More than 230 Welsh woodworking companies have joined forces with the industry’s leading development body, the Welsh Forest Industries Group, to prove their products and services can match overseas competitors.

The businesses, which span the whole of the supply chains for windows, doors and other construction products, hope to show Welsh buyers that their products are as competitive as foreign imports.

An 18-month development programme has been kick-started with funding from two EU-supported initiatives to increase performance standards to match overseas competitors, who currently take the lion’s share of the Welsh market.

The initiative has also enlisted the help of the British Woodworking Federation, which has agreed to join the management team.

&#8220This initiative is bringing together a lot of companies across the supply chain to promote timber products to Welsh companies”

BWF director, Richard Lambert,

Businesses will work together to maintain a consistently high standard, as well as “pooling” manufacturing to produce higher quantities than any one company could manage individually.

Richard Lambert, BWF director, said: “We are more than happy to support this initiative. The joinery industry, generally, is very fragmented. Over 80% of businesses turn over less than £1m, which means they are not big enough to fall within the EU’s definition of even a small business.

“This initiative is bringing together a lot of companies across the supply chain to promote timber products especially to Welsh companies and compete against foreign imports. They are particularly looking at how to use Welsh timber and how all parts of the industry can work together.”