.

Retailer Support

Did you know that Social Media digital packs are available for retailers use across the Dulux Exterior and Interior categories? Please contact your Dulux sales rep for further information or to request your digital pack.

Retailers looking for additional information and support on any of the above topics can contact their Dulux Sales Representative or the Dulux Technical Advice Centre on 021 422 0222

EXTRAORDINARY PAINT for EVERY DAY LIVES

FIND YOUR LOCAL STOCKIST

Wall : Waxed Khaki in Velvet Matt Skirting : Waxed Khaki in Eggshell

at DULUXHERITAGE.IE

When considering the exterior of your customer’s home, consider the entire picture taking all elements into account

“The beginning of Spring, for me, tends to signify the start of the season for exterior painting, whether it be your customer’s house, shed, out-house or garden, there is a pill for every ill in the exterior diagnosis”, so says, interior designer Patricia Wakely, who has been an independent consultant for 20 plus years and formerly creator of PLUSH Interiors.

When considering the exterior of your customer’s home, apartment or shop it is wise to consider the entire picture taking all elements into account. I like to apply a general rule of picking a particular colour or style for the main portion, harmonising that with a lighter or darker similar colour and lastly creating a pop or feature colour with the front door, windows or garages. This being a general guide you can choose different combinations relative to the impression you would like to create for your customer or the style or purpose of building that it is.

The current trend in exteriors is quite reflective of a change in colour depths used in the interior, in that more rich and moody colours are the choice of the trend-conscious homeowner. Deep greys, blues and greens are much more popular now than ever before and thankfully we should be all aware that virtually any colour that you can imagine is now available as an exterior masonry paint. For the more conservative taste who wish to make a statement only in their doors and trims, dark and rich exterior trim colours are now more sought after and can be found in a rich eggshell, satin or gloss finish. Colours like Virtuoso, Dawson Street and Ballet Blue are now featuring in the exterior brochure from Fleetwood as an indication of what is possible.

Traditionally the urban home and commercial properties can be seen in vibrant cheery colours, but this is slowly creeping into a nationwide choice. A home can really reflect the personality of the homeowner within, and I say, why not embrace the dark side? As a guide for a two-storey townhouse, for example, colours like Kingston Lafferty Taupe for a mid or Sligo Abbey for a deep main colour, and with trims in a soft neutral like Victorian White or Cotton Gin will add a sense of heritage and prestige. If you decide to choose this richer look then let the main body of the house do the talking and use a dark neutral like Midnight from the understated, elegant Ventura range from Arlene McIntyre to use as a gloss finish on the doors. This deeper look can also be embraced in many other styles of building from the single storey to the brick or stone clad

semi-detached home. If considering a customer’s home with brickwork, I would always recommend balancing the warmth in the brick with a green based neutral like Ashford or in the case of homes with warm stone portions then consider colours like Killiney Hill or Shannon River Fog and door colours like Virtuoso or Paperweight.

Thankfully, we can now add colour to more surfaces than might have been possible in the recent past such as windows and downpipes etc. More and more often you may see that owners are updating the look of their homes by using a deep grey on their exterior windows and whilst this does truly transform a building, why stop at deep grey? Definitely encourage adding more personality to these details, this can really make a home look more considered, especially when retaining a neutral modern colour for the body of the building. Consider choosing something like New Moon as a window and door colour, with design studio grey as main masonry paint - just remember to prepare correctly with a primer like Bloxxit tinted to the finished shade for the ultimate deep finish.

Thankfully, there is an amazing selection of colours for all surfaces and it is worth advising your customers to step slightly outside their comfort zone to reflect their own taste and personality. Don’t believe me? Just give it a go!

For further inspiration ask your local Fleetwood account manager or call 049-854 7209. Fleetwood Paints, Virginia, Co. Cavan. www.Fleetwood.ie

Originally a graphic designer turned interior designer Patricia Wakely has been an independent consultant for 20 plus years. Formerly creator of PLUSH Interiors, working on commercial but predominantly private and domestic projects she provides a wide range of services from imaginative concept design to project management, individual colour consultation to personal shopping and bespoke soft furnishing advice.

THE BEST WOOD PAINT YOU’LL EVER

Purdy: The professional choice

For professional painters and decorators, having a selection of high quality, reliable brushes makes achieving a professional finish effortless. Here, Andrew Cummins, Senior Product Manager at Purdy, looks at what sets Purdy’s brushes apart.

With subpar brushes, the filaments will often leave visible brush marks, or even come loose and get stuck in the paint, ruining the finish. To avoid this, Purdy brushes have been cleverly designed with a bolstered epoxy so that the filaments remain intact and do not come loose or fall out. The ferrule is also attached to the handle via a double or triple crimp, ensuring the bristles and handle are as secure as possible –and Purdy brushes also feature a stainless-steel ferrule that is corrosion and rust resistant for a strong brush head.

Purdy brushes include different filaments to suit a variety of jobs. For example, the XL Elite - Monarch is a thick brush that has been designed to tackle large surface areas and thicker consistency paints like emulsion, thanks to its ability to pick up and lay off more paint than a regular brush. This means that the job can be done faster, maximising productivity without compromising on the finish. Alternatively, at the other end of

the spectrum the Syntox Flat has thinner, softer filaments and can be used to create a mirror like finish when working with thinner coatings like varnishes and stains. The tipping and flagging of the filaments in Purdy brushes also works to reduce brush marks and ensure an outstanding finish every time.

In addition, Purdy brushes are lightweight, durable and maneuverable thanks to their Alderwood handle. Alderwood is moisture wicking, so it absorbs sweat for a more comfortable, sturdy grip. Purdy has also designed each brush handle to suit different applications. For example, Purdy’s XL Cub brush is designed with a short, lightweight handle for maximum control in difficult to reach places, whereas the XL Elite - Sprig has a beavertail handle that fits comfortably in the palm of the hand for wide strokes when applying trim paint.

With Purdy, painters and decorators can trust in the usability, durability and longevity of their products – and ensure a professional finish every time.

For more information about Purdy and its extensive range of products visit: www.purdy.co.uk.

Monarch Elite Brush.

Sprig Paint Brush.

Sprig Paint Brush.

Monarch Elite Brush.

Expertly crafted for lasting quality.

Purdy brushes are handcrafted by expert brush makers, many with decades of experience. Our alderwood handles are light, durable and manoeuvrable - and absorb sweat to keep hands dry. Our blend of synthetic filaments achieve the best finish with modern paint formulations and deliver consistent performance through the entire life of the brush.

Purdy® — dedicated to achieving the highest quality standards.

purdy.co.uk

NOT ALL BRUSHES ARE CREATED EQUAL.

If it’s outside, Sandtex has it covered

If painting their home is on your customer’s to-do list, then they’re sure to find whatever they need within the Sandtex range of exterior products. With quality formulations that are trusted to perform, they’ll keep any home protected and beautiful for years and years to come.

From preparation and maintenance treatments to masonry and trim, Sandtex is a full system solution that can support projects of any size.

More than ever, bringing colour and personality to outdoor spaces is high on the priority list when customers come to putting their to-do list into action. It’s why Sandtex Microseal® Masonry Paint is not only available off the shelf in a variety of beautiful colours, it can also be mixed to match over 30,000 individual shades.

However, being able to find that special colour is only part of the story. Sandtex Masonry Paint also delivers trusted performance that’s as good as it looks. The unique paint technology allows masonry to breathe whilst at the same time protecting the coated surface from water penetration. The microporous properties importantly allow moisture to evaporate, so the paint resists peeling, flaking and cracking, meaning it will not only protect the surface from weathering, it will also look fantastic for longer – up to fifteen years in fact!

This advanced coating protects over an extended period of time against mould and algae growth, and its dirt resistant properties also help keep masonry healthier and more beautiful, for longer. Plus, this product is rainproof in just one hour, so your customer can finish the job even if the weather is unreliable.

As a trend, colour is also finding it’s place on other exterior finishes and Sandtex also has a wide range of exterior trim options, suitable for wood, metal, and PVCu surfaces. With a variety of different formulas and finishes including gloss and satin, they offer hard wearing protection for up to 10 years. So, whether it’s rejuvenating exterior masonry or bringing fresh colour to garden furniture and window frames, the Sandtex range has a solution for every need to create the perfect outdoor haven this summer.

For further information call 01 816 4400 or see the full Sandtex range at sandtexpaints.com/ie

Slate

New painting & decorating range available now!

TIMCO is now excited to offer a comprehensive range of tools and accessories which have been specifically developed for the professional painter and decorator.

The company’s 50 strong selection has been expertly sourced by the company’s product team led by Stewart Lloyd. From preparation to finishing, it includes brushes, rollers, sleeves sets and accessories as well as specific additions to both Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Cleaning.

The recent launch has also been supported by TIMCO promotional literature, Point-of-Sale (POS) and bespoke stand solutions to suit individual customers’ needs. The complete range is also featured within a dedicated website category. This is the company’s first industry rather than product specific online category to help customers make informed decisions on merchandising profiles, larger or complementary ranges.

Following comprehensive research by the company’s In-House Web Design Team, this is an example of further website enhancements which continue to be implemented throughout the year.

These new products also perfectly complement TIMCO’s recently launched Hand Tools range and feature in the company’s latest Product Catalogue which now totals over 300 pages. For further information please visit timco.co.uk

Paint Market Reflections

The Albany Group is in a unique position to observe trends and market conditions in the Irish paint industry given its store network, of 28 outlets, and its customer base covering both retail and trade segments of the market.

According to Albany Home Décor there is a much to be positive about in the market looking ahead. Last year (2022) saw a normalising of trade following two very exceptional years while the pandemic drove a major spike in home improvement especially in the DIY end. The best category performances were in premium and designer paints, woodcare and also the ancillaries category (applicators, preparation products and speciality paints) all up over 20 per cent between 2019 and 2021.

However, price and demand became an challenge in 2022 after multiple rounds of price revisions across all categories and brands and this has continued into 2023. Volumes rather than values show the variation in performance of the sector more accurately. While volumes are somewhat back from the peak in 2021 they are still significantly ahead of 2019 showing a general trend of growth in the paint and decorating marketplace. New house builds and renovation projects continue to drive activity and the continued high participation rates in decorating.

The current year 2023 has had a slower start than average years mainly due to poor weather throughout March and April but a significant uplift in exterior paint and woodcare sales has been noticeable since the May bank holiday weekend.

Padraic McGuinness, Business Development Manager for the Albany Group, suggests “this trend is a promising indicator for the decorating market in that it shows a greater propensity from both retail and trade customers to decorate more often. It also shows a greater degree of consumer confidence in making expenditure decisions relating to the home and they are actively seeking out premium products and colour and design advice”

While sales are up at all price points the noticeable trend is towards premium and designer brands increasing their market share. Much of this is assisted by the emphasis on product differentiation through quality displays and samples for customers to indulge. Service has also become a much more important aspect of the paint market whether its colour consultancy for the retail customer or project specification for a commercial client.

Top Interior Design Trends for 2023

Good Housekeeping Magazine are sharing some interior design trends for 2023, www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/ decorating-ideas/g42084756/interior-design-trends-2023. If your customers have been searching for the right opportunity to add more style, vigour and comfort to their space, you’ll appreciate this list. The publication checked in with professional designers and industry players for their take on the top interior design trends for 2023.

Some of their picks confirm that certain things like sustainability, personality-packed rugs, statement window treatments and high-style marble slabs in kitchens still stand the test of time. A few of these were also highlighted in their feature on the leading design trends for 2022. But other trend predictions may surprise you: plaster walls and high-gloss wood finishes are just a few examples to note.

You can choose to use this list of the biggest design trends for 2023, to help bring your customers own spaces to life in the coming year. Remember that this is just a forecast and isn’t a mandate for instant action. Sometimes the smallest design upgrades - the right colour palette, new hardware ironmongery style, a piece of furniture or decorative accent - are all it takes to give a room a fresh look. It may help you to assist your customer to get started on their dream kitchen, living room, bedroom retreat or just about any other space in the home or garden that could use a refresh.

1 Sustainable Design Choices

Consumers are becoming more mindful of choosing environmentally friendly options as the conversation and importance of sustainable design is begining to take centre stage. People are increasingly asking where and how items are made.

2 Indestructible Fabrics

Customers generally want indestructible fabrics. There are so many options that mimic the look of natural linen, velvet and textural fabrics, many are outdoor-rated, stain-resistant, highperformance materials. Couple that with stain-resistant and washable and we can now design homes that do not sacrifice function for aesthetic purposes. Many of these materials are made from recycled plastic and are part of the trend toward sustainability and repurposing.

3

Saturated Paint Colors

Designers are seeing a preference for saturated wall colours, particularly in bathrooms. Clients realise that, especially in kids or guest bathrooms taking a gorgeous shade of blue and enveloping the walls, ceiling and vanity cabinets is a really cool monochromatic look with a punch. Colour is definitely king in 2023!

4

Plaster Finishes

Plaster finishes are coming back big time. It has a distinction that sets it apart from hard metal finishes, and it adds a comforting quality to a space that clients are responding to at present. There’s an artistry involved and it creates a story to tell.

5

Natural Stone Slabs

Stone slabs are dominating backsplashes from countertop to ceiling. They are cascading to the floor in waterfall edges and wrapping around islands. It’s an exciting development, as these stones are so unique and beautiful, and truly enhance these spaces as the basic neutrals they replace never could. They’re complemented by renewed interest in colourful mosaics and textured stone tile with mixed finishes.

Indestructable Fabrics

Plaster Finishes

Stone Slabs

6 Muted Colors

The neutral, warm and cosy look is going to add some additions in 2023. Plums and mustards are popping up in more calming and deeper tones that seem as though they were a colour found in nature. People are starting to embrace colours and to value different shades.

7 Enclosed Kitchens

Designers are seeing a lot of enclosed kitchen spaces as opposed to large family room/kitchen areas that are open to the rest of the home. But within that space, the designs tend to be more open plans with wall shelving and less built-in-looking cabinets.

8 Statement Lamps

It is predicted that we will see a lot more saturated colours, more glossy than matte finishes and more elaborate lamp shades. Traditionally applied fabrics and patterns have become quite popular, so much so new shades in pleated linen are being offered as a standard. There is also a move towards ceramic shades, for table, floor and even pendant or surface mounts, becoming trendy.

9 Unique Window Treatments

In 2023, it is expected to see more embellishments on window treatments, from fringe trim on drapery leading edges to scalloped-edge Roman shades and shaped cornices. These details make window treatments more personalised and add punch to simpler, more streamlined alternatives.

10 Warm Woods

The use of warmer wood tones and an earthy colour palette in furniture and fabric will continue to rise.

11 Stripes

Stripes are going to come back in 2023 they’re the original high-contrast design element, whether used in wallpaper, textiles or paint and make an unmistakably bold statement unlike any other pattern.

12 Statement Rugs

There will always be neutral rugs, but there is a shift towards rugs being functioning floor art. These statement rugs will become a fixture in the home - a form of artwork that must also be curated to create the perfect space.

13 Soft-Modern Design

There is a growing demand for modern kitchen design. There is, however, a gap in the market for a tempered design that layers warm elements to soften the space in modern kitchens, contrast is key. Customers may choose to use a very high-gloss finish for the cabinets and offset it with a matte wood finish for open shelving or accent panels.

14 High-Gloss Wood Finishes

Instead of matte wood finishes, there will be more high-gloss wood that brings a polished look and feel to the home.

15 Arches

Rounded door frames, thresholds and ceilings are going to be big in 2023. Arches evoke an old-world architectural era and bring a sense of timelessness and softness to any space.

Statement Lamps

High Gloss Wood

Unique Window Treatments

Arches

Soft Modern Design Kitchens

HAI Certificate Final Stages

HAI Certificate in Hardware Retail & Merchanting reaches its final stages. After nine months of online modules and onsite learning and reflection, students in the HAI Certificate have completed their final module and are preparing to wrap up their learning.

Octabuild Members and others sharing their Product Knowledge

CERTIFICATE HARDWARE RETAIL AND MERCHANTING

The final module, covering Team Building and Team Leading, was delivered by Noel Davidson in a highly interactive session on the 25th of April, and was followed by the final Product Knowledge module covering Fasteners & Fixings products, presented by Gary Buckley from Tuck’s Fasteners.

At this point in the course, the students’ (and their mentors’) closing assignment is a final reflection on their learning, giving them a chance to look back on where they started, how much they have learned, and where they have flourished and found their strength most. This is an essential and inspiring point of the programme giving students and their mentors a chance to reflect on how far they have come, and how much further they can progress in their role.

Geared up for Graduation

With the students preparing to wrap up their studies they can now prepare for the Graduation Ceremony, where all students and their mentors will get a chance to meet some of their tutors, Octabuild members, as well as reunite with the HAI team in person to receive their certificate in recognition of their efforts. Two students will receive further recognition with our Student of the Year and High Achieving Student awards.

Highlights of this year’s Graduation Ceremony will be covered in the next issue of The Hardware Journal

As always, HAI thanks Octabuild and its members (Dulux, Etex, Glennon Brothers, Grant Engineering, Gyproc, Irish Cement, Kingspan, and Wavin) and other suppliers Ames True Temper, Toolbank and Tucks Fasteners for their support and expertise. Together they have provided this year’s students with essential product and industry information to prepare them for any trade or retail interactions they might face, while also giving them a fully rounded view of the industry.

Here is the full list of all Product Knowledge modules delivered this year:

• Paint & Décor - Dulux Paints

• Heating Products - Grant Engineering

• Insulation Products - Kingspan Insulation

• Roof and Timber Products - Etex and Glennon Brothers

• Plumbing Products - Wavin Ireland

• Cement Products - Gyproc and Irish Cement

• Garden Products - Ames True Temper

• Hand and Power Tools - Toolbank Ireland

• Fasteners & Fixings - Tuck’s Fastener’s & Fixings

In these final stages of the HAI Certificate Hardware Association Ireland would like to thank Octabuild and its members for their continued support as sponsors for this year, and look forward to continuing to work with them into the future.

Octabuild Chairperson, Declan Conlon, Sales Manager for Wavin, commented: “Octabuild member companies have been delighted to share their expertise and support the nurturing of talent in the builders merchant trade through this sponsorship. The training and development offered by the HAI Certificate as a whole and the Product Knowledge modules in particular play a significant role in ensuring the future development and ultimate success of the industry. This is fundamental to Octabuild’s purpose and we are delighted to be able to bring it to life through this partnership.” Enrolment is now open for 2023-2024.

For more information about the HAI Certificate in Hardware Retail and Merchanting contact Aoife at aoife@hardwareassociation.ie or call 01 2980969

HAI Training Schedule Autumn 2023

Hardware Association Ireland (HAI) is delighted to launch its Autumn 2023 training schedule, which features the return of our most popular workshops, and the return to the physical classroom for our Sales, Customer Service and Sales Management workshops, along with the return of our Leadership and Communication Skills two-day course for managers and supervisors.

All workshops are tailored specifically to the needs of the hardware/DIY industry.

For more information about all our courses visit www.hardwareassociation.ie/training-and-development

To book places or for queries about any of our upcoming training courses please contact Aoife Kinsella at aoife@hardwareassociation.ie or call 01 2980969

Employment Law update

We have asked Emma Neill, TSA Consultants, www.tsaconsultants.ie, to outline various HR amendments and new Acts of Law that have been and are being introduced over a short space of time of which employers in our sector need to be aware.

The aim of this article is to give you a summary of these recent and upcoming changes, which should prompt you to take action as appropriate. There is so much to report, this article cannot provide a full ‘deep dive’ into each of the topics. Please view the content as an introduction to these changes and we encourage you to contact TSA Consultants or your current HR advisor further as required.

Law to note:

Gender Pay Gap Reporting:

All employers with over 250 employees had to produce a Gender Pay Gap report in 2022. Next year (in 2024) this threshold drops to those with more than 150, which brings many more employers under this requirement. Employers must calculate and publicly report on a set list of differences between gender pay in various sectors of their business and ultimately produce a figure for their gender pay gap.

Whistleblowing:

New legislation to strengthen protection for whistleblowers commenced on 1st January 2023 with further enactment of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (now the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022). From that date, employers with 250 or more employees will have to set up formal channels for workers to report concerns about wrongdoing in the workplace. A derogation is in place for employers with between 50 and 249 employees, who will not be required to establish reporting channels until 17th December 2023.

Pension:

Under Auto Enrolment employees will have access to a workplace pension savings scheme which is co-funded by their employer and the State. Those people who choose to remain in the system will have their pension savings matched on a one-for-one basis by the employer. The State will also provide a top-up of ¤1 for every ¤3 saved by the worker.

SSP:

Statutory Sick Pay is a new entitlement as part of the Sick Leave Bill 2022 which came into effect on 1st January 2023. Workers will now be entitled to up to three days of employer-paid sick leave in a year, paid at 70% of gross salary up to a cap of ¤110 per day. The number of days will increase incrementally over four years.

2023 – 3 days covered. 2024 – 5 days covered. 2025 – 7 days covered. 2026 – 10 days covered.

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023

This Act has been passed into law, but certain provisions are awaiting formal enactment. Continue to watch for when these rights are formally commenced.

Breastfeeding Rights:

Currently Breastfeeding rights end when a child turns 26 weeks old, but this is being extended to 104 weeks. Mothers are entitled to breaks to breastfeed or express milk. Women are entitled to take one (paid) hour each day as a breastfeeding break which can be taken as one 60-minute break, two 30-minute breaks or three 20-minute breaks. An employer should try to have a safe, secure, hygienic room for these purposes if at all possible.

Right to Request Remote Working:

Once put in place, employees will have a legal right to request remote working. The WRC is preparing a code of practice to support this legislation. Employees must meet certain conditions for this entitlement and employers must follow the correct procedure to either approve, refuse, or terminate the arrangement. Every employer will need to produce a policy on this to take into account safety, insurance, GDPR, productivity and all other associated issues.

Right to Request Flexible Working:

Once put in place, employees will have a legal right to request flexible working arrangements. There are two circumstances where these arrangements can be requested, 1. For an employee to care for a child, and 2. For an employee to provide personal care or support (for a serious medical reason) to a close relative, spouse or cohabitant. Employers must follow the correct procedure to either approve, refuse, or terminate the agreement.

Domestic Violence Leave:

This is paid leave for employees who have experienced in the past, or are currently experiencing, domestic violence. This leave cannot be for more than five days in a period of 12 months. The Minister is yet to set a daily rate of pay for this leave.

Leave For Medical Care Purposes:

Employees are entitled to up to five days of unpaid leave to tend to the medical needs of a child, close relative, spouse or a cohabitant. This is restricted to five days in any 12-month period. No service requirement and the leave must be taken in periods of at least one day. Employees must provide employers with a signed statement. Employers are entitled to request additional information.

Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Directive

This law was enacted by Government in mid-December without much fanfare. This is now law, it directly applies to all employers and, if you have not done so far, it requires action on the part of employers.

Statement of Terms of Employment:

1. Changes to 5 Day Statement of Terms: Additional information must now be provided to employees as part of their core terms within five days of commencing employment. This includes, but is not limited to, information regarding job title, date of commencement, duration and conditions of probation, remuneration and pay reference period, the location/ locations of work, and expected hours of work.

2. One Month Statement of Terms of Employment:

All other terms of employment, which previously had to be provided to an employee within two months of commencing, must now be provided within one month.

Probation:

Probation periods can no longer exceed six months in duration, except in the case of public servants (max 12 months) or exceptional circumstances (definition yet to be clarified). Probation periods can, however, be extended by the duration of any employee absence.

Parallel (Secondary) Employment: Employers can no longer prohibit employees from taking up additional employment outside of their work schedule or treat them adversely for doing so. If an employer wishes to impose an incompatibility restriction on an employee, they must provide the employee with details of the objective grounds on which it is based, either in the contract of employment or in a written statement.

Working Hours:

All work must now take place or be scheduled within the, now defined, reference hours and days included in the employee’s written terms. Where work is not within these reference hours and/or minimum notice has not been provided, the employee is entitled to refuse the work without fear of penalisation or sanction.

Mandatory Training: Any mandatory training required by law or collective agreement must be provided to the employee free of charge, must count as working time, and where possible, should take place during working hours. Such training must also be included in the Contract of Employment.

We would advise that such quickfire explanations are not designed to offer a full legal description of these new requirements but aim to make readers aware of the changes to legislation and prompt further review where required.

We are happy to support HAI members with any further queries as needed on 021 4634154, email info@tsaconsultants.ie or visit www.tsaconsultants.ie

Emma Neill is a HR Consultant with Tommy Smyth & Associates. She works closely with clients across a range of sectors.

Tom Smyth & Associates assists employers in Ireland to meet their Human Resources objectives. Both Irish and international countrywide trust them to support their HR, IR Employment Law and Safety functions.

EMMA NEILL HR Consultant, TSA Consultants.

Make DIY smart again

Our colleague and friend, Thierry Coeman conducts an enlightening conversation with Dr Robert Rooderkerk. The retail expert wishes to point out that retailers and suppliers generally do not use their available data sufficiently - to gain competitive advantage from it. The daily mission of Dr. Robert is specifically to support retailers worldwide in their omnichannel operations on the one hand, and to advise them in making accurate decisions to turn their vision and strategy into constant growth, efficiency and profitability on the other.

The common thread during the interview does not immediately put the focus on data or analytics as such; rather the simplification, pragmatism and accessibility required to embrace business analytics.

“All too often, the crucial point where data is at the core of an issue, it initially identifies as a complex matter and appears to be only decipherable by a few mathematical thinkers in the organisation, when in fact these precise issues need to be identified and addressed by multiple decision-makers and across all departments in the organisation,” Dr. Robert says, “My first task in this challenging journey is to make ‘sometimes confusing terms’ immediately understandable to everyone. Take the term ‘Omnichannel’, for example. Usually, most people incorrectly translate it as retailing across and through all channels.

This is a misinterpretation. Efficient Omnichannel simply means making sure your offer is integrated in the best performing way in all channels according to the customer journey.

Freely translated, making sure your product is physically present and available everywhere (Route to Market), wherever the customer is; and above all, detecting all analytic pain points along those customer routes and solving them. This is apparently still where there are pinch points in some retail basics still not fully and holistically mastered, including product availability, choice, zero queues, customer-orientated service and memorable store experience - both online and in physical retail. Too many retailers mistakingly apply an individual profit & loss calculation per channel, suggests Dr. Robert.

Make your DIY teams ‘Data Savvy’

Much retail data (loyalty cards, POS registration, in-store configurators, eCommerce) is still incomplete because it is scattered incoherently in different silos of the Omnichannel experience. The challenge is to tie data together harmoniously. For this, one has to make the transition from data to analytics by structurally purifying and connecting data.

Also, the term ‘Analytics’ should not scare individuals off. We must ensure that any expertise does not depend on some software programme, but rather on managers who can drive and motivate an organisation to leverage data, across all departments (Marketing, Sales, Logistics, HR) and not just those responsible for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to generate continued growth.

Analytics should constantly focus on ‘what can be better applied from now on’, by business function and then from a holistic approach involving all strategic departments in the organisation. Analytics is simply the step forward after data input!

“Suppose, for a yet unknown reason, you realise, during the previous quarter, +12% sales in the sanitary category with bathroom/kitchen taps: with this, you have a fact base. In our University methodology we call this phase, Descriptive Analytics (what is occurring). Then the research kicks in: why is this so?; what factors led to this? How does it effect the marketing mix (4 Ps)? What are the drivers for sales? Phase 2 is: Diagnosic Analytics (why did it happen?). The third, and decisive task, is to move from Descriptive / Diagnostic to Predictive: what model can help us estimate sales forecasts more accurately in the future? This is Forecast Analytics (what will happen).

For DIY & Garden, this can be very enlightening: which product categories are extremely sensitive to seasonal weather change and to seasonal turbulence? How should we forecast inventory, determine adapted product assortment choices and what type of new assortments apply?”, questions Dr Rooderkerk.

Smarter DIY

It seems that sometimes despite your perseverance, you still have to constantly fight against the bias or fear of using data? “Some people always seem to feel uncomfortable about using

Dr Robert Rooderkerk, Erasmus University.

“The retail landscape is littered with dash-boards bulging with data that is barely ever used”. So says, Dr Robert Rooderkerk, Associate Professor at the reputable Rotterdam School of Management, a top European school under the flag of Erasmus University.

A View from Europe

data. The truth is that technology inside retail is often introduced as a ‘gadget’, or nice to have; and thus not thought through. Retail technology should not be introduced for technology’s sake. Think of robots or digital information pillars nowadays instore. Only when faced with a pain point in the process does it make sense to use technology as a problem solver. By deploying and using data smartly, it will benefit a smarter DIY”, says Dr Robert.

The final objective must be to make the smartphone the beating heart within Omnichannel. Only then will retailing become ‘customer centric’, Just make it convenient.

Never waste a good crisis

Dr Robert`s mission is to offer data as a competitive advantage for every leader, manager and CEO in DIY retailing.” Effectively, data is not rocket science. Data can catalyse three levers in a business:

• generate more traffic on the shop floor

• achieve more product rotation through conversion

• and substantially increase the average check-out ticket (optimise the basket size),

Those who tomorrow start turning data into analytics in a smart way will immediately recoup the investment in sales and most importantly in profit.

To wrap it up in DIY terms:

• Data is the toolbox;

• Analytics is the satisfaction in finishing the job, when the project takes shape;

• Predictive is giving you the gusto to start the next job.

“Once you have Descriptive / Diagnostic / and Predictive under control and by definition connect and master the Omnichannel, you are armed for the next challenge” he suggests.

Embrace Technology & DIY

Dr Robert Rooderkerk belongs to that rare breed of brilliant academics with an unparalleled chameleon ability: fine-tuning pure intelligence with observations and research in a retail environment. His academic work is constantly collected from observation and research on the store floor. That is why his thoughts and appeal have relevance, thanks in part to that pragmatic approach.

Recently, he published a high-profile article in Harvard Business Review that analyses the six ‘sticking points’ on why retailers appear reluctant to adopt Advanced Data Analytics. The article in question prompted this interview. So let’s just embrace the academic world in our industry.

Let’s be grateful for this new type and profile of smart advisers. As Dr Robert teaches us how to better understand the technical language, his journey will end up in making DIY smart again!

Robert Rooderkerk is the Academic Director of the RetailAnalytics expert practice area at the Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics. He is an associate professor of operations management at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University. Over the past two decades, he has built up extensive expertise in retail operations, with an emphasis on omnichannel retail and retail analytics.

His interactions with retailers and manufacturers include DIY and Home Improvement. He is also a regular speaker at international industry and company events.

Thierry Coeman shares with us more than three decades of experience in the international Home Improvement Sector. He was the chairman of the Belgian DIY Association, a unique organisation which brought together retailers, independents and manufacturers much like Hardware Association Ireland. He works with a network of European and Worldwide Stakeholders to share best practice while seeking innovation in the art of facilitating the common interest focussing on customers’ needs. He is the author of the essay Hammertime, a provocative vision on the future of the Home Improvement store.

About Dr. Robert P. Rooderkerk

Thierry Coeman.

Meet your customers where they are

The what?

Historically, there has been one sacred rule in retailing that we have lived by - The customer standing in front of us is the most important thing I have to handle today.

I wrote that sentence and immediately shook my head at its irrelevance in today’s business world. In fact, over the years, the way our customers can find us and want to shop with us has increased significantly with new options popping up all the time. And whether we like it or not, it’s up to the brick-andmortar retailer to keep up.

Traditional methods have ranged from customers calling us on the phone or someone placing a catalog order, but these days we can get product and pricing requests via email, Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn, Instagram, or our store website.

In my own business, we had a communication pivot during the pandemic because we didn’t have enough phone lines, so we installed a chat function at our busiest locations. There have been times when I’ve felt like I couldn’t keep up with all the requests and thought to myself, “can’t they just walk in the door and talk to us?”

Ultimately though, I saw the need for multiple options as an opportunity to increase our revenue if we were willing to create an atmosphere of adaptability – one where new forms of technology would go hand in hand with good old fashioned aisle shopping. The proliferation of online shopping in our sector has made it imperative to treat the digital shopper with the same care and importance as their in-store counterparts. The goal, of course, is that by embracing this mindset, our digital AND in-store sales will increase.

The so, what?

We all want to compete, so whether we like it or not, we must figure out how to wrangle all of the communication and commerce options, take control and make them work for us. I asked one of our store managers what he likes about the increased number of online shoppers and his face lit up. “I like everything about it,” he said. “Not only is it easy money, but it often gets new customers in the door which gives us the opportunity to sell them more things.”

A. Customers want to find you, so be visible.

- Do you have an online presence? Is this presence professional, updated, and appropriate for your market?

- Review your website or social media pages at least quarterly to ensure information accuracy.

- Don’t be afraid to spend a little money to make this happen.

B. Customers want to be able to see your inventory.

- Is your inventory visible in real time both in person and online?

- Is your inventory relevant to your market and have you identified holes you can fill? I believe there are ALWAYS holes we can fill.

Incomplete or inaccurate inventory clouds a shopper’s visibility that could lead to the loss of a sale. Just like a customer who walks in expecting to find something and doesn’t, they will walk out. An online shopper who doesn’t see what she’s looking for can easily leave our site and go visit someone else’s.

And in today’s world, that means their shopping power has increased dramatically. She doesn’t have to hop in a car and drive across town for what she’s looking for. She can literally (er, virtually) surf online in stores around the world while she’s working from home, watching her children nap, or meeting with a handyman. It’s up to us to be there for her.

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO),In 2021, four in ten (40%) enterprises in Ireland had e-Commerce sales. www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-isse/inform ationsocietystatisticsenterprises2021/e-commerce/ They categorise an e-Commerce sale as a sale conducted over computer networks via websites, apps, or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) of goods or services.

These numbers will just keep increasing whether we’re on board or not so why shouldn’t independent hardware stores have a piece of that pie?

The now, what?

1. The best plan of attack is to actually make a plan. The independent hardware store culture has always been “helpful”, and that’s not going away. In fact, our secret weapon in today’s competitive landscape is that we are indeed still helpful.

So, in the virtual shopping world, if we can apply our helpful policies to create raving fans who shop with us online or communicate with us other than in the store, we are already winning.

2. Figure out your pain points.

- Do you need additional communication channels?

- Do you need to carve out space to hold on-line orders before a customer picks them up?

- Do you need special signage to let your customers know where to go to pick up their purchases?

In addition to needing solutions for these points, we quickly realised our customers were shopping online for larger items that we don`t typically carry. The first day a garden shed came off our delivery truck, we had a minor panic attack. Not only did we need to figure out where to put it, but we needed a plan to get it out of the store or to possibly deliver it immediately.

As a consequence, we did three things.

a. We created a space to exclusively store eCommerce orders.

b. We increased our delivery marketing to let customers know we can, and will, take big items directly to their doorstep.

c. We standardised delivery procedures like drivers’ uniforms and scheduling.

Subsequently, categories we thought would never be online purchase targets have seen large volumes of orders successfully fulfilled - from gallons of mixed paint to patio furniture and lawn mowers. This is ever evolving, expanding, and exciting to watch.

3. Put someone in charge!

You may want a store manager or assistant manager to be responsible for your eCommerce orders and communications in the beginning, but just like helping in-store customers, this should be a team effort. Everyone from cashiers to sales associates can and should play a role. Your program will become stronger and more profitable if the efforts are shared by the entire team.

4. Measure the outcome.

We track sales and plan for growth each year, but we also measure response time. Our goal is to have our online orders responded to or acknowledged in fifteen minutes or less. Again, just like a customer who can walk in and get immediate satisfaction, an online shopper also expects instant gratification. The cash they are spending is just as significant to us, why shouldn’t our helpfulness to them carry equal weight?

We recently acquired a store which boasts almost 18% of their revenue from online sales. Once they get over their jealousy, I hope the rest of the chain runs to catch up.

A key takeaway is that the bottom line should be a bigger bottom line! Most of us don’t have the luxury of widening our aisles in-store, but we can expand our digital selection and communication channels.

These two improvements alone will strengthen our playing field and prepare us for the next decade of brick and mortar AND online business.

Sometime around 2016 one of my teammates came to me and said, “You know Gina, this place is known as `Recovery Hardware’ in the community”. That little phrase jumpstarted a book by the same name that tells so many beautiful stories of the people that helped grow our business. If you’d like to read more about them, you can order the book Recovery Hardware by Gina Schaefer at www.waterstones.com

Preparing for the next decade of brick and mortar AND online business.

Gina celebrating their 20 years in business.

The Company’s Core Values.

Roofing Industry focused on sustainable and energy-efficient solutions

The roofing industry in both Ireland and the UK has been increasingly focused on sustainable and energy-efficient solutions. There has been a growing demand for eco-friendly roofing materials and systems that help reduce energy consumption and promote environmental sustainability. This includes the use of solar panels and improved insulation materials.

Homeowners and businesses in particular are increasingly interested in environmentally friendly options such as solar panels and energy-efficient insulation. This trend is driven by a growing awareness of climate change and a desire to reduce energy consumption.

The roofing industry has been embracing digitalisation and technology to improve efficiency and streamline operations. Internationally the use of drones for roof inspections, advanced roofing software for project management and digital tools for estimating and planning have become more prevalent. These technologies help enhance accuracy, productivity and customer satisfaction.

With the global increase in occurrences of extreme weather events, there has been a greater emphasis on resilient roofing systems. Roofing materials and designs that can withstand high winds, heavy rain, and other severe

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There has been a continuous focus on product innovation and the development of new roofing materials.

Manufacturers have been investing in research and development to enhance the durability, performance, and aesthetics of roofing products. This includes the introduction of new composite materials, lightweight options, and improved coatings for better weather resistance and longevity.

Safety regulations and standards have become increasingly stringent in the roofing industry. There has been a greater emphasis on worker safety, training, and compliance with safety guidelines. This includes measures to minimise risks related to working at heights, proper installation practices, and ensuring the use of appropriate safety equipment.

Image courtsey of JD Roberts.

PVC FABRICATIONS manufacture a large range of flat roof rainwater outlets & air vents in Cork

Flat roofs are very durable, and when installed properly, can withstand adverse weather conditions like heavy snowfall and high winds.

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The Complete Roofline, Rainwater, Window, and Cladding System for your home

Pipelife is one of Ireland’s leading manufacturers and providers of plastic piping systems. Specialising in the extrusion of polyethylene (PE) pipes, Pipelife offers industry leading products for the heating & plumbing, water pressure, electricity, cable ducting, gas and agricultural sectors. The acquisition of Cork Plastics in 2021 has allowed Pipelife to extend their product portfolio and market presence. The Cork Plastic’s product ranges were very complementary to Pipelife Ireland’s existing product ranges, with the additional advantage of providing a very solid sales presence in external cladding, Rainwater and Roofline systems for the building industry in Ireland, the UK and Mainland Europe.

Pipelife, is also a name synonymous with high quality PVC-U roofline products for new build and home improvement projects, with its wide range of rainwater systems. The Pipelife reputation for technical excellence, competitively priced and quality finished products have established the company as a leading supplier of PVC-U plastic building products.

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• Hi-Cap, a semi-elliptical profile with a high capacity suitable for large roof areas.

• Niagara Ogee, a traditional ogee style profile - probably the highest capacity domestic PVC-U Rainwater System on the market.

• XtraFlo, a 170mm semi-elliptical System, for large Commercial/Industrial buildings, which links to a 110mm downpipe system.

A comprehensive selection of co-extruded cellular foam and rigid PVC-UE building profiles completes the Pipelife range of Roofline products.

With an initial capital investment of ¤30m now underway to expand and upgrade their existing production facility in Little Island, Cork, this will result in them having one of the most modern facilities within the Pipelife Group. By 2026 there will be 35 state-of-the-art extrusion lines incorporating the latest automation technologies, with a planned output approaching 45,000 tonnes per annum.

This significant investment in new equipment, personnel, and services is without parallel in our sector in the country and will position their Irish operations as a world-class manufacturing facility for many years to come. The investment also shows Pipelife’s long-term commitment to the Irish market and the scale, modernity, and product portfolio will make Pipelife very attractive as a supply chain partner for the major merchant groups, builders, and installers in the country.

For more information and to talk to our team call us on 021 488 4700 or e-mail us at ireland@pipelife.com and check out our website www.pipelifeeco.ie

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We offer a comprehensive range of products including uPVC fascia, soffit, window boards, external cladding, and gutter systems. Our products add style and definition to domestic, commercial and industrial buildings, and are available in a wide variety of profiles and colours to suit any construction project.

We offer a comprehensive range of products including uPVC fascia, soffit, window boards, external cladding, and gutter systems. Our products add style and definition to domestic, commercial and industrial buildings, and are available in a wide variety of profiles and colours to suit any construction project.

Our range of rainwater systems – Xtraflo, Niagara, Hi-Cap, Half Round, Square and MiniFlo offer a wide choice of profile design, both traditional and modern, in a range of colours to suit all tastes and applications.

Our range of rainwater systems – Xtraflo, Niagara, Hi-Cap, Half Round, Square and MiniFlo offer a wide choice of profile design, both traditional and modern, in a range of colours to suit all tastes and applications.

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Easy to apply on dry or wet surfaces

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With Waterstop Liquid cracks of up to 10mm can be covered and sealed. After drying it is waterproof and remains flexible.

Waterstop Liquid from Bostik. The ultimate roof repair coating.

Further information from, Bostik Industries Limited, Newtown, Swords, Co. Dublin, Phone: +353 1 862 4900, Fax: +353 1 840 2186 www.bostik.ie

Roof refurbishment - the clever investment

As winter bids farewell and gives way to the warmth of summer, Sika Ireland says it’s time to reflect on the impact the season has had on your customer’s homes and structures. Harsh winters can wreak havoc on rooftops, leaving them vulnerable to various types of damage. In such circumstances, refurbishing or building a new roof often emerges as a prudent investment. It minimises the risk of more serious damage to the rest of the structure or the roof itself, and it also provides homeowners with peace of mind and long-term cost savings.

Examples of Potential Damages

Consider the scenario where a roof with a compromised membrane after a harsh winter fails to withstand the heavy rainfall of spring. Water begins seeping through the roof, causing extensive damage to the attic, insulation, and interior walls. Alternatively, the water penetrates the roof’s underlayment and causes rot and mould. In both cases, the financial damage to homeowners can be significant, not to mention the high but avoidable stress level.

Sika have quality products for all your customer`s projects. They have a wide array of high-quality roofing solutions available that are suitable for various refurbishment and construction projects. From durable bitumen solutions to efficient liquid applied membranes, there are options available to match different budgets, architectural styles, and environmental needs. Encourage your customers not to wait until the damage is already done! By addressing issues promptly, homeowners can protect their investment and avoid potentially catastrophic consequences such as water damage and structural instability. Sika`s range of high-quality products are tailored to different project requirements. Therefore, refurbishing or building a new roof has become more accessible and straightforward than ever before. So, advise your customer to take advantage of the spring and summer season to secure the long-term well-being of their home by considering a roofing investment today.

For more information on Sika`s full range of products visit www.irl.sika.com

EASY TO USE, ALL WEATHER ROOFING SOLUTIONS

ALL WEATHER FULL ROOFING SYSTEM

n Fast curing – Rain resistant in 10 minutes

n Moisture curing – no catalyst required

n Suitable for flat and pitched roofs

n Ideal for new roofing installations and the refurbishment of old

EMERGENCY ROOF REPAIR

n Instantly waterproofing

n One coat application

n For all common roofs, gutters and gulleys

n Can be used in the wet

PAINTS & PROTECTORS

n Full range of bitumen

n Paints

n Adhesives

n Primers

n Flashing tapes

The future of Ireland’s roofing industry

Established in Ireland over fifty years ago by John Roberts, JD ROBERTS has been supplying the construction industry with the highest quality roofing slates for over two decades. The company’s development has paralleled that of the Irish roofing industry. In reality, the roofing industry is expanding fast. As the number of new residences increases, there are also more roofs to maintain.

According to a recent report by EY*, the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) approach to building has the potential to accelerate the construction of new homes by 30% through the incorporation of innovation, reduce costs by 25%, and enhance quality and energy efficiency.

Simon MacAllister, EY Ireland Strategy and Transactions Partner, added, “The advancements in construction technologies are reshaping the future of the construction industry globally. We need to create opportunities for the industry in Ireland to bring these technologies into Irish projects. Project Ireland 2040 and the various housing initiatives require an effective construction sector, which is central to the overall development of our society and economy.”

As a result of rising material costs and a labour shortage, supply chain problems have become the norm. This dilemma will, unfortunately, persist this year. Despite the fact that suppliers and manufacturers are still catching up to meet demand, JD ROBERTS is in a secure position due to their long-term supply chain commitments with their European partners. This ensures that builders` merchants and hardware stores will have an ongoing readily available supply of roofing slates given the company`s proficient lead times from order to delivery with their suppliers. “We are collaborating with our suppliers’ R&D departments to develop a number of inventive new roofing accessories, which we hope will be available on the Irish market by 2024. We are extremely optimistic about the state of the Irish roofing and construction industry, and we look forward to building on the success of 2022 through our clients and affiliation with Hardware Association Ireland,” said the company’s Managing Director, Jack Roberts.

* EY report highlights critical role of innovation to ensure a productive and sustainable construction sector in Ireland | EY Ireland

Soudal Soudagum Hydro: A Versatile Waterproofing Solution

Soudal continue to drive innovation within the field of sealants, adhesives, and polyurethane based foam systems. Their priorities continue to focus on their customers and their requirements and as such sustainability is a major factor when producing their highperformance products that are providing fast and effective long-term solutions. Product performance, technical support, high service levels and excellent value are evident within all the Soudal range. Soudal Soudagum Hydro is a one-component, solvent-free waterproofing product suitable for both horizontal and vertical surfaces. It offers excellent workability and can be applied in two layers. This low-viscosity product is ready to use, making it convenient for various applications.

Soudagum Hydro is water-vapour permeable and has good temperature resistance. It becomes rain resistant just two hours after application, providing quick protection against water damage. The product also demonstrates good crack-bridging, excellent resistance to chemicals, and strong UV and weather resistance. With its versatility, Soudagum Hydro finds applications in various waterproofing needs. It can be used for waterproofing skylights, cracks in roofs and walls, indoor and outdoor joints and more. It can

also serve as a waterproof layer under concrete roofs and wooden terraces. Additionally, it is suitable for repairing metal and plastic roof gutters, as well as renovating rooftops, roof edges, and chimney flashings.

Soudagum Hydro adheres well to different substrates such as concrete, glass, ceramics, tiles, and metals including aluminium, steel, zinc, and copper. Prior to application, surfaces should be firm, loadbearing, and free of dust and grease. While it can be used without a primer on moist substrates, it should not be applied in the presence of stagnant water.

In conclusion, Soudal Soudagum Hydro is a versatile and reliable waterproofing solution. With its easy application, water-vapor permeability, and resistance to various environmental factors, it provides effective protection for both indoor and outdoor surfaces. Whether it’s waterproofing, repairing, or renovating, Soudagum Hydro is a convenient choice for ensuring long-lasting and durable waterproofing results.

Contact their sales office for further information on 01 88 55 555 or Enquiries.Ireland@soudal.com

Substrates and preparation: Substrates need to be clean, stable, and free of dust and grease Remove all traces of previous protective coating materials.

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