The company, which is part of the GE Robinson group, has invested a total of £300,000 in the new operation, which comprises a new treatment vessel from Lonza Wood Protection operating the company’s latest Auto-Treater plant management software.
The facility will process building, fencing and landscaping timber products using Lonza Tanalith E preservative, with the additional option of Tanatone brown treatment.
Garstang is targeting its new service at timber merchants, building contractors and local authorities throughout north-west England.
"It will give the trade an efficient, cost-effective service treatment option in the region," said Garstang Timber & Building Supplies branch manager Simon Walling. "And to support the facility we have also invested in a brand new 26-tonne truck with integral crane offload to ensure we can deliver quickly to customers, or direct to site."
As well as Garstang and timber and sheet material importer GE Robinson & Co Ltd, the GE Robinson Group also includes merchant Markerfield Timber & Building Supplies, and timber, building and plumbing products supplier Haldane Fisher.
Salford-based GE Robinson & Co itself has just completed a "signficant investment" to replace its old sideloaders with a new, all Baumann fleet. The last two of the seven GX 50 trucks in the 18-month renewal programme were delivered by Robinson’s materials handling service dealer Industrial Truck Supplies earlier this month.
According to the timber company’s operations director Paul Kavanagh the new machines were chosen on the basis of "fuel efficiency, reliability and robust design". Each truck, he said, would operate for 1,000-1,200 hours a year and were expected to last for 12 years.
