The mouldings market has greatly consolidated, especially over the past five years. When you take an overview of the market in general, there are only a limited number of suppliers for either small mouldings or machined mouldings.
The small mouldings market, of course, has long been dominated by a handful of established suppliers. In 2004, we launched our own Mould-IT range into the merchant sector on the back of our supply route already into this arena and it offers off-the-shelf availability of the most popular softwood mouldings for the builder, joiner and DIYer.
But it’s in the supply of decorative machined mouldings that the roadmap has changed considerably. Outsourcing component manufacture has become a key feature as more and more companies have turned from doing their own machining to buying in the pre-finished components.
It’s easier and makes sound commercial sense to outsource from a dedicated supplier, rather than tackle it themselves. Anyone involved in manufacturing will knows the challenges, including increased emphasis on health and safety and the responsibilities of waste disposal.
Skills shortage
The much talked about skills shortage is also very real. Investment in people, training, and plant is ongoing. In the past three years we alone have invested over £1.5m in our mill at Trafford Park to upgrade it to combine the latest machinery with the flexibility and capacity to cope with market needs. With the way the market is moving, investment of this order is the only way to deliver competitive lead times on orders and consistently reliable service levels.
Mirroring many other industries, the just-in-time concept is taken as standard. While off-the-shelf imported product can make inroads into the small mouldings market, machined mouldings are an altogether different proposition. The bespoke nature of the orders, flexibility for large runs or small repeat orders is not a formula that can be shipped in a container – not yet anyway.
We carry 120 stock items in machined mouldings such as architraves, skirtings and window boards in a choice of oak, ash and cherry. Over the last couple of years there has been a strong swing towards oak being demanded by many sectors of the market. This mirrors the flooring market where oak is the species of choice, whether parquet, reclaimed boards, machined unfinished planks or the fashionable hand-distressed finishes.
As is increasingly the case with all timber products, certification of softwood and hardwood mouldings will become a factor in the future. Currently demand for certified mouldings is not at the same level as other timber products such as decking or flooring – but the momentum is gathering. Government legislation concerning public sector buildings is placing more and more emphasis on using products that are certified. Whether a legal requirement or a consumer’s ethical preference, suppliers must gear themselves to be able to respond with proper chain of custody and relevant FSC or PEFC certification as required.
