Focus on James Latham's specialized support in the realm of product distribution
In the world of architecture and design, finding the right materials for a project can be a challenging task. However, James Latham, one of the UK and Ireland's largest independent distributors of timber, panels, and decorative surfaces, is making this process easier with their comprehensive range of products and exclusive brands.
James Latham offers a suite of specification tools designed to improve outcomes for architects and their clients. This includes the Technical Specification Team, Digital Showroom, digital cladding visualiser, and integration with platforms like NBS Source.
The Technical Specification Team is dedicated to supporting architects and designers through the entire specification journey. They provide clear, accurate, and tailored guidance on product selection, backing up recommendations with technical data and documentation. This team's mission is to ensure the right materials are specified first time, saving time, cost, and carbon down the line.
The Digital Showroom is a powerful online platform for surface material selection, featuring over 1,600 products and an intelligent suggestion engine. Samples can be ordered directly from the Digital Showroom and typically arrive within 48 hours. For those who prefer a more tactile experience, a physical showroom in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, offers a curated material library for in-person product interaction, by appointment only.
James Latham's value proposition lies in material quality, exclusive stockist status, and a responsive supply chain. They are the exclusive UK and Ireland stockist of the premium high-pressure laminate (HPL) brand Merinolam, which provides specifiers with a wide choice of 55 trend-driven décors. This facilitates informed and efficient specification decisions in sectors like furniture, fixtures, and fittings.
The company's close relationship with its in-house manufacturing division - Latham Timber Manufacturing - is particularly useful when it comes to cladding. This partnership offers technical assistance, point load assessments, fixing instructions, finish recommendations, and cost estimates.
Sustainability is also a key focus for James Latham. The Carbon Calculator assigns carbon data scores to over 70% of James Latham's stocked products, considering the full product journey from raw material extraction to delivery to site.
James Latham's resources hub serves as a central library for all product and technical information, including datasheets, environmental declarations, whiteboard explainer videos, and promotional content. The hub is fully searchable, categorized by product type, and accessible both internally and externally, with regular updates to ensure consistency.
In addition, James Latham offers a range of CPD sessions that combine technical detail with real-world case studies and include honest discussion about product limitations. These sessions are RIBA-approved and cover topics like acrylic solid surfaces, wood veneers, passive house doors, and timber cladding.
Lastly, the James Latham cladding visualiser allows side-by-side comparisons across species and finishes, such as Western Red Cedar versus Accoya, for informed, responsible material choices.
In summary, James Latham supports the specification process primarily by supplying a curated selection of premium materials and exclusive brands tailored to specifier needs. They offer extensive product choices to simplify the material specification decisions. Their value proposition lies in material quality, exclusive stockist status, and a responsive supply chain rather than dedicated specification software tools. However, their resources hub and digital showroom provide a wealth of information and tools to aid in the specification process.
- James Latham's comprehensive range of products, including digital specification tools like the Technical Specification Team, Digital Showroom, and cladding visualiser, are designed to support environmentally conscious architects and designers, ensuring the right materials are selected for their projects, thereby reducing time, cost, and carbon emissions.
- In the realm of data-and-cloud-computing, James Latham's resources hub serves as a central library, offering searchable, categorized, and regularly updated product and technical information, including environmental declarations and whiteboard explainer videos, to facilitate efficient specification decisions in the field of architecture and design.
