W.L. West & Sons Ltd.
Timber Talks - July 2008

Just to repeat last months apology for the lack of newsletter updates. These pages will now be kept up to date. Sorry!!

 Stock awareness

To remind us all that as hardwood users we tend to be in the top end of the market. Customers who use hardwoods will feel the slow up in demand but it generally doesn’t stop. The softwood merchants, however, can stop - start with defined time scales.

Shipments of hardwoods entering the UK have slowed, and stock levels at the merchants seem to be in line with demand. So we are seeing little ‘Dumping’ of stock onto the markets. In a strange twist of fortune July and August are months where the importers slow up their deliveries to allow for the naturally steady demand over the holiday period. This has coincided with the general market conditions. The benefit of this is that importers have seen market conditions, and have ordered less, therefore there will be caution in stocks.

It is always a good policy to value your stock, for costing purposes in a rising market, at replacement cost. We all should look at the principle of this in view of movements in raw material cost rises.

When markets slow there is always a temptation to hang on to the money owed. Be aware of the potential increase from the norm of Bad Debts. Ensuring that our retail markets do have the ultimate ability to pay becomes more important. Putting in correct checking systems or requesting deposits can pay dividends in the long term.

 People News -

External sales representative South East

 We are in the long haul together and loyalty is key to customer / supplier in times like this.
On that note, It’s been great to meet our area 5 customers and get a really good response. Joyce is as ever, keen to help now that John has moved on.

It has taken some research and time to find and interview a number of  candidates. But we have now found our man.
He will start with us on 1st September, at our home site initially, to learn how we run. He has been in the trade over 25 years and has a second to none knowledge of hardwoods, especially temperate hardwoods centring on Oak. He has spent time in Europe learning the skills and methods of French sawmills and has spent time in Romania and other Eastern Oak Areas. He has a good knowledge of joinery, timber framing, flooring, and moulding work.

We will be introducing our new Sales Representative to you very soon. He will be working closely with Joyce to further strengthen the team. As one door closes, as they say!

 Trade News

 Moulding work in July has seen some 30m³ of yellow Balau moulded to a fender section, this is newsworthy because the new technology in profile cutters, the TCT knives we are using are quite special, they have a backing plate which actually makes the grinding cut by spark erosion and the backing plate is actually the cutting knife edge.

The company we use for our disposable tips blocks and special knives (that are not manufactured in-house) are supplied by Tooltec in High Wycombe.

In July we had some very interesting jobs. We were selected to supply the Oak beams for the drawbridge at The Tower of London. We were chosen for speed to cut the order and having our own beam graders  ensured a 100% in house production.
 
We are seeing an increase in more complex moulding work, something we can adapt to very well.

Having had several orders of through and through timber returned to us for credit in a state that it was not supplied in, we must just remind our customers that if you wish to return timber there is a time limit and we expect the timber back in the same condition that it was supplied. Our through and through timber has bar coded tags, this identifies it as ours and enables us to give an accurate and consistent record of the volume. Several orders have been returned without these tags on them. If this happens we cannot guarantee that we will either accept them back or if we do, be able to credit you accurately. If you do not want the timber — please leave the tags in place.

 Event News

Bank Holiday Sunday 24 August 2008

 The Annual Rother Raft Race.  www.rotherraftrace.co.uk 

Enter a team for a fun day, applications forms from our office or the race website.

 Fri 12, Sat 13 & Sun 14 September  Bentley Wood Fair, nr Lewes, East Sussex.  

 Everything wood, we will be there with our shop.

W.L. WEST & SONS LTD
Selham, Petworth, West Sussex GU28 0PJ
United Kingdom

Tel: 01798 861611   
Fax: 01798 861633   
E-mail: sales@wlwest.co.uk

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