Smarter Together: Stuart James talks Lovell’s supply chain approach

Stuart James, Lovell’s newly-appointed Area Procurement Manager for Wales and South West England, speaks exclusively to UK Construction Online about his new role, Lovell’s supply chain approach and the practicalities of housebuilding during the most pronounced skills shortage in recent memory.

Could you first of all provide our readers with a bit of an introduction? What is your professional history and how did you come to work at Lovell?

I joined the construction industry at the age of 17 after leaving school. My first job was as a trainee quantity surveyor working for a regional contractor in Cardiff. The training was subsidised by the CITB under the old YTS training scheme and I was paid just £35 per week.

I attended Pontypridd Technical College one day a week for over four years, studying for a BTEC Construction qualification, then completed a further four years part time at the University of Glamorgan, obtaining a BSc in Quantity Surveying. I joined Lovell Partnerships’ Cardiff office in 1996. Over the next 16 years, I progressed my career and was promoted to regional buyer as the business grew and took on more diverse work streams such as planned maintenance.

Over the past few years, I’ve continued to develop my career with procurement roles at a variety of national house builders and regional contractors. I was delighted when this year the opportunity arose to return to Lovell and become part of the newly-formed central procurement team based at head office in Tamworth.

As Area Procurement Manager for Wales and South West England, what does your new role entail?

My role as Area Procurement Manager is to manage our approved supply chain effectively, identifying the best opportunities for our regional contracts throughout South Wales and the South West.

I also work closely with the region to achieve our ‘service first’ delivery aims through initiatives such as zero defects and zero waste. I am also on the lookout for any suitable off-site manufacturing opportunities.

In South Wales, we’ve secured some exciting large-scale brownfield regeneration projects, in particular The Mill (former Ely paper mill site) in Cardiff – a mixed tenure scheme of some 800 units. This venture is a partnership with Tirion Group and Cadwyn Housing Association.

You’ve worked at Lovell previously. How has the housing provider changed in the intervening years?

I was really pleased to have re-joined Lovell as I share their values, ambitions and vison for the future. I think Lovell’s core business ethic and culture remains strong and is highlighted by the favourable staff retention figures and company attitudes.

I recognise the strength of the Lovell brand in the sector and also the way we successfully work with our employees and partners. With the backing of Morgan Sindall Group, we also have a parent company that wants to invest in future growth and recognises its people and partners as an essential ingredient to achieve this.

A healthy supply chain is absolutely essential for any successful housing provider. How does Lovell cultivate good working relationships with its industry partners?

We have established a core supply chain who benefit from a continuity of new projects and clear objectives from Lovell in terms of expectations for quality, service, sustainability and cost certainty. We pride ourselves on being a good customer and a partner of choice.

We develop relationships to the mutual benefit of all parties through our partnering agreements. This helps us to share in the business objectives, based on the fundamentals of forecast growth, repeat business and long-term commitments. This allows us to effectively and efficiently manage and control any fluctuations in cost and demand.

How would you describe current housing levels in Wales and South West England? In your opinion, is the shortage as pronounced here?

The lack of supply of new homes is as acute in the South West of England and South Wales as it is in the rest of the UK – in particular, the need for more affordable homes which is at critical levels in some areas. In South Wales, the Welsh Government has announced specific targets of 20,000 affordable homes over the next five years.

We are certainly well-placed as a partnership housing provider to work with our public sector partners to create much-needed new homes and, on our planned maintenance projects, improve the quality of existing housing stock.

Do you feel enough is being done to deliver the one million homes required by 2020? What do you see as being the core challenges associated?

We are seeing good levels of support through funding arrangements and a willingness to work together in partnership. Also, the government support schemes, such as Help to Buy, have been hugely important for those people wishing to own their own home and struggling to get onto the housing ladder.

The challenges we see ahead lie in land availability, planning and skills shortage. The best way to overcome these challenges is through close partnership working.

To address the skills shortage, we invest in recruiting, training and retaining local apprentices, which not only benefits the communities where we work but also attracts new talent to the Lovell team. We also work with local schools and colleges, offering advice about careers in construction, mentoring opportunities and work placements to encourage the younger generation to consider the industry.

Going forward, what do you hope to accomplish in your new role?

I hope to build on the already great working relationship I have with my colleagues and our supply chain partners going forward, so we can continue to deliver much-needed quality affordable housing.

There are many challenges facing us today, such as material and skilled labour shortages, sustainability targets and inflationary pressure, but all these issues can be overcome by continuing to work closer and smarter together in partnership.

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