SR Timber has welcomed the news that the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and TRADA are set to merge.
The company – which is a leading importer of timber products and the UK’s largest importer of roofing batten, including its flagship Premium Gold – believes the merger will help to keep driving up standards, continue to push forward on key issues such as sustainability and give a stronger voice to the UK timber industry.
Shaun Revill, Trading Director of SR Timber, said that the formation of a single unified trade body will be an important step forward for the UK timber industry as a whole.
“Both the TTF and TRADA have done sterling work over the years, and they can be very proud of what they have achieved,” said Shaun. “However, now is a good moment for them to come together to create a bigger, stronger organisation for the benefit of the timber industry as a whole and a collective of individual businesses, like SR Timber.
“We have worked closely with both organisations and have a lot to be thankful to them for – and that relationship will continue during the transition – but we can’t help but be excited for the future at the prospect of an industry body with more-consolidated influence.
“One of the issues that we as a business face is the availability of poor-quality or even counterfeit roofing batten, which persists even though the British Standard has been in place since 2014. We would like the new organisation to push for more-stringent requirements for all timber importers to follow due diligence fully.
“We’re also hoping that the new organisation really seizes on the opportunities around the sustainability of timber, especially at a time when campaigns such as ‘Wood CO2ts less’ are starting to gain traction. They are making headway in encouraging the use of wood as a way to reduce CO2 emissions and fight climate change – as part of a plan to meet the government’s target for the construction industry to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.”
The TTF and TRADA will continue to run operations in parallel under a common management plan for at least the first year before starting to merge activities, ensuring that no aspect of current member services is neglected or lost from either.
Shaun Revill added that he is very encouraged by comments made by TTF Chief Executive David Hopkins, who said that the merger will allow them to “build a single supply chain organisation representing all points – from sawmill, importer and manufacturer through to designer, specifier and contractor. It will give timber a much more powerful voice in the market and at a political level while enhancing services for members.”
Mr Hopkins also cited the need for industry consolidation because of factors such as COVID-19 putting pressure on the timber products supply chain in terms of availability and the changing nature of demand from commercial to DIY, as well as the upcoming Brexit and its potential impact on the market.
Shaun Revill added: “It feels like the end of an era, but I’m excited that the merger will combine the lobbying and communications power of the TTF with the technical know-how, insight and design guidance from TRADA to make timber the first-choice product for designers across the UK.”
