SR Timber has issued an assurance to the roofing industry over the supply of timber batten as the housebuilding sector and wider construction industry continues to ramp up activity.
The Nottinghamshire-based company is keen to emphasize that the availability and supply of its materials remains unaffected, meaning that it can respond quickly to the requirements of merchants as demand continues to grow. Its ability to deliver consignments of batten within 48 – 72 hours after an order is placed remains unaffected.
The company is keen to point out that its supply chain in the Baltics, its transportation, and its stockholding levels in the UK are all “robust” and can flex easily to meet demand.
Shaun Revill, trading director of SR Timber, said that the company recognised the small but significant role it plays in ensuring that the industry has the stock required so that housebuilders and contractors have the materials they need, when they need them so the UK construction industry can get back up to full speed.
“The UK, and the world for that matter, has experienced some really tough times and it’s important that we all pull together to try and get back up and running as quickly as we can,” said Shaun. “And we’re a cog in a big machine that serves the construction industry – but we recognise the importance of being able to supply merchants and contractors with the materials they need.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on having a robust supply chain – from the forests of Latvia, to the sawmills, to the ships that bring the timber into the UK and the delivery to merchants and directly to sites up and down the UK – and the last few months have really been a test of our mettle and we’ve come through it with flying colours.”
Shaun also thinks that the recent lockdown may go some way to rid the industry of blighted batten. He said: “Before lockdown, we heard of instances where some suppliers were offering unbelievable prices on batten – which we strongly suspect to be of poor quality and probably don’t comply to British Standards – but they couldn’t deliver for weeks.”
“That raised alarms bells for reputable suppliers, and we hope that we may now see the back of some of this batten, especially if merchants and contractors turn their back on it because of the poor availability.”
Also, reflecting on the widespread media reports during lockdown which showed the lowering of emissions globally, Shaun is also hoping that the eco credentials of materials come even further to the fore.
“It was amazing to see the reduction in the amount of pollution during lockdown and we hope the environmental agenda maintains its momentum,” said Shaun. “It goes to show that little differences add up to a big change and everyone on the planet has a role to play on that.
“For example, all Premium Gold batten [which SR Timber is an importer of] carries either FSC or PEFC certification, proving that it is sourced sustainably. Whenever purchasing batten, this should be a main point for everyone, ensuring we all play our part in reducing the environmental impact.”
