Timber Trade Federation (TTF) president Neil Donaldson has reiterated his call for the timber industry’s various associations to combine forces and for individual companies to sign up to The Federation’s Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP).
Speaking at the East Anglian Timber Trade Association dinner, held at Kings College, Cambridge, Mr Donaldson asked “how can it make sense in our industry to continually support so many trade associations, all, really, with the same objectives?”.
“Government [officers] are at times perplexed by our industry where, in truth, they actually have difficulty in knowing who to speak to,” he continued. “One voice for the timber industry is my goal.”
On the subject of the TTF’s RPP, he told guests that it is “a good business tool. From my own experience at Donaldsons I can tell you that we have won many contracts because we have signed up.” And, he said, the TTF was being widely consulted by major contractors who are increasingly viewing the RP as one of the acceptable badges of a company they wish to do business with.”
Recounting the TTF’s successful activities over the last year Mr Donaldson reported that the Federation’s accounts were in surplus this again and that 23 new members had joined. He also said that the TTF’s move to offices at The Building Centre put it “right at the heart of the construction market – our major market”.
“We are working closely with the Olympic Delivery Authority to ensure that timber gets a good crack at the very significant contracts which will be place shortly,” he went on. “We would love to see an iconic timber building as part of the project and next month we will be meeting the designers of the velodrome. We are hopeful that FSC Siberian larch will be in abundance there as we have been told many times that this material will be needed for the track.”
