Blogs Archive

The business perils of uncertainty
29 July 2019 The UK panels sector continues to grow and invest for the future, but like the rest of industry, above all else on Brexit, it wants clarity, writes Wood Panel Industries Federation director-general Alastair Kerr

Industry consolidation set to continue
29 July 2019 A flurry of takeovers has happened in recent weeks.

Don’t be an EU stranger
17 June 2019 Maybe we’ll leave the EU, deal or no deal, but it’s absolutely vital that we remain in the European loop, writes Keith Fryer

Forest sector craves certainty
17 June 2019 Expectations of another slide in sterling give UK timber a competitive advantage versus imports, while demand from pallet manufacturers is robust due to end users stockpiling, both due to Brexit uncertainty. But like other industries, the UK forest sector above all wants clarity on our future, in or out of the EU, writes Confor chief executive Stuart Goodall

You'll never work alone
17 June 2019 The excitement approaching a Champions League final involving two English teams was getting to fever pitch at the time of writing this column.

US Hardwood Heads for a Diverse Export Future
15 May 2019 The US-China trade war is causing a fundamental change in the American hardwood industry’s trading outlook and one outcome is renewed focus on the European market, writes American Hardwood Export Council executive director Mike Snow

A question of durability
15 May 2019 The BRE is embarking on a European programme to develop a performance life software tool to facilitate specification of timber in construction, writes Ed Suttie.

Voters at the ready!
15 May 2019 Voting for the TTJ Awards is now under way.

Driving Up Standards, Attracting Talent
22 April 2019 The year ahead looks challenging, but the BWF is not about to relax its efforts supporting the woodworking sector to further improve performance and recruit and hone the skills of its next generation of employees, says chief executive Helen Hewitt

Getting training on track
22 April 2019 Progress is being made, but improving training and education continues to be an imperative for the future of the timber sector, writes Geoff Rhodes of forest products and international trade consultancy GRA, recipient of TTJ’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award

A numbers game
22 April 2019 Watching a magician perform at the North West Timber Trade Association annual dinner in Liverpool recently reminded me of the Brexit conundrum still facing the UK (in late March).

Going circular to close the materials loop
19 March 2019 To ensure timber supply can meet growing consumption without depleting the forest resource, the sector needs to develop new approaches on reuse and recovery says Dan Ridley-Ellis, head of the Centre for Wood Science and Technology at Edinburgh Napier University

Making the most of wood in healthy buildings
19 March 2019 Treated and modified timber have a key role to play in helping construction capitalise fully on the wellness benefits of wood, writes Wood Protection Association chief executive Gordon Ewbank

WPC is now PC for timber sector
19 March 2019 New product and market opportunities should be high on every company’s priorities.

Added assurance for timber building
12 February 2019 Developing industry skills and giving customers assurance on quality and performance must be the focus for the timber building sector, says Structural Timber Association chief executive Andrew Carpenter

Brexit and beyond
12 February 2019 The uncertainties surrounding Brexit put the onus more than ever on communication between merchant and supplier, says Nigel Buckley Ryan, UK sales director, merchants, Södra

Planning for Brexit
12 February 2019 Without too much emphasis on the B-word, companies across the sector are clearly gearing themselves up should there be a no-deal Brexit.

Building on market momentum
16 January 2019 The EU timber trade faces challenges in 2019, not least the potential impacts of Brexit, but the woodworking industries federation CEI-Bois is determined to help it maintain market impetus, writes secretary-general Patrizio Antonicoli

Panto is over, but political farce continues
16 January 2019 Continued lack of clarity over Brexit is causing inevitable economic uncertainty and stress, but the timber sector and Timber Trade Federation is focused on business development regardless, writes TTF managing director David Hopkins

Staying engaged with EU opportunity
17 December 2018 Regardless of Brexit, the UK timber sector must cultivate, maintain and improve relationships with colleagues across the rest of Europe, writes Keith Fryer Buildbase forest products development manager