Jan/Feb 2022

2022 Trends
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2022
Pat Rice, Commercial Director at hardware manufacturer UAP, discusses the key trends
from 2021 and what lies ahead for the industry in 2022.
This time last year, all the talk was about
adjusting to the ‘new normal’ as the
construction sector braced itself for
continued uncertainty in 2021.
UAP’s Kinetica+ K4
It’s clear now that the goal should be old
normal+: business as usual with the added
benefits of embracing the lessons we have
learned during the pandemic.
Supply chain challenges
For UAP, those lessons began right at the
beginning of COVID-19.
Accepting weeks before the UK locked down that
the issue would be global and the impact on
supply chains would be immense, we invested
in manufacturing products ahead of time and
increased stockholding capacity.
As the situation has evolved, companies across
the delivery chain have continued to battle with
supply challenges.
It’s an issue that has followed the industry
throughout 2021 and looks set to continue in
2022.
And, of course, because demand
is outstripping supply for so many
commodities – including the transport
needed to get them from A to B – price rises are
inherently linked to supply chain shortages too.
The only way to address supply chain issues is
to acknowledge them and develop a strategy to
counter the difficulties.
Over the past year, we have invested in our
warehousing and logistics systems to translate
our stockholding advantages into efficient
order picking and short lead times, helping the
fenestration sector to access the products they
need with reliability and accountability.
Customer-focused
Choice and flexibility will continue to play a key
role in serving customers in 2022.
High levels of demand look set to remain, so
there is a need to be able to offer alternatives and
ask the right questions about what the customer
really needs.
Understanding the customer’s needs is
embedded in our culture at UAP, through market
“The only way to address supply
chain issues is to acknowledge
them and develop a strategy to
counter the difficulties” - Pat Rice
insight, feedback from our sales team and our
annual customer survey.
We use that knowledge to approach our
operational management with a continuous
improvement mind-set, and to drive product
development.
It has been very clear to us at UAP that one of the
outcomes of the pandemic is people’s focus on feeling
safe, comfortable and secure in their own homes.
48 T F JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 CONNECTING THE WINDOW, DOOR & ROOF FABRICATION SUPPLY CHAIN