Seismic Shift

Like me, many of you would have sat there at 10pm on May 7 and seen the first tremors arrive via the exit polls, before growing evidence of the seismic shift began to take shape and the political colours across the UK began to change.

Whatever the colour of your political persuasion, the hope will be that stable government creates a platform for business to thrive. And, so far, markets have responded positively to a majority government.

In this issue of TTJ, we find more heartening evidence of investment by companies.

Premier Forest Products has added another sawmill to its portfolio with the acquisition of Cornwall-based Duchy Sawmill. In the process, the acquisition has pushed the group past the £100m turnover barrier, joining a select few in the UK timber trade to have such a scale of business.

The move increases the volume of Premier's FSC and PEFC-certified materials and secures its sales capacity for fencing and pallet wood and value added products. Norvik has also made a big investment - acquiring the port of Baltic Wharf in Essex, which its subsidiary Baltic Distribution Ltd has been operating and renting since 1999.

The move is a strategic decision to help Norvik develop its UK logistics business and to plan and implement long-term investments in the port.

Oregon Timber Frame is also planning further expansion by submitting a planning application to change the use of a former Co-op furniture retail store with a view to expansion.

Further expansion of its factory space will allow it to grow to around a £30m turnover.

Not wanting to be left out, the UK's largest sawmilling business - BSW Timber - is planning growth at its Giddings mill operation near Southampton in a move which will improve demand for the region's timber supply.

BSW is planning to increase the 95,000 tonnes of roundwood it currently handles at Giddings Sawmill.

More jobs are likely to be added as a result. Elsewhere in TTJ, we cover in detail the preservatives sector, detailing the good work the Wood Protection Association (WPA) has been doing to help preserve timber's reputation.

The positive momentum of the WPA's Benchmark quality assurance scheme was a key area of interest at its annual conference recently.

Introduced originally to tackle the issue of premature treated timber post failure, Benchmark is being further strengthened by raising required minimum treatment retention levels to 10% above the BSI minimum.

Currently, 27 member sites are Benchmark-approved and another five are in the pipeline.