Barry Jackson, national manager of Timbmet Panels Ltd, says it’s too early to put exact figures on sales for this year, but he estimates that the com-pany’s panel products have seen growth of around 20-25% since they were spun off into a separate company in April.
Mr Jackson is a little surprised by the level of growth but he puts it down to the new approach the company has taken to panels.
‘The beauty is that, because it’s all new to the business, we are able to be very selective in the markets that we push into. A lot of our competitors have been in markets for a number of years and are having to stay in them to feed the business,’ he says.
Customer focus
The new company is much more focused on individual customer’s needs and specialist, value-added products such as veneered and melamine-faced panels. To this end, the range of panels that Timbmet offers has changed markedly since April 2000. The company has reduced its product range from around 830 to 480 to become more aligned with industry trends and demands.
‘We are more geared towards specialist panel products, manufactured towards customer needs,’ says Mr Jackson.
‘There’s a lot more innovation in the panel industry than there used to be and we like to believe that we go along with that innovation and ask more questions and demand more of our manufacturers,’ he says.
Offering this more finely honed service has meant being more selective about the manufacturers it deals with: Timbmet Panels has reduced its veneered board suppliers from eight to just three – Revasa, Finaspan and Radio Veneers Ltd. Other panel suppliers include KronoSwiss, Willamette and Nexfor.
‘We’ve chosen the ones that are really looking to form a lasting partnership with the business,’ says Mr Jackson.
The company also looked for flexibility, which benefits everyone in the supply chain.
‘When a customer realises that you have the flexibility to move with their demands that gives them a greater scope to innovate and do new designs. They can take that to their own customer base, knowing that the manufacturers can supply that product.’
Mr Jackson says the major panel manufacturers are enthusiastic about Timbmet Panels and, surprisingly, so are the com-pany’s competitors.
‘Our competitors are happy that something exciting is happening in panels rather than a merger or an acquisition. Hopefully that enthusiasm will spread throughout the industry,’ he says.
The products that Timbmet Panels offers include exterior and interior grades, melamine and decorative-faced panels, moisture and fire resistant boards, plus construction products.
Among the company’s 150 decorative veneered MDF products, Veneerplus, a range of double A quality veneered MDF panels, has been one of its major growth areas. It is ideal for bespoke furniture manufacture, features A quality veneer on both faces. With AA boards the veneer width specification is predetermined, enabling customers to know exactly what veneer quality and width specification they are buying.
‘You can’t get a higher spec board,’ says Mr Jackson.
State-of-the-art handling
Timbmet Panels operates out of its parent company’s headquarters at Oxford and has distribution centres in Rochdale and Glasgow. The Oxford site has seen major investment recently, including by way of vastly experienced panel traders to deliver the knowledge and expertise that is demanded of this ever diversifying market. The Timbmet Panels warehouse at Oxford features a state-of-the-art narrow aisle picking system for handling and racking which provides greater use of warehouse space. In the future, the other two centres could be developed too.
‘It’s a question of not running before we can walk,’ says Mr Jackson. ‘We’re making Oxford successful and then we’ll take that up to Rochdale and Glasgow.’
