There is an increasing dialogue out in the market place about non-standard products being sold into the building and construction industry in NZ.

The alleged numbers being reported are significant and almost somewhat unbelievable.

But if they are anywhere near reality, we do need to be taking some form of action otherwise ‘Standards creep’ will occur and our industry will be compromised over time.

I am not referring to metals products alone, but products across all categories of building components. We are dealing with a steel case today with the regulatory authorities, and it is clear that we need more interest and effort from players in the market to bring these non-Standard product issues forward.

gary-hook-metalsnz
Metals NZ CEO Gary Hook.

As market price competition is very high in most sectors today and margins thin, there is plenty of temptation out there no doubt to be sourcing as cheaply as possible. I encourage you should you detect non-standard products to bring the issue forward in the first instance for investigation.

Yes, the hoops we may have to jump through to get some action taken is not a good enough excuse to sit back and say nothing and let our Standards erode should you discover or be made aware of such examples. To discuss this or other issues, contact Metals NZ CEO Gary Hook.