Fletcher Building’s chief executive Ross Taylor announced on Thursday, 16 June that it will boost the supply of GIB board next month. The company had changed its local manufacturing configuration to produce more and is also importing board from Australia.
"We have advised our merchant customers that additional product will be available for them to distribute from July. This equates to an additional one million square metres of plasterboard in the market through the July to September period and a seven to eight per cent increase of various types of plasterboard."
The extra supplies would be enough for about two thousand houses using 500 square metres each.
Taylor said its own Placemakers chain would set up GIB board pools to help builders in most need, and he expected other merchant suppliers to do the same. "This will be done at a local level across the country, so this emergency supply pool is directed to those with the most pressing needs."
Taylor reiterated the company's position that the GIB shortage reflected the record building boom, and the company would do "everything possible" across all its operations to alleviate the situation.
