8 | UK News
Politician sees the advantages of using engineered timber for housing projects
Paul Bristow was welcomed by Tim Wilson (Managing Director), Tony Maxwell (Operations Manager) and Brett Amphlett (Builders Merchants Federation). He was shown examples of the fire door sets, staircases, roof trusses and floor joists that David Smith manufactures for housebuilders, contractors and property developers.
Above: Tim Wilson (Managing Director) shows Mayor Paul Bristow a punched metal plate fastener used to join timber securely to make roof trusses
Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Paul Bristow has seen first-hand how engineered timber products are contributing to the UK housebuilding. The Mayor visited a 65-year-old joinery and timber engineering business at the eight-acre David Smith site in St Ives.
“It was great to see the £3m investment they have made in new machinery and upgrading their premises,” said Mr Bristow. “Generating over half the energy they use onsite from rooftop solar is an impressive achievement and reflects their strong commitment to being a forward-looking, low-carbon manufacturer.”
“It’s encouraging to see the Mayor take a genuine interest in local manufacturers like ours and offer support to help timber engineering businesses succeed,” said Tim Wilson.
Arbor invests £2m to launch equine bedding product in strategic step
generating demand directly through equine markets and supporting the growth of retail distribution via country stores nationwide. The Wood & Slumber small pine/spruce
Above: The new Wood & Slumber product
Arbor Forest Products has invested more than £2m in technology to launch a premium brand softwood small flake equine bedding. The new Wood & Slumber product launch followed the installation of cutting-edge Willems baling and packaging technology within Arbor’s 90-acre site in New Holland, Lincolnshire.
The launch represents a strategic step for Arbor to move closer to the end customer,
flake shaving is made entirely from sterile, kiln dried wood, a by-product of Arbor’s core timber processing operations. Phil Yell, operations director at Arbor Forest Products, said Wood & Slumber effectively turns what was once processed and packed by others into a valuable premium product carrying Arbor’s own branding.
Arbor is currently working toward a BETA / NOPS accreditation further demonstrating to the equine industry Arbor’s commitment to excellence through its quality protocols, sourcing provenance and traceability.
Arbor currently produces upward of 15,000 tonnes of wood shavings each year: the equivalent of around 750,000 bales.
Premier’s new service for furniture makers
Premier Forest Products has announced a new pick-a-pack service to support its product offering for the upholstery and frame maker sector.
Premier’s Upholstery and Furniture
Components package provides all the products that an upholsterer or frame maker would need through its pick-a-pack feature, giving customers total control and convenience.
TTJ | September/October 2025 |
www.ttjonline.com
“We had a productive discussion about the role of timber engineered products in meeting local housing needs, particularly for homes that people choose with sustainability an ever more important aspect, and to deliver quality homes with more elements manufactured offsite to assist speeding up the construction process”.
Mr Wilson said installing solar panels has helped to lessen the company’s reliance on the National Grid but added that high UK electricity prices were still concerning.
The visit was another arranged by the Builders Merchants Federation as part of its industry and parliament programme. The aim is to show politicians the role, value and importance of the construction materials supply chain in delivering for their customers and also for their communities.
Confor co-hosts forestry and wood processing at the crossroads conference
Confor and Brodies LLP are hosting a half-day conference on September 25 at Brodies’ Edinburgh office.
Delegates will hear from professionals and politicians (including Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Mairi Gougeon) about the future of forestry and wood in Scotland. It’s a success story, employing 34,000 people, adding £1.1bn annually to the economy – and making a big contribution to Scotland’s 2045 net zero target. Success and growth have been built on increasing availability of wood – but supply is forecast to fall in coming decades. Many in the sector are concerned by cumbersome, inconsistently applied rules around grant applications and criteria for new woodland creation. Inheritance tax changes announced by the UK government will affect many rural landowners, and forestry is not immune – but there might be opportunities for the sector too. Falling confidence could see investment leak from Scotland to the rest of the UK and beyond. Can forestry and wood rise to these challenges?
UK News
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