A short break in France last week provided a pretty straightforward lesson in the value of speaking the same language. My French proved not so much rusty as locked-solid.
I tried to explain to the owner of the cottage we stayed in that the kettle was on the blink and that we were having to use a garlic-impregnated saucepan to make the copious amounts of tea that Brits abroad are compelled to drink. What I actually said was that we were being greatly inconvenienced by having to burn water in a spoon. Needless to say the kettle remained on the blink and we never saw the concerned-looking owner again.
Of course, miscommunication between various branches of the timber trade isn’t quite at that level. But, as was pointed out at the Timber Trade Federation conference this week, it does have some 20-or-so industry associations, each, if not talking a different language, singing from a slightly different song-sheet. Of course, it’s inevitable and right that all these bodies have their own agenda, otherwise how would they effectively represent the needs of their different industry constituencies?
At the same time, there is a need for some sort of forum, or ‘summit’ as the TTF is proposing, for the trade as a whole to identify its common interests and pursue them effectively.
One obvious incentive to act in unison is the competitiveness of the market and the ability of rival sectors to focus their promotional and PR resources. Again, as the TTF points out, it’s also vital in lobbying the authorities, local, national and European.
As Nexfor has just found out, getting government action on an industry issue – in this case obtaining a definitive official ruling on the use of plywood in structural applications – can prove a time-consuming, frustrating business. It requires dogged persistence from an industry acting together and speaking with one voice.
