Finnforest has underlined its commitment to working with its customers by establishing a Timber Academy at its manufacturing site at Boston.
The new office building, of which the Timber Academy is an integral part, was opened by the Finnish ambassador Pertti Salolainen last week.
John Tong, managing director of Finnforest UK, drew guests’ attention to the massive investment – some £20m – the com-pany had made in its UK operations over the past three years.
Mr Tong said the decision to build the Timber Academy was based on discussion with customers who had been concerned ‘over the lack of timber know-ledge within their businesses’.
‘We have a clearly defined route to market and we will not bypass our customers and sell to their customers,’ he said. ‘It is essential that our customers have well trained and highly motivated staff in order to stock and sell our products effectively.’
The training programme comprises a distance-learning product training workbook, followed by a two-day product training workshop at the Academy. Both courses have been accredited by the Open College, one of the largest awarding bodies in the UK.
The building itself, Mr Tong added, provided ‘a working example of how our products can be used in practice. Hopefully this building will help stimulate architects, specifiers and builders into thinking of wood for both decorative and structural uses in a way they haven’t historically’.
