Roger Arveschoug may now run Capricorn Timber Ltd, a large specialist timber company in Uttoxeter, but his timber origins were slightly more humble, a fact which, perhaps, makes the rapid rise of his company even more remarkable.

He began his working life as an invoice clerk for FE Chapman, on its dockside site in his native King’s Lynn in Norfolk. This was part of Wm Evans and in 1976, having moved to Northampton, it merged with HW Daniels, to become Southerns Evans (Northampton), a specialist in clear grade softwoods.

At this time the main clears buyer for the group was retiring and Mr Arveschoug had the opportunity to tackle both buying and selling. ‘It was very unusual to have both parts under one person’s control and this gave me a wonderful opportunity to really understand all of the complexities surrounding clears,’ he explained. ‘There was a mystique surrounding the supply chain, which was a closely guarded secret and I was fortunate to break into this inner circle.’

Back then, international travel was not so popular and his predecessor had been to Canada only once, yet was expected to know all about the products and the market – telex was the method of communication and time delays were accepted as the norm.

Gradually, as the market expanded and demand grew, the old ways broke down and more players entered. During this time Mr Arveschoug moved to Widnes and developed business from there, but in 1983 he got a call which changed everything.

Around this time the Mallinson Denny group were very keen to develop a wide range of products and services. The Wolverhampton business had recently moved to a state-of-the-art site and the management team were looking to bring in higher value products. Mr Arveschoug joined them and developed this side of the business, but by now the lure of harnessing all his skills to his own benefit was growing and he joined Midland Hardwoods. ‘It was a tremendous time at first, but as many people know, the group expanded too rapidly and by 1990, when it was taken over by Rexmore, the recession was cutting in and it was a relief to see it resolved,’ he said.

Going it alone

By 1992 Rexmore had been sold to Coastal Lumber and Mr Arveschoug was determined to go on his own. The impetus was given by having an unforeseen small windfall, which made him decide to take the risk, as he explains: ‘I started Capricorn Timber from the front room of my house. The contacts that I had made in all those years of building up my expertise paid off, with £60,000 of orders in the first two months. By this time I knew I would need premises and Dean Fisher at John Mansfield Timber gave me some space at their Uttoxeter site and turnover for the first year ended at £1.2m!’

By April 1994 Capricorn had outgrown this arrangement and moved to 10,000ft² of warehousing on the same estate, where it still is today, but business was growing so fast that within 18 months more space was required. In July 1997 a 5,000ft² milling unit was added, together with an office unit and 25,000ft² more warehousing. Sales were growing well, with turnover by the end of year four at £5m.

Finally, around June 1998, a further 25,000ft² of space was taken and Capricorn Timber continued to flourish with turnover at £7.2m by the end of 2000.

Mr Arveschoug explained how the business had managed this impressive growth: ‘By experience and knowing the market, we’ve built up a service for the industry that is second to none. Obviously a really good team is the most important part of the equation. Ian Freeman, sales director, has worked with me for 18 years; Robert Grant and Graham Shannon have also helped develop the sales side. But it isn’t just about selling and Jayne Southall, my company secretary, ensures that the administrative side is just as well looked after.’

However, it’s never as easy as that as Mr Arveschoug went on to explain: ‘Last year was a difficult one for us in many ways, but mainly due to the demands of the market. We’d been used to regular large volume ex-quay sales, particularly to some of the national joinery companies – this didn’t come through and we were left with far too much stock on the ground.’

Tough spell

Mr Arveschoug and his team brought in advice and have worked their way through one of the toughest spells for the company. ‘But it’s something that we’re through and it has given us an insight into areas we’d never been involved with before. We’ve reduced stocks where we had to, whilst ensuring that, for our core customers, there is still a depth of stock in the right products, that will give them the quality and service they expect.’

As most companies have found in the last few years, you have to find a niche. Provided you look after it well, the business will go forward, but trying to spread thinly over a large range of products and services is extremely difficult in today’s market. Mr Arveschoug continued: ‘We’ve reviewed our selling philosophy and now concentrate on our yard business, with a heavy emphasis on milled materials, to add value. Like so many other companies, chasing turnover can be a dangerous game, which gets in the way of all the regular, smaller customers who are there every day, relying on us to give them the quality and service that they need.’

Softwood species

A tour of the site and the huge warehouse complex soon illustrates the depth of stock carried. ‘We keep a wide range, but our strongest sellers are cedar, Douglas fir and hemlock – cedar has actually overtaken the others, mainly due to decking and other external projects,’ said Mr Arveschoug.

Southern and Quebec yellow pine, parana and pitch pine as well as sitka spruce (commonly used for aircraft components, boat masts and spars) make up the bulk of the other softwoods, although British Douglas fir and yellow cedar are also available.

A large selection of hardwoods are also kept, with ash, beech, cherry, maple, meranti, oak and sapele available in depth. ‘Seventy per cent of sales are in softwoods and we now machine over 40% of all orders, whereas a year ago that would have been 30% and it’s still growing,’ said Mr Arveschoug.

The mill is busy, but organised and tidy. The toolroom is a model of how these should be set out, ensuring that repeat orders can be reset and run efficiently. With a Weinig and a Wadkin moulder, together with resawing, planing and cross cutting services all available, Capricorn Timber can meet a wide variety of requirements.

Distribution

Back in the office the phones is continually ringing, with enquiries and orders for every manner of specification. Ian Freeman, Robert Grant and the sales team are well versed in dealing with this and because of the milling service and high stock levels, distribution is prompt.

‘We provide a weekly delivery service throughout the UK and Ireland,’ said Mr Arveschoug. ‘Our own fleet of curtain side lorries is topped up with hired transport, to ensure a rapid delivery service. We have around 600 live accounts all over the British Isles and as each day goes by, more companies are contacting us.’

Some dust sheets at the site cover another totally different venture – cars. Mr Arveschoug is an avid TVR racer and this is obviously his relief valve from the pressures of work. He’s had many seasons’ experience in Thoroughbred Class racing behind the wheel of an Aston Martin and, more recently, in the TVR Tuscan Challenge.

From a front room business to the com-pany as it is today in just eight years is an impressive achievement, but you get a feeling there’s still more to come. With a sound team and the will to win, Capricorn Timber looks to be at the front of the grid.