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CONSTRUCTION EUROPE
OCTOBER 2013
C
onstruction Products Europe, the
association which represents Europe’s
construction products manufacturers,
has a vision in which the construction industry
is more united, and the association plans to
work more strategically with all parts of the
construction process – from architects to
contractors, and ultimately owners – so that it
can develop a proactive strategy together.
Formerly called the CEPMC, Construction
Products Europe made the name change on
the same day that its new president took over.
The new president, Jean-Marie Vaissaire, said
the association was on a new path, thanks
to the previous president, and that it now
wanted to target several main areas of action.
The first or these is a relaunch of the
industry. “This,” he said, “would be created by
significantly increasing the renovation rates
of buildings, and also by the delivery of new
efficient homes where they are needed.
“We must also focus on developing both the
industry’s competiveness and sustainability
through the delivery of efficient construction
solutions.
“Finally, we aim to support the EU
institutions in creating a reliable EU policy
framework that supports the long-term
investment needs of our industry.”
He added that in addition to this new
strategy, the visual identity of the association
had been revamped to support more
effectively the new work it was undertaking.
Most of Vaissaire’s experience has been in
gypsum and insulation businesses across
Western European countries, starting out in
a British group, BPB, and then Saint-Gobain.
In 2012 he became director general of Saint
Gobain Glassolutions and has also been
president of AIMCC (the French construction
product association) since 2009.
There are many long-term motivating
factors for the EU to focus on in construction.
“First of all, the sector generates almost 10%
of GDP and provides 20 million jobs in Europe.
This is a huge chunk of the economy that is
struggling and needs support.”
He said that solutions for higher energy
efficiency in new and existing buildings that
were key for the transformation of the EU’s
energy system were already in place.
“Actions from the industry are essential to
reach the 2050 greenhouse gas emission
targets by the EU.
“Overall, there is a strong commitment to
innovation in daily business practice and
a willingness to participate in EU research
programmes and industry platforms. What
With a new name and a new president,
Construction Products Europe is setting out its
aims for the future
Vision of unity
we therefore need to see now is investment
from the EU to capitalise on what is occurring
within the construction sector.
He said that as the construction sector haf
been going through hard times for several
years, this led to an ever greater need of
support from the European institutions.
He pointed out that in July 2012, the
European Commission’s DG Enterprise
presented the basis of a strategy aiming
to relaunch the competitiveness in the
construction industry for 2020.
“This strategy has created high expectations
in our industry,” said Vaissaire.
“Another big topic for our sector is the
question of how to assess the sustainability
of a building. Our industry is increasingly
dedicating itself to the development of
sustainability in construction, but the
question of what a sustainable building is
continues to trigger discussions.”
He said it was very important to take into
consideration the whole life cycle of the
building to determine what was efficient and
what was not, so that parts of a building don’t
become counterproductive to the building as
a whole. “This is more complicated than one
would think,” he said.
ECONOMIC VALUE
The strategy to achieve the association’s vision
of a more united construction industry needs
to create economic value, enhance resource
efficiency, and contribute to social well-being,
said Vaissaire.
“The challenge is finding a balance between
all these requirements, while maintaining
and even reviving the economic health of our
industry. Taking all this into account, there is
no denying that this is a challenging period
for the construction sector.”
EU institutions will have a part to play.
Vaissaire said, “At our last workshop in June,
our message for the industry was clear – an
EU policy framework that is coherent, reliable,
predictable, stimulating.
“This means that we must ensure coherence
and integration between all European
construction policies to foster growth and
promote efficiency.”
He said this should create a reliable
framework that would guarantee a fair and
open market for all competing players.
“It is important that policies are also
predictable,” he said. “As a cyclical industry,
the construction industry requires long-term
investment and, therefore, long-term strategy
and regulatory predictability.”
He added, “By making sure that the
industrial landscape is as stimulating as
possible, European players would be in a
better position when facing competition from
outside the region.”
Bearing this in mind, what the association
would specifically like to see more from EU
institutions was investment, and therefore
regulatory incentives to drive growth.
“We also need to see innovative solutions
to aid the construction industry. For example,
not all solutions are found at European level
– there are many good examples of solutions
at local, regional and national levels, and
these need to be co-ordinated to have a more
positive influence on the rest of Europe.”
Vaissaire said everyone was aware European
conditions for the construction market were
very fragile at the moment, adding that there
would be slow progress in the industry.
He pointed out that the European
Construction Product Index had remained low
for the first half of 2013, with some national
markets showing signs of recovery.
“Overall we may have to accept that
construction activity is likely to be weaker
during 2013 than in 2012. Nevertheless, we
should take a little comfort from the fact that
there is a slight improvement in economic
sentiment in Europe. This news should force
us as an industry to work together and find
solutions – of which there are many.
“We should take heed from countries where
construction is still strong, and work together
using our networks in Brussels as a focal
point.”
Vaissaire’s presidency will last for two years,
and over this time he said he wanted to see
Construction Products Europe at the heart of
the construction sector.
“The relaunch of the association started 13
months ago and we have already come a long
way in regards to reorganisation. We now
want to build on our structure and actively
communicate on policy framework.”
ce
Vaissaire,
“Challenge
is finding a
balance”
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