Buckland Timber is the UK’s largest manufacturer of Glulam timber for construction. We have worked with them from the company formation through to more recent market analysis.
Glulam timber is pretty simple. Take a tree apart and re-glue it make the already efficient timber, even more structurally efficient. It allows us to maximise the use of timber in construction and therefore manage the forests in more sensitive ways. It’s a compelling solution to the increasing demand for timber structures.
Buckland timber is a rarity in forest supply-chains – a vertically integrated business. It is owned by forest owners looking to increase returns from forestry. Investing in added-value processing allows the owners to expand out of low-value raw-material supply. The plant was bought second-hand from Germany and installed in Devon. It included finger-jointer, glue-line and press.
Since the plant ramped up to full productivity we have worked with Buckland on ongoing market analysis and development. In 2019 we undertook market research of their past clients to focus on opportunities and gaps in the market. To do this we brought in expert marketeer Leane Tilley who works primarily in the food sector. bringing in experts from other, more competitative sectors gives us and our clients an edge we can’r get if we stay siloed in our own world. The work went on to inform the new website and social-media presence of the business which is now highly competitive in the global world of glulam.
We are hoping that the future brings a rich collaboration in increasing the volume of locally grown timber used in their glulam manufacture. They are already well down this journey using a high proportion of Douglas fir and increasing, beech but there are so many avenues to explore.
