Summary
• Sandy Brownlie is chairman of BSW Timber.
• When he left school in 1956 he worked for a broker in Liverpool and later joined an auditor in Edinburgh.
• He received the CBE in 1994.

With over half a century in forestry and timber and now aged 72, one might expect Alexander (Sandy) Brownlie to spend more time pursuing his interests of fly fishing and shooting. But, as chairman of BSW Timber plc, the UK’s largest softwood sawmiller, his office in the company’s Earlston headquarters is still well-used.

BSW is the amalgamation of three sawmilling businesses, standing for Brownlie, Smith & Western. The company traces its history back 150 years, as Sandy explained: “The founder was James Weddell, who commenced in Carluke, Lanarkshire in 1848. Alexander and Robert Brownlie took over their uncle’s business in the 1850s, the time of the industrial revolution with railways starting to allow easier movement of people and goods.”

A&R Brownlie soon had a mill in Earlston, on the eastern Scottish Borders. It was the period, said Sandy, when itinerant country sawmills were also still an important part of the industry: “They were powered by portable steam engines and workers lived in wooden buildings. The whole mill would move from place to place, felling and sawing.”

Sandy’s father was the third generation in the business and by his time it had diversified to encompass farming and forestry.

Starting out

It was in this multi-faceted business that Sandy started his career in 1956. “I’d left school as soon as I could and worked in a broker’s office in Liverpool, followed by two years’ army national service and then a year in an auditor’s office in Edinburgh, so I guess I’ve learned in the university of life!”

The business, he added, was in fairly good shape after the war. Although, putting that into perspective, from 1939-1945 it produced 266,000m³ of timber and it now cuts over 700,000m³ a year.

Sandy started out at the company by “working in the mills, woods and valuing timber”. At this point it comprised 13 country and two static mills, plus an importing business, and was supplying hardwood and softwood for mining, railways, general industry and building.

But the industry was changing. “By 1966 the country mills had finished and we bought a mill at Boat of Garten,” said Sandy. “1970 saw another change when we commenced selling residues to a local pulp mill.”

The developments continued with acquisitions and an increasingly heavy concentration on sawmilling, and by 1980 the company’s turnover had risen to over £5.6m. Then, in 1981, during severe recession, an opportunity for more rapid growth arrived. The acquisition of Western Softwoods from the Imperial Group added a harvesting operation and two modern mills in Wales.

At this stage the market for UK timber was concentrated on mining, packaging/pallets, fencing and some constructional material. Since then the latter has developed into by far the largest market.

Fast forward to 1988 and group turnover had risen to £38m following the merger of Thomas Smith & Sons, and plans were in place to go public to raise funding for a new mill in Carlisle, which would be the UK’s largest. However, the company then had a rethink.

“BSW Timber plc was formed for a flotation, but we decided to remain a private company,” said Sandy. “We ended up financing Carlisle ourselves. It was a huge gamble, opening in 1990 and followed by a collapse in the market. We’d also invested in kilns at all our mills, as dry constructional timber seemed to be the future.”

In 1991’s difficult trading conditions, a review of the business included rationalising smaller mills. “It was hard, seeing a lot of people I knew leaving the company,” said Sandy, “but by 1994 the market was climbing again, only to see another fall in 1996.”

1994 was a momentous year for another reason, with Sandy receiving the CBE from the Queen at Holyrood Palace. He modestly says that he’s “not really sure” why he was honoured, but spending half a century helping grow a successful timber business, while serving on numerous committees and organisations, may have something to do with it!

BSW in the Baltics

The growth of sawmilling in the Baltic region set BSW on its first international venture when, in 1999, Sandy’s younger brother John oversaw the opening of the company’s mill in Riga, Latvia.

And today BSW’s evolution continues, with the next major plan being to create an “industry-leading” sawmill, kilning and treatment facility at Corpach, called K2. Besides its own business, BSW is also clearly concerned to ensure the success of the wider UK timber industry and is an active member of ConFor, the UK Forest Products Association, Timber Trade Federation, wood for good and the UK Timber Frame Association.

The company, said Sandy, is also firmly focused on the real heart of the business; its 700 employees. “They do a superb job, backed by the non-executive directors and, of course, all those people working throughout the organisation who make it all happen,” he said.

And Sandy himself shows no sign of slowing down, his enthusiasm for the industry undimmed. “I’ve really enjoyed my business life, meeting some fascinating people, and still travel around the mills when I can,” he said.

So, it seems, BSW looks set to continue to reap the benefit from those 52 years of experience.