Overview

The types of materials used in the industry are concrete, wood, steel, plastic, stone, glass, brick, kevlar, bamboo and carbon fiber. These are sourced from all over the world. An example is sand which Singapore imports from Malaysia. As sand dredging takes a toll on the environment, countries like Cambodia, Indonesia and now Malaysia are hesitant to sell this resource to Singapore. Singapore has had to purchase sand from Myanmar, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

According to the Department of Statistics, the Metals, Timber and Construction sector comprises the following:

• SSIC 46620 Metals and metal ores except general hardware (e.g. steel pipes)
• SSIC 46631 Logs, sawn timber, plywood and related products
• SSIC 46632 General hardware (e.g. locks, hinges)
• SSIC 46633 Structural clay and concrete products (e.g. mosaic tiles, bricks)
• SSIC 46634 Paints (including varnishes and supplies)
• SSIC 46635 Glass

• SSIC 46639 Construction materials, hardware, plumbing and heating equipment and supplies nec (e.g. cement, sand)
  

Sustainable Construction

Since 2007 the construction materials industry has been focusing its efforts on sustainable construction materials and practices. The Building Construction Authority, the overseer of Singapore's construction framework, has partnered with other government agencies and associations to press on in adopting sustainable construction in public and private sectors such as prefabricated bathrooms and staircases.

As a collective, the Singapore Building Materials Suppliers' Association (SBMSA) promotes the networking of building materials suppliers in Singapore. SBMSA comes under the umbrella of the Specialists Trade Alliance of Singapore (STAS). The latter has partnered with Qoo10 and Ezee for SMEs to reach a broader audience on both B2B and B2C markets.

Buildmate is one such company with an online presence. It stocks bricks, concrete blocks, cement, electrical, granite and sand, and timber and steel products. Lian Wang Trading supplies an array of bricks, tiles, steel and timber to customers with a product listing on its website. Hardware City allows buyers to purchase directly off their site or request a quotation on the basket of goods selected.

Now is an opportune time for wholesale providers of metals, timber and construction materials to digitally transform their companies, given the paradigm shift in work environments in the coming years as companies look to re-build and re-shape offices.

If you have queries or are keen to discuss any of our digital solutions, we encourage you to contact us at sales@zooloo.asia.

Explore more

• Learn more about our “Digital Backbones”
• Learn more from our eBook series on Digital Transformation for Wholesale Trade