Modern business jargon is full of smart names, descriptions and buzzwords. So when you visit a successful business that talks about simple administration and working with people on the ground, you know you’re dealing with a company that knows where it’s going and doesn’t need to make a big noise about it.

This tropical timber specialist started out ten years ago when a Dutch business set up its UK office in Colchester.

Sneek Timber Import BV has interests throughout the world and a main trading centre in Lansmeer, Holland, from which it runs a variety of businesses, including a hardwood flooring company in China and an extensive softwood carcassing business. It is also the administration centre for the entire group. All the businesses within the group run the same systems, so there is a smooth crossover of information. Staff can move from site to site and quickly pick up the threads of any operation.

The other main Dutch site is at Putte, on the Belgian border, from where the hardwood companies are controlled. Putte has extensive stocks and a large milling facility and, with interests in the Far East and South America, as well as Europe, Sneek Timber has to ensure supplies from a diverse range of sources, while maintaining the right stock levels for its varied customer base.

Over the past 70 years the group has steadily built its way up, to the point today where it is one of the largest players in tropical hardwoods. This can be a very political arena and the Sneek group has concentrated on some core philosophies to ensure that it stays at the forefront, while also keeping an ethical trading arrangement with its suppliers.

Bob Chantry is the British face of Sneek Timber and, with his long background in hardwoods, his attitude typifies the company ethos of straightforward dealing. Mr Chantry has been with Sneek since around 1991, with previous experience in the Gliksten/International Timber group, followed by a stint at Transatlantic Hardwoods. His knowledge of this trade is enormous and, with his no nonsense approach, Mr Chantry has fitted in with the Sneek way of working like a hand in a glove.

The UK operation started from his home for the first year and then, as space was needed for consignment stock, an arrangement was initially made with Thorogoods at Colchester. As the business grew, the old Palgrave Brown sheds at Haven Quay were taken over and the operation continues from there today.

Tight format

In line with the Sneek group style, Haven Quay is run on a very tight format; Mr Chantry, together with Mickey Lee, who is also an experienced timber trader, and Joanne Chisnal, run the whole operation, drawing in yard labour and haulage as required. There’s no room for fancy extras, but running costs are kept to a minimum and the business is very competitive.

‘Living for the future’ is Sneek’s constant aim. It interacts with the shippers to minimise road damage in the forests – by using people to cut instead of machines, for example. It also works closely to ensure that a welfare system is in place at each forestry centre, sometimes even providing farms to feed the staff. It is by dealing direct with the shippers and working with them on the ground, that Sneek Timber has built its reputation. It is less interested in supporting big organisations to do this work as it believes large amounts of funding goes into administration, instead of into the forests that are meant to be protected.

At any one time Sneek Timber has 12 people travelling around the world, ensuring that its standards are being met by each individual shipper and it supports a variety of efforts by countries, regions and NGOs to enhance sustainable forestry management. This is done in a variety of ways and alternative species selection plays a large part in this, together with a range of schemes to add value in the country of origin.

Good forestry management is aided by economic and social development, so that there is a high enough price to incentivise locals to maintain forests which can then be selectively cut, instead of clearing large tracts of land for agriculture, which is the most devastating form of rainforest destruction.

Sneek’s roving team inspects and gathers information on sustainable forest management for each area in which it operates, helping to ensure the tagging of trees in concessions, ready for harvesting on a very low level (around two to five trees per hectare) every 15-40 years. The tag is then cross-referred to the stump as the log is taken to the sawmill, to give traceability. Careful log removal is the key; by avoiding young shoots and minimising roads or paths, the forest canopy can be easily maintained.

Winning ways

All of this care and attention comes at a cost, but by working directly and carefully controlling its own expenditure, Sneek Timber wins all ways – it has a series of partners throughout the world with whom it works very closely and this gives it a much more consistent line of supply.

The business started in the UK at a time when a great deal of marine defence work was taking place, requiring large quantities of greenheart. ‘We regularly used to be shipping in jobs needing 300m³ or more and it was a tremendous part of our business,’ said Mr Chantry. ‘Now you’re lucky to see three or four jobs a year. Much of this is due to the fact that MAFF, as it was then, used to fund these jobs with the relevant council, so when BSE and then foot and mouth came along they used money from every budget to cover it, leaving very little for sea defence work.’

Nowadays the surge in interest for timber decking has more than made up for the loss of marine defence work and this growing business has been a tremendous market for Sneek Timber. It also gives Sneek the chance to show off some of the alternative timbers that are readily available. ‘This got us into domestic decking very early on as the Dutch are very experienced on these products for their home market,’ said Mr Chantry.

Non-starters

However, like all businesses starting from scratch, there have been some items that the Dutch masters felt were easy sellers, but have not survived the regional differences that make trade interesting. ‘Vine sticks and chicken pen slats stand out as products that just don’t sell over here and it took a little while for my bosses to see why, but now we’re standing on our own feet they listen to what we need for the UK and then gear up for that,’ said Mr Chantry.

Sawn balau and machined decking now constitute a large element of sales, with material coming in from Indonesia and Malaysia, together with balau decking tiles and kapur fencing. ‘We always have balau shipped on deck, to avoid sweating and, while this adds time to shipment, containerised balau is a risky business,’ explained Mr Chantry. All Sneek’s decking sections are rigorously tested and advice sheets are available to customers. ‘Giving the customer confidence is one of the most important parts of our sales work,’ he said.

Brazil still provides the largest array of species and Sneek Timber has developed products in angelim pedra and vermelho, muiracoatiara, massaranduba, and purpleheart, once again showing its deft handling of new species and conservation.

Together with greenheart from Guyana, there is a huge range of durable products available, for uses as varied as lorry flooring right through to decking, with a wide range of sawn products too.