There is always a great danger when putting a comment column together at this time of year that it will sound like a spoof of a Christmas sermon; so with that firmly in mind I still thought it appropriate to be in a reflective mood and pose a few questions to our industry.
There is a saying, I recall, that goes along the lines of “if we always do what we always do…we always get what we always got”. Nowhere is this more true than when its applied to our business… selling timber! We hear a lot of buzzwords in our market, from “adding value” to “sustainability” to “quality products” and so on. All describe highly relevant and important issues and developments – but perhaps it’s time that we paused and thought about exactly what we mean when we use them and, importantly, how our customers interpret them.
For example, we want to add a preservative to an item of joinery to enhance its performance; yet the VOC and Biocidal Products Directives make it a legal responsibility for us to make changes that have their roots firmly set in the past. Some people will apply a preservative to the whole joinery item, yet only the lower section may be at the risk of decay. Why not think differently and use timber species of greater natural durability? Why not think about improving design detailing to shed water instead?
Should added-value mean squeezing somebody else’s profit margins? Could value be added by way of clear solutions and informed guidance for decision makers at all “touch points” along the supply chain? Thought should be given to meaningful partnerships, ones that take timber into account at the concept stage, all the way through to its end of life. Is timber only “sustainable” if it has been correctly specified, yet it has generated a large degree of waste via an over intricate design?
This year has been challenging and next year looks equally so, but perhaps that is the nature of an industry that is facing change. But change can be exciting and profitable. Now is a good time to look forward and think about how we do business together and how we can move forward differently.
Sermon over – season’s greetings!
