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Robinson Manufacturing goes into administration
Administrators have been appointed at large timber frame and roof truss firm Robinson Manufacturing Ltd (RML). Teneo Financial Advisory is handling the administration of Wellingborough- based RML. About 140 staff are believed to have been redundant across the multi- site business. Wyckham Blackwell and The Keystone Group have announced their joint acquisition of the assets of the RML Ebbw Vale business.
Going forward the branch will trade as Crendon Timber Frame and will be part of Crendon Timber Engineering Ltd. “We are looking forward to working with our new team at Crendon Timber Frame to develop a successful business,” said Stephen Thompstone, Wyckham Blackwell Group CEO.
“We will invest in improving their premises, machinery, transport and processes, as we integrate with our established Crendon Timber Engineering branch network.”
RML was started in 1986 by Tim Robinson as a division of Hilton Timber and had steadily expanded. Its most recently available accounts for the year ended September 30, 2021, showed a turnover of £35.3m and an operating profit of £904,570. At the time the company said it had been navigating the pandemic challenge successfully and showed it had recovered from the financial scarring suffered in 2020, predicting the business recovery would continue to manifest over the next 36 months.
UK wood treatment sector debates industry progress
producers, consultants and others – attended the conference in Coventry on May 11.
Presentations from Timber Development UK (TDUK), the BioComposites Centre and Teknos were made on the day and delegates had the opportunity of asking questions on key issues. The TDUK / WPA Action Plan initiative was started in 2020 to grow the market for treated timber and encourage correct specification and knowledge of treated timber in the timber supply chain. David Hopkins, CEO of TDUK, said the
Above: TDUK’s David Hopkins addresses WPA conference delegates
The UK Timber Treatment Action Plan has made “huge progress” in aiding the correct specification of treated wood products, delegates at the Wood Protection Association’s (WPA) annual conference heard.
About 70 representatives from the wood timber treatment sector – treaters, merchants, sawmillers, preservative manufacturers, exterior wood product
Action Plan had so far fully achieved its aims for Use Class 2 and 3 pine products. It has also come close to achieving the project aims for Use Class 4 (in ground contact timber) but more work was required on Use Class 3 spruce. “The Timber Treatment Action Plan has made huge progress,” said Mr Hopkins. Treatment, he said, was now on the radar across the merchant and user sectors. He also announced a new proposal for Use Class 3 treatment of spruce – the results of a consensus from a cross- industry working group. These changes are intended to be implemented through the WPA Benchmark quality assurance scheme and involve treatment penetration requirements. More discussion will be taking place on implementation.
Premier Forest Products sells Crumlin sawmill to SDL
Leading timber supplier Premier Forest Products has completed an agreement to sell the assets of its sawmill at Croespenmaen near Crumlin, South Wales to SDL Sawmills Ltd.
As part of the mutually beneficial deal, SDL Sawmills will take on the site and existing staff and continue with full scale milling activities. With an offtake agreement, Premier Forest will continue to supply the finished sawn products from the mill to its existing, diverse customer base.
Premier Forest will buy all of SDL’s sawn products, fencing materials, fence panels, sleepers, pallet wood and sawn timber to secure consistent, continual supply for its customer base and to fulfil market demand. “This deal is perfect for SDL, Premier Forest and our customers, who will continue to receive uninterrupted supply of our respective products,” said Terry Edgell, co-founder and CEO of Premier Forest Products. “We are building on a strong partnership while making the most of the core capabilities and supply chain of each business; SDL’s in sawmilling and fulfilment of increasing demand for biomass products, and Premier Forest’s in supplying value-added sawn timber products to the construction and merchanting sectors,” said Mr Edgell. “It’s a great fit.”
Sam Launchbury, founder and CEO of SDL said by purchasing the sawmill and recently building an in-house harvesting team, SDL was now able to complete the circle from purchasing standing trees and milling, to generating heat and power which is then used to convert sawmill bi- product into a renewable energy fuel.
□ Timber Development UK (TDUK) is launching a powerful new tool, the Structural Timber Price Index, to help the construction industry assess changes in the UK timber market.
The Index displays the monthly price of structural timber stretching back to 2018, giving users the ability to compare today’s timber prices to those seen five years ago. The figures seen in 2018 were pre-Brexit, pre-Covid and pre-war in Ukraine, making them arguably the most recent ‘normal’ year experienced and therefore a sensible point for comparison.
www.ttjonline.com | May/June 2023 | TTJ
UK News
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