The TTJ Career Development Award sponsor, Glennon Brothers, has again hosted a tour for the award finalists to gain an insight into the Irish forest products sector.
The two-day visit began at a Glennon Brothers’ forest harvesting operation at Ballynoe Forest, followed by a tour of the company’s Fermoy sawmill and a presentation and demonstration by logistics specialist Combilift. The trip concluded at Coillte Panel Products’ Medite mill in Clonmel where technical development specialist Dr Rory Rice explained the MDF production process. Glennon Brothers also hosted an evening of fine dining at the Castlemartyr resort near Cork and a tour of the Jameson whiskey distillery.
Three finalists enjoyed the tour: under-25 age group category winner Christopher Wait from Ridgeons Forest Products and runner-up Natalie Rasberry from Howarth Timber; and over-25 category runner-up Martin Peacock, also from Ridgeons Forest Products. Also on the tour were Dónal Evans, market executive at Enterprise Ireland, which supported the trip, and Glennon Brothers sales manager Paul Treacy.
Joint managing director Mike Glennon described the finalists as “the future leaders of this industry”.
Speaking at the dinner at Castlemartyr, which was also attended by Glennon Brothers joint managing director Pat Glennon and Coillte head of sales and marketing Kenneth Joyce and market development manager Des O’Toole, Mike Glennon gave a picture of Ireland’s forest products industry and its economy.
The Irish forestry and forest products sector made a “significant contribution” to the Irish economy, he said, employing 12,000 people and delivering an estimated €2.3bn to the economy.
Ireland exported around €350m worth of forest products, including €120m of sawn softwood, most of which went to the UK.
The sawmilling industry, Mr Glennon added, had invested more than €200m to create a “modern, efficient and customer focused industry”.
Ireland punched above the weight of its 6 million population in other fields too.
“Fifteen per cent of the world’s infant formula is made in Ireland; half of the world’s fleet of leased aircraft is managed from Ireland; we are the largest exporters of beef in Europe, and the fifth largest in the world; and six of the top 10 prescription drugs sold around the world are made in Ireland,” said Mr Glennon.
When the global financial crisis hit in 2008, Ireland suffered the impact but over the past few years its economy has rebounded. For the last four years Ireland has had the fastest growing economy in the eurozone. It is forecast to grow, in real GDP terms, by 4.7% this year and 3.8% in 2019.
“Unemployment has fallen to 6%, its lowest level in nine years and down from a peak of 16% in 2012,” said Mr Glennon.
“Two-way trade between the UK and Ireland now amounts to £1bn every week.”
The biggest threat to this positive economic picture, and to Ireland’s timber industry, was Brexit, he added.
If the UK adhered to its plan to leave the customs union then some sort of border control would be needed between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“Brexit provides a serious threat to the future development of our sector,” said Mr Glennon. “The Irish timber sector is forecast to significantly increase its output over the next decade, primarily because of the meaningful growth in supply from privately owned forests.”
And this growth was heavily dependent on Irish timber strengthening its position in the UK market.
“Over half of Irish sawmills’ output is exported and 95% of those exports go to the UK. Ninety per cent of panel products produced in Ireland are exported, with two-thirds going to the UK,” said Mr Glennon.
The fall in sterling’s value since the EU referendum in 2016 had posed “huge difficulties” for Irish timber exporters. Since then there had been a 15% deterioration in the euro/sterling exchange rate and any hurdles in the movement of goods post- Brexit would add cost and time.
“One study estimates a 5% increase in costs but it is likely to be considerably higher for timber because of the relatively high volume/value ratio,” said Mr Glennon. “While sawn timber is expected to be tariff-free, there are also likely to be non-tariff barriers to trade, such as customs, labelling, standards and administration. This is not just an issue for Ireland, but for every eurozone country exporting to the UK.”
The return of a hard border would be a backward step not just for trade, but also for the substantial progress made in British/Irish relations in recent years, he said.
Although the three finalists had seen harvesting and mill operations in the UK, the tour was their introduction to Ireland’s vertically-integrated industry.
Ms Rasberry, who was making her first trip to Ireland, had seen aspects of the supply chain in the UK but found the tour invaluable.
“I’ve visited forest harvesting operations in Scotland, however, I still found the experience interesting. The technology on the harvester used to cut and prepare the logs is very impressive,” she said.
Mr Wait agreed. “It was good to see new technologies being used that I haven’t seen on harvesters before. It shows that even the harvesting operation is innovative.”
While all had knowledge of sawmilling, Mr Peacock said his training enhanced his appreciation of the tour of Fermoy.
“I found it extremely informative and the site was very well organised. I had a greater appreciation this time since passing the Level 4 certificate,” he said.
The visit to the Medite MDF plant also gave him a new insight into panel production.
“It was the first time I’d seen MDF production. I knew the process of how the boards are manufactured but had not imagined the scale needed to produce the product. I was astonished by the different processes and how clean the whole operation is, considering it all comes from fibres of timber,” said Mr Peacock.
The other two finalists had seen MDF production before, although Ms Rasberry had not seen a testing lab.
While the trio had an understanding of the different sectors they said the tour gave them a greater depth of knowledge, which was invaluable when dealing with customers.
“The main thing I’ll take from this is the different methods used and, when speaking to customers I will be able to explain the process in much more detail,” said Mr Peacock.
The Combilift presentation also gave Ms Rasberry a new insight, she said.
“I had no idea how personalised their machinery production could be for their customers and seeing some of the different custom machinery was very interesting,” she said.
They also appreciated Glennon Brothers’ hospitality, and not just the Jameson whiskey tour.
“The hospitality from everyone we visited, but in particular Glennon Brothers and Enterprise Ireland, was exceptional and I feel extremely lucky I was able to experience Ireland in the way we did,” said Mr Peacock.
Ms Rasberry enjoyed her introduction to Irish culture.
“I very much enjoyed the sawmill and Medite plant tours but the most enjoyable part was the experience as a whole – experiencing Ireland and a little bit of their culture and passion,” she said.
Mr Wait appreciated the opportunity to discuss issues with others.
“The most enjoyable part was being able to talk to everyone over dinner as there was a wealth of experience and knowledge around that one table,” he said.
“I loved the fact that Glennon Brothers wanted to educate and make it a full-on experience. They pulled out all the stops to make us feel welcome by Mike and Pat Glennon, Paul Treacy and Des O’Toole and Kenneth Joyce from Coillte taking time out of their busy schedules to join us.”
All the finalists agreed that a good understanding of the integrated supply chain was important for anyone trading in timber.
“It’s vital for anyone selling or buying timber products to understand how the process works, from the planting of trees to the timber or panel products the end user requires. Understanding this process helps reassure that the products are sustainable for future generations and that there is almost no waste from this versatile product,” said Mr Peacock.
“It’s very important to be as familiar as possible with the product you’re selling as it induces passion for it,” said Ms Rasberry.
Being a Career Development Award finalist has provided new opportunities for them all and encouraged them to continue with their training.
Since completing his Level 4 certificate and being named as a finalist, Mr Peacock has taken on more responsibility.
“I am now a sales team leader and have five salespeople in my team. I’m motivated to continue learning about this impressive sector and the different and versatile products that are produced,” he said.
Ms Rasberry is also motivated to undertake further training.
“I’ve spoken to my manager about further management training and also further product training in areas where I’d like to know more,” she said.
Mr Wait said winning the Career Development Award has had a positive impact on his job.
“I feel it has helped me gain recognition and greater respect for my skills as a younger person in the trade,” he said.
It has also helped to grow his enthusiasm for his own career development and that of others.
“I will definitely look to take on further training and I’ll actively be taking part in chain of custody seminars and TTF training days as well as a Level 6 diploma in wood science. I would love to be part of the drive to bring younger people into the trade and show them how good it is.”
