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be a focus in new build warehousing in the near future.


There have been some fantastic recent examples of timber-based industrial developments constructed already and now Stora Enso has launched a suite of tools to support developers to create more attractive, productive and sustainable buildings, with spans ranging from 12-36m, so applicable for projects from small workshops to large retail sheds and warehouses.


This service includes provision of a range of wooden industrial building concepts, which allow developers to cut embodied emissions by up to 30%, while also benefiting from highly modular and flexible designs. These can be used as the basis for designing optimised bespoke concepts. Our intention isn’t to become building designers but to provide support and guidance through our learnings on working with manufactured timber-based projects. We see our role in this development as collaborating with industry to reach the best possible design. Every project will need to make some decisions early on – these are the high impact decisions. Our concepts help ensure how and where wood construction can solve certain customer challenges. Deciding on a wooden construction at an early stage helps create alignment towards a common target.


Through this collaboration, the value to the customer is higher as they receive a frictionless, cost competitive design process, and lean construction. We have a team of business developers and experts who are there to engage in these project phases, using our concepts to help the project team. We base most of our building projects on a just-in-time delivery basis direct to the site, with plenty of planning taking place to ensure components arrive when needed, eliminating need for storage.


Although we produce our components outside the UK, the logistics are very carefully managed, not only to meet required deadlines, but also aiming for minimum possible transport carbon emissions. Studies have shown that using timber can cut carbon emissions compared to similar buildings in Europe by up to 70%.


While transporting from another country may seem carbon intensive, the emissions from transport are in fact a small percentage compared to the amount of carbon stored in the timber products, the net effect being the structure is still carbon negative even with the transport emissions included in the calculation. Timber elements also need up to five times less transportation than traditional materials, which is also why this set-up makes a lot of sense in terms of sustainability. ■


acknowledged for driving our industry forward both commercially and technically, so to bring those benefits together under one roof with a single vision and voice can only bode well for our sector and the construction industry as a whole.


Investing in innovation


ANDREW WRIGHT JAMES LATHAM MANAGING DIRECTOR


2021 – a year where the industry experienced a relentless assortment of challenges, an extraordinary and unprecedented period that will go down in history books for many reasons. Global logistics combined with increased demand and widespread capacity issues along with inflationary pressures from the supply chain have all affected prices. All of this highlights the importance of relationships with suppliers and customers alike, a critical element in business. Despite these challenges, focusing on good communication, while remaining agile and adapting swiftly to the market conditions has enabled us to successfully maintain supply to our customers.


In spite of all the economic uncertainty and challenges persisting from the pandemic in the UK and further afield, I believe the UK timber industry has a bright future and we will see demand for quality and innovative timber products continue into 2022 and beyond. We particularly see sustainability and low carbon construction as great opportunities for timber products, and significant contributors to a healthier planet. Carbon consciousness and awareness is growing rapidly. To support this, we recently launched our own Carbon Calculator, for customers and specifiers. This calculator has been produced in conjunction with the BioComposites Centre at the University of Bangor, and displays the carbon footprint and biogenic ‘Locked-in’ carbon content of our timber products.


Another positive for the UK timber sector is the merger of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and TRADA to form Timber Development UK (TDUK). Both are


www.ttjonline.com | January/February 2022 | TTJ


Looking forward, building on our hard- earned reputation for innovation, we have been working on several projects that will launch in 2022 which will enhance service levels, product availability and the customer experience, both from sales and specification standpoints. We’ll continue to invest in our depots, fleet, and operations, and most importantly our people. Product wise, we have several new product lines coming to the fore in the coming months, as well as expansions to existing ranges. It seems that our suppliers haven’t been sitting on their laurels during the Covid pandemic and have developed some truly exciting innovations. It would be encouraging to believe we will experience slightly less upheaval in 2022, enabling us to continue to focus on our business development as intended. We are confident we have a successful and agile team with the ability and experience to react accordingly to whatever might arise next! ■


In spite of all the economic


uncertainty and challenges persisting from the pandemic in the UK and further afield, I believe the UK timber industry has a bright future and we will see demand for quality and innovative timber products continue into 2022 and beyond. We particularly see sustainability and low carbon construction as great opportunities for timber products, and significant contributors to a healthier planet. Carbon consciousness and awareness is growing rapidly


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