A couple of weeks ago I was awoken in the relatively early hours of Saturday morning to the sound of a persistent tapping along the entire length of my party wall.
Initially I thought my new neighbour was hanging more pictures than was entirely necessary, but it later transpired that he was fitting a dado rail. So, at least I can now equate my rude awakening with a few more pounds in a local timber merchant’s coffers.
Bearing in mind the early hours my neighbour keeps, I’m inclined not to pass him a copy of this week’s TTJ, which includes our special feature on mouldings. It might just give him ideas.
It’s an extremely competitive market with slim margins, but the major manufacturers remain upbeat. They are moving the sector forwards with design-led product development and more imaginative marketing.
Companies like PETAL are introducing new species, such as Phillipines lauan and Far Eastern plantation grown Honduran mahogany into the mouldings mix. Glossy brochures and wall charts now support Finnforest‘s efforts to “move customers to a higher quality product” and Burbidge is supplying point of sale information that suggests different applications.
Of course, if you want to educate your customers in the difference between an astragal and a hockey stick, you have to ensure that your employees can make the distinction, too.
That’s where training comes in. As our guest columnist James White says, better product knowledge has enabled him to increase his sales. It also helped win him the SCA Timber Supply-sponsored TTJ Trainee of the Year Award.
You’ll find an entry form for this year’s Awards enclosed with this issue – the deadline is fast approaching.
