Crisis in construction
The Limburg brickmaker Vandersanden will produce a quarter less bricks next year. The crisis in construction is hitting hard, especially in the Netherlands and Germany. Domestically, the decline in production is estimated at 10 to 15 percent.
The dip that construction has been experiencing for several months also has consequences for the Limburg brickmaker Vandersanden. The largest family manufacturer of facing bricks in Europe may produce a quarter fewer bricks next year. The demand for bricks has fallen by more than 25 percent in recent months.
According to CEO Rudi Peeters, the decline in production – in normal years Vandersanden is good for 400 million facing bricks and 200 million paving bricks – mainly affects the factories in the Netherlands and Germany. “In the Netherlands we are still confronted with the consequences of the nitrogen crisis, while in Germany construction has almost completely come to a standstill,” says Peeters.
Rudi Peeters indicates that the situation will be continuously monitored. “So that we can make immediate adjustments if necessary. Domestically, we are taking into account a production decline of 10 to 15 percent. In concrete terms, this means that an oven may be temporarily shut down, but we will continue to produce anyway, so that we can continue to serve all our customers.”
Storm
If necessary, a number of employees will also be put on temporary unemployment. “We are going to limit that number as much as possible,” Peeters adds. “Including by having some employees carry out maintenance work.” It is not yet clear how many employees will become temporarily unemployed.
Construction is currently being hit by a perfect storm. Rising interest rates, energy performance requirements and rising prices for building materials have made building their own home unaffordable for many people. “It is a crisis like I have not often seen,” says Rudi Peeters. (gc)
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