“I continue to sign quotes but I warn customers that I cannot guarantee the deadlines », breathes Michel Brochu, carpenter in Nort-sur-Erdre (Loire-Atlantique). In recent weeks, he has not been able to supply himself properly. “On wood panels, for example, delivery times have been reduced from two to fourteen weeks”, over it.
However, the construction sector has the wind at its back. “The order book is full”, concedes Michel Brochu, who is also the president of Capeb in Pays de la Loire. Many individuals want “To make their home more comfortable after the experience of confinement” and savings to spend.
” A global problem “
These material shortages affect all trades. According to Olivier Salleron, president of the French Building Federation (FFB), “Soon it will be complicated to get supplies of windows, electric cables, locks… We see the suppliers’ warehouses being emptied. “
Even the painters are worried. Vincent Dejoie, business manager near Dinan (Côtes-d’Armor), has just received “Alerts by suppliers of suppliers for announced breaks”. But he wonders: “I wonder if manufacturers are not taking advantage of this to raise prices …” “The situation is the same everywhere” , refutes Olivier Salleron.
The deadlines for construction sites are getting longer. Some people fear stopping. “As a painter, I am the last to intervene. If the carpenter has not been able to put his windows down, I will not come… ”
This shortage of materials has several explanations. “It is not a French problem but a global one. China and the United States are relaunching their economies very strongly ”, advances Olivier Salleron. The two powers throw themselves into the stocks. The FFB also highlights “A disorganization of international production and transport sectors”.
“We don’t have stock cathedrals”
The shortage of wood is the one that worries professionals the most. “The United States no longer buys Canadian lumber because of Trump. They take ours and buy it twice as much as we do. We can’t compete. “
At VM, a major supplier of materials in the West, “No break to date, assures Matthieu Durand, purchasing director. We have anticipated but we do not have stock cathedrals. For products such as PVC, plasterboard, wood, it is difficult to obtain supplies. “
Less offers, more requests. Prices increase mechanically. “From 15% to 45%”, confirms the president of the Building Federation.
For quotes already signed, it is impossible for craftsmen to pass on the price increase. And they fear late penalties. “We are discussing with the government to freeze them”, indicates Olivier Salleron.
Another drop in stock is worrying. That of polyethylene which goes into the composition of plastic. And this time the impact is larger than the building. The agri-food sector is also greedy for this material: plastic film, packaging, meal trays, etc.
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