Mr King told TTF members that the “outlook for trading wood products is more positive than it’s been for five years”.
“Government support for housebuilding is placing responsibility for an uplift in numbers squarely with construction firms, and gradually our industry’s customer base is beginning to see improvement in day-to-day business,” he said.
The TTF itself also starts the year on a positive note, he maintained. “It’s a more robust, commercial operation, providing tangible economic benefits to its members.”
Especially valuable, said Mr King, was the TTF’s practical help and support for members in implementing its Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP) and meeting the legality requirements of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR).
“In particular the [RPP] risk and mitigation template, designed to help members simplify [EUTR] due diligence processes, plus the TTF’s unrivalled access to senior influencers at home and abroad, have delivered a sound reputational platform for their business development,” he said.
The TTF and its active regional associations, he added, were clearly focused on members’ business needs. “The regional associations bring them together to improve market conditions and they should be praised for their efforts to garner new, high quality recruits to secure the future of the UK’s timber trade.”
2013 had also seen the TTF “consolidate its position as the leading voice for wood products in the UK”, including through raising its international profile. “We can’t ignore the influences of a global marketplace on UK demand and supply,” said Mr King.
“And [last year] TTF chief executive John White was appointed to the board of the pan-European forest products body CEI Bois, and the Federation hosted the International Softwood Conference in Edinburgh, bringing together producers from around the world with end users.”
He concluded by urging more companies to join the TTF “It’s now an organisation that’s fit for purpose, delivering practical benefits and with a global market vision that is second to none,” he said.
