A two-week trial of transporting sheet materials by rail from the Continent to Newport-based Premier Forest Products Ltd has proved so successful the company plans to make it a permanent fixture.
The company said that using trains to deliver more than 400 tonnes of melamine-faced chipboards and MDF from mainland Europe proved both efficient and cost-effective and that it will use rail for long distance, high volume deliveries whenever possible.
Premier director Terry Edgell said: “By using rail, we have been able to get huge volumes of sheet materials delivered from all over Europe almost to our doors in Newport, quickly and economically.
“We have therefore been able to cut down on the number of commercial lorries on the road, and while we are making savings on our overheads with this method of transportation, we are also bringing in additional revenue to Newport via the railway facility in the docks.”
Mr Edgell said that like most timber importers, Premier had always used the traditional methods of shipping and road transportation to get materials from A to B. He went on: “However, by using railways for long-distance deliveries, we have generated operational efficiencies, which have created cost savings which can be passed on, to the benefit of our clients.”
Premier is now looking to import additional products such as timber, plywood and sheet materials from countries such as France, Germany and Italy.
