Features: Rowlinson Group | 57


Ammunition boxes for the military were another product made by Rowlinson. At the same time, James’ son Norman was serving in the RAF. When the war finally ended, Norman joined the business marking the start of the second-generation involvement. A major milestone occurred in 1966 with the purchase of over 20 acres at a former RAF airfield in Wardle, Cheshire. This allowed for significant growth, leading to the acquisition of specialized wirebound box machinery and the formal creation of Rowlinson Packaging, diversifying the company’s services. “We were the only people in the UK to


make wire-bound boxes, which were thin slats of wood or plywood and a wire that holds them all together.”


These were used by the auto and defence industries, with the largest boxes made for the Falklands War. Ironically, NATO ammo boxes made during the Cold War were made using Russian birch plywood. “I joined the timber trade in early 1970s, and at that time there were six to seven steps in the buying process as a timber importer,” Mr Rowlinson said. “We used to buy timber from Sweden, Norway and Russia, also later from Canada. You ended up buying from a timber agent in the UK and there was a timber agent in Sweden/Norway. A key exporter might be involved and then there was the sawmill. “The Russian purchases were even more complicated and run by a lot of London agents who I called ‘well-spoken moustached gentleman’. You had to get on with those people and they in turn bought through the Russian Wood Agency in London who in turn bought from Exportles in Moscow who gave contracts to the sawmills.”


“In those days business lunches were quite the thing, you were taken out for lunch and wined and dined. It was very structured. If you imported plywood you had to be on the plywood importers list and that was strictly controlled by the agents. “We used to supply a lot of timber and shuttering to companies like Tarmac,” he recalled. “We were involved in the building of the Conway Tunnel, Drax power station, Sellafield and also the Faslane submarine base on the Clyde.”


In those days Rowlinson did source some hardwood – mainly beech, but also some American black walnut timber and veneers to supply to Rolls Royce in Crewe for manufacture of door trims and dashboards.


GARDEN SHED MANUFACTURING The gradual onset of containerisation forced a pivot toward modern logistics and retail in the 1980s, with the Willaston site turning to manufacture of garden sheds. “I would like to say that we were probably the first company to make a 6x4ft shed,


The decade closed with significant commercial success, including a substantial contract to supply 5,000 picnic tables to Wetherspoons during the Covid Pandemic. The Group stopped timber importing and trading in 2023 with the sale of this business to Kullik & Ruhlmann (Gill & Robinson). At the time it was importing mainly through Sheerness.


Chairman Jimmy Rowlinson


whereas the norm was 8x6 sheds,” added Mr Rowlinson. “We used to supply Texas Homecare, Do it All, Homebase, Focus, Wickes and B&Q with sheds. Then we started to make garden furniture like picnic tables and benches.” Th 1990s were characterised by global expansion. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Group established Baltic Connexions in Estonia to source timber. The company also began sourcing hardwood garden furniture and structures from South Africa and Poland, and at the same time, began developing the Willaston site into a facility for retail/ manufacturing. “In 1999 we set up Rowlinson Packaging South in Thetford, Norfolk. They also supply the car industry, JCB, Perkins as well as the IT industry and defence. They also make potato boxes and have become one of the biggest potato box manufacturers in the country.” Sheds and garden buildings made at Baltic Connexions are sold under the Bertilo brand for customers such as German DIY outlets like Hornbach, OBI and Bauhaus. The 2000s marked a transition to large- scale global operations. The Group began chartering full vessels of timber from the Baltics and Russia into Grimsby and Immingham. It also moved supplies of hardwood furniture to the Far East (Malaysia and Vietnam) to remain competitive in the growing garden leisure market. As online shopping changed consumer habits in the 2010s, the group launched its home delivery offer.


“Sales to merchants were a big slice of our business,” explained Mr Rowlinson. “But they’ve all gone direct now to Scandinavian sawmills. The importing side was a large business, but the profit was the problem.” Rowlinson is celebrating its centenary with a Prize Draw for 100 garden products, worth about £20,000. Entry is on the Rowlinson website until the end of May. It is also holding a dinner dance event at the end of June.


FUTURE


So, what does Mr Rowlinson see as opportunities and challenges facing the industry. “I think it’s important to give consumers what they want. As a garden products company, you have to stay abreast of what the market will buy and price structures that are affordable, but while maintaining product quality. Basically, the market dictates. In terms of the packaging company, it’s very much about service and giving people a packaging solution.” He highlighted site sustainability and efficiency investments including solar panels and biomass boilers, as well as automation and robotics in manufacturing operations to remove heavy or awkward manual lifting. Mr Rowlinson said consumer confidence was currently low and market segments tough. Recent Government taxation policies were unhelpful for business, citing NI increases and inheritance tax changes. He said the farming industry had received a lot of publicity about the inheritance tax changes, but family businesses such as Rowlinson also faced the same issue. The next generation of Rowlinson ownership will be Mr Rowlinson’s son William, currently Group consumer products director.


The original Trafford Park site www.ttjonline.com | Summer 2026 | TTJ


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