How do you solve a problem that’s, like, technical?*
April 2017

When I am asked what it is that we do at CAB, essentially we are here to promote and defend the use of aluminium in building on behalf of our members. For any non-members out there, who do you approach for technical information, advice and guidance? Of course your suppliers will be able to help you with their perspective, but what if you would like an independent view? The continued growth in the use of aluminium in the construction sector is fantastic, and the growth of aluminium in the domestic market is striking. Perhaps as a fabricator or installer you are expanding into aluminium products, having started out in another material or market. Do you need to know which British and European standards apply and how you should relate these standards to your aluminium products? Are you fully up to speed with all the regulations that you need to address?

One of the advantages of being a member of CAB is priority access to our technical helpline. While we can’t promise to be able to answer every question, we work on the principle that if we can’t help, we aim to know someone that can. In addition, we have a wide range of user-friendly Guidance Notes available to members that cover many of the frequently asked questions, on topics ranging from Part L to BIM. Our Standards Watch service will track all the British and European standards that are important in a member’s business and alert you when any changes to these documents are in the pipeline, helping you to stay one step ahead of the competition by demonstrating to customers that you have access to the latest standards information.

But this is only half of the story – this is how you can use CAB in reactive mode. CAB also works on behalf of its members in proactive mode. For example, would you like to actually influence the standards and regulations that are under development before they impact on your business, or even possibly before they stop your business in its tracks? What policies and technologies will emerge in the future that you need to prepare for? We sit on the critical standards and industry committees in the UK and Europe, where we can ensure that the interests of members are fully considered in forthcoming standards and regulations, and we look at how changes to these could even make your life easier. To do this, we need to maintain an open, two-way dialogue with members, and this takes place primarily through our Technical Committee, which each CAB member automatically has a seat at. If you would prefer to have that dialogue with us on a one-to-one basis, we are always pleased to visit members’ premises to discuss technical issues.

Additionally, we organise the annual Aluminium in Building Conference and are expanding our range of technical training and CPD. We also maintain excellent links with our fellow associations in Europe, which helps us all improve as we promote and defend aluminium in building. Please find out more about how CAB can help your business develop its technical capabilities by visiting the CAB Pavilion at the FIT Show.

*with abject apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein.