Rowlinson Timber Ltd has hosted a visit by 40 of its suppliers from the Baltics, Russia and Belarus.
The group, some of whom have been trading with Rowlinson since the mid-1990s through its wholly-owned subsidiary Baltic Connexions, visited Rowlinson Timber’s distribution centres in Grimsby and Immingham, its premises in Cheshire, and its sister companies Rowlinson Packaging and Rowlinson Garden Products.
Rowlinson Timber managing director John Bate said the aim of the visit was to strengthen relationships with suppliers and give them a better understanding of the UK market, especially in view of the current difficulties.
“We want to encourage trading relationships with reliable and compatible partners and we have a desire for increased volumes from the Baltics and Russia – assuming competitiveness,” said Mr Bate.
He told the group that the UK’s demands were “changing almost daily” and that timber suppliers had to be flexible. He also explained the market’s increasing requirements for graded carcassing and certified timber.
“We have a five-year plan and we would like everybody to be included,” said Mr Bate. “Because of the changing market we can’t think about what we did yesterday or last year or 10 years ago; we can only think about what to do tomorrow.”
