NHBC Inspection Managers Get Hands-On at Roof Tile Factory

A roof tile manufacturer welcomed inspection managers from the National House Building Council (NHBC) for a hands-on training session recently to help address the UK’s housebuilding skills shortage.

Thirteen NHBC managers visited the Russell Roof Tiles’ (RRT) Burton on Trent factory where the team had the opportunity to learn about roof tile fixing, accessories and site compliance.

Hands-On Training

The visit began with a tour of the production facility, observing how RRT roof tiles are manufactured, the quality control measures in place, and new technologies. NHBC managers also gained practical experience at the manufacturer’s Training & Innovation Hub, where they had the chance to install products on custom-made pre-built rigs.

This was followed by a presentation from the RRT’s in-house technical team, which provided a deeper overview of product testing and best practice installation methods.

Nick Carey, Head of Inspection for the Central Region at NHBC, said: “It was helpful to understand how Russell Roof Tiles maintains consistency, traceability and quality across such a high-volume operation. During our visit, we experienced the full product journey, from manufacture, design and testing, through to installation on site.”

Mark Parsons, Technical Director at Russell Roof Tiles, added: “We are very pleased to have welcomed NHBC to our facility in Burton on Trent. It has been great to support them with skills training and provide both the technical deep dive and practical sessions for working with our range of tiles, fittings and accessories.”

Technical Training Hub

This training builds on RRT’s recent investment in skills training, marked by the opening of its first Training & Innovation Hub. The new £100,000 facility is a dedicated site for research and development, focusing on evaluating and refining the technical aspects of roofing solutions.

The new hub houses the firm’s growing technical team, as well as functioning as an innovation centre for product development with six modular roof rigs units, with pitched and vertical options. The custom-made rigs are designed to enable course delegates to experience ‘hands-on’ practical sessions with RRT’s range of tiles and fittings, along with dry fix accessories.

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