Iread in the June 15/22 issue of TTJ a report stating that there were signs of some recovery in the joinery market.
This is indeed good news for a sector which has been contracting for some time for a number of reasons not unconnected with the current economic uncertainty. Many businesses have closed as a direct result of the recession, owners retiring or deciding that it is just not worth carrying on in the current climate of an ever-increasing tide of regulation,
uncertain funding and ‘jitters’ in the market. All may not be gloom and doom, however, and 2013 may in retrospect prove to be a good time for start-up businesses, subject of course to the availability of appropriate funding.
Such thoughts can be true for not just joinery manufacturers but timber suppliers and building and construction companies if they take the right action now. Right across the industry, survivors of the recession need to reassess their activities and their market. Diversification may often be the way forward and, above all, businesses need to hold down their costs, possibly more than at any time in their history.
But companies also need to invest and look beyond current economic difficulties so that they are in good shape when recovery comes. From my standpoint in the machinery business it is noticeable that the reasons for investment in plant and equipment appear to have changed. No longer do buyers simply have surplus profits to spend, nor can they afford to follow renewal programmes based on the supposed need simply to have the latest model on the shop floor.
Businesses today must recognise the need to invest in technology which will bring faster production methods in order to cut employment costs. They should also acknowledge the need to update or increase machining capacity to meet either the demands of diversification or realistic expectation of an upturn in the market.
Accordingly, the demand for woodworking machinery in particular has changed. After a lifetime of supplying replacement conventional or classical machinery, the opportunity for growth in my business is now represented by an increasing requirement for equipment that gives the buyer something extra, something he never had before. Programmable automatic cross-cutting systems, CNC equipment to replace manually operated machines and high specification and innovative panel-cutting equipment are typical of sales in 2013 and are likely to increase. Purchasers will be looking at their spending plans and targets. Do they represent where their business is today and where they want it to be tomorrow?
And when all is said and done, let us not forget the impact of the website in today’s commercial climate. Does your site tell the correct story? Does it adequately represent the opportunities for realistic and achievable growth? Information technology cannot be ignored, it will not go away!
At times like this a certain amount of selfexamination and, if necessary, reassessment of our own businesses can ultimately be very rewarding.
Daltons Wadkin is sponsor of the TTJ Website of the Year Award . This year’s TTJ Awards take place on September 12 at The Savoy, London.
