News

We Go Greener

October 22, 2021
 

Stewart Milne Timber Systems in Witney has entered a partnership agreement with Smiths Trade Waste Services for the collection and disposal of all waste material from the factory, a move which will substantially improve the factory’s green credentials.

The agreement, which sees Smiths appointed as Waste Services Provider Partner, comes following a review of SMTS’s waste management processes. The agreement will not only introduce a more streamlined, efficient approach but it will provide us  with transparent reports so it can accurately track what happens to the waste after it leaves the factory.

“Before going into partnership with Smiths, we worked with several waste management contractors, each one responsible for collecting different types of waste,” said factory manager Frank O’Reilly. “Administering and managing this, having to duplicate processes such as invoicing, arranging collections, separately weighing and monitoring every type of waste generated a lot of extra work for our team, so it was a labour and time intensive process. Storing different types of waste in skips across the facility until it was collected also took up a considerable amount of warehouse and yard space.

“One of our biggest concerns however was the environmental implications. We felt that working with several contractors, who were all coming from different places to collect waste, added considerably to the road miles that we were generating. We were also very concerned that we felt we could not accurately track what happened to the waste when it left us and whether there could be better, more sustainable ways of dealing with it.

“We are committed to doing what we can, to be as green as we can as an organisation, and we continually make improvements that reduce our carbon footprint. We looked at our whole waste management procedure and knew we could do better.”

To make the process as efficient as possible, we are hiring a compacter from Smiths which will be used for all the factory’s general waste. The compactor will reduce the volume of general waste by two-thirds, compressing the equivalent of three skips full of waste into just one – another saving in road miles. Plastic and cardboard, plasterboard, and Fermacell which is segregated separately will also be collected by Smiths.

The waste collected by Smiths is taken directly to the recycling facility where it will be separated and sorted for recycling. Anything which cannot be recycled will be taken to the Energy from Waste facility. The steam created by the incinerator is used to make electricity which is used locally or fed into the national grid.

We will be provided with a full report on how the waste has been diverted, beginning with the weight of waste recorded up to an itemised breakdown of final dispersal. This information is then measured against our factory’s KPIs.

“We’re very pleased to have secured the contract for waste services with SMTS Witney factory,” said Josh Hill, Account Manager at Smiths Trade Waste Services.  “All our trade waste collections run at zero to landfill policy. We knew from our discussions with the team there that it was important to make sure the waste produced on site is collected in both the most efficient and green way as possible.

“To do this we will be locating a compactor on site to significantly reduce the number of pick-ups compared to previous  collections. We have also arranged for roll on/roll off for the Fermacell and plasterboard produced on site to help free up space on site.

“It’s been a pleasure working with the team at SMTS and we look forward to developing the partnership further over the upcoming years.”

The only thing which Smiths does not collect is our factory’s timber waste which is collected by Giffords Recycling. Collected twice weekly as part of a local run, one hundred percent of the wood waste is recycled into products such as animal bedding, children’s soft play areas and pallet manufacture.

We also puts a box of timber offcuts aside for the Guideposts Trust, a local charity where we provide wood on a monthly basis for their gardening and woodwork classes.

“As an ISO 14001 certified organisation, we have a duty of care and an obligation to be a greener company,” said Mr O’Reilly. “Traceability is important, and by partnering with Smiths we are confident that the waste generated at the factory is being dealt with in a responsible, accountable manner.”

Smiths was chosen as the preferred partner for two principal reasons; its location and its track record of achieving a zero to landfill policy which diverts all general waste it collects away from landfill. The recycling facility is just 40 miles from the Witney factory with the Energy from Waste (EfW) facility only four miles from that.

Stewart Milne Group is selling its market leading timber systems business to focus on investing in the growth of Stewart Milne Homes across Scotland and North West England.

The independent housebuilder and manufacturer of timber frame for offsite construction is capitalising on Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ (SMTS) position as the recognised UK market leader by putting the business up for sale at a time when the market is set to grow exponentially.

Demand for timber frame has been rising rapidly and its use is anticipated to double in the next five years to meet government housing targets. As housebuilders tackle the dual challenge of achieving net-zero carbon targets and dealing with acute skills shortages, they are increasingly turning to modern methods of construction using renewable sources.

Stewart Milne Timber Systems has experienced “stellar” growth in the last five years with a current order book of close to £300million. This growth is attributed to a combination of technical and manufacturing excellence with strong customer relationships with the UK’s leading housebuilders, including Barratt, Taylor Wimpey and CALA.

The £100m turnover business, which employs 400 people, has become the undisputed market leader with around 20% of market share.

Alex Goodfellow, Stewart Milne Group Managing Director – Strategic Development, who is leading the sale process, said: “With the scale of the opportunity in the growing timber frame market, SMTS presents a highly compelling investment proposition. We anticipate attracting a high level of interest from potential buyers who will invest in order to capitalise on that opportunity.”

Stewart Milne Group has been investing in SMTS’ product and manufacturing innovation and capacity at its factories in Aberdeen and Witney to keep up with the extremely strong demand. Increased volumes have led to the creation of a third production facility in central Scotland.

Stewart Milne Group’s CEO, Stuart MacGregor, added: “To keep pace with demand, it’s clear that further investment in production capacity in both Scotland and England will be required. As a privately run, independent company, we need to prioritise where we invest in the future.

“Since reopening last summer, after the initial COVID lockdown, we’ve seen record levels of activity in the UK housing sector. The strength of our business with its award-winning developments, new homes range and record sales has enabled us to capitalise on these favourable market conditions and positioned us superbly for future growth.”

“The buoyancy of the current homes market, however, does mean that land prices in Scotland and North West England are increasing rapidly” commented Stuart MacGregor.

“We have therefore chosen to divest our successful timber systems business to increase investment in additional sites for Stewart Milne Homes. Using our considerable land buying experience to take advantage of the development opportunities, we will invest in land in the short term and concentrate on growing our homes business in the longer term.”

Once a sale has completed, Stewart Milne Group will be primarily focused on investing in the growth of its homes business in Scotland and North West England, reinforcing its reputation as one of the country’s leading independent housebuilders.

Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS) is proud to be partnering with West Herts College as it leads the sustainable challenge, encouraging future workforces to focus on timber frame building solutions.

As part of an industry collaboration, we will work with Hertfordshire college to recruit 12 apprentices who will work with DTS trusted supply chain partners, SE Carpentry and Hyspec Carpentry & Construction.

The new vocational apprenticeship programme, which runs over two years, will allow students to gain a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Timber Frame – MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) while also completing theoretical and practical studies in class.

Having taught carpentry at West Herts College for more than 20 years, this new partnership enhances the curriculum offering, relating the key skills developed and nurtured, and applying this to MMC and timber frame construction.

West Herts College director, John McMahon said: “This is an exciting opportunity for students to progress to an apprenticeship with a forward-thinking company like Donaldson Timber Systems.

“Students really stand to benefit from this partnership. They will pick up a modern qualification in an expanding sector while working with an industry leader – especially with the added focus of this program on green, sustainable construction.”

It is this commitment to apprenticeships and hope of attracting people into the sector that appealed to DTS, who hope that encouraging young people to work primarily with modern methods of construction (MMC) will not only prepare them for the future, where skills shortages, housing demand and sustainable practices is putting pressure on the sector, but ultimately drive the construction industry’s efforts to tackle climate change.

Simon Horn, Technical Development Manager at DTS said: “Timber frame is still regarded in many regions across the UK as a relatively new solution to the housing crisis. However, it’s a construction discipline that DTS has long been passionate about, and we’re very excited to be sharing this passion with future workforces.

“Many of our team ‘started on the tools’ as apprentices, and we’re thrilled to now pass on our experiences. This is a great opportunity for young people to get involved, especially at a time when climate change and sustainable building practices is high on the agenda across the UK.”

To find out more or apply:

https://www.getmyfirstjob.co.uk/search/details/142757/1/intermediate-apprenticeship/construction/bedfordshire/apprentice-timber-framer-%E2%80%93-mmc-(modern-methods-of-construction

https://www.getmyfirstjob.co.uk/search/details/142745/1/intermediate-apprenticeship/construction/bedford/apprentice-timber-framer-%E2%80%93-mmc-(modern-methods-of-construction

News

Housing Minister visits Redcar site

September 9, 2021
 

Our timber frame work on the Vistry site at Kirkleatham, Redcar, is in the news courtesy of Richard Bellis, Senior Reporter at The Northern Echo.

The article discusses the visit from Chris Pincher, Minister for Housing, who wanted to see the investment being made into new houses in the area.  A recent government announcement stated their intention to help thousands of people onto the housing ladder with funding worth £8.6 billion being allocated across the country.

On a visit to Redcar Housing Minister Chris Pincher said: “Redcar is at the heart of our levelling up agenda. It has received a huge cash injection from the towns fund and money from the coastal community fund.

“So we want to invest in the infrastructure and the skills in these areas.

“Building these houses will provide a base to do that, these homes will be a mix of rented, shared ownership and fully owned houses.

“This is so that everyone has the opportunity to get on the housing ladder.

“Usually when big housing developments are started then locals have one or two concerns. However, with this site, there has been no concern, in fact, people have been wanting.

“They are seeing their area get enhanced with really nicely designed estates and hopefully it will all help in levelling up the town.”

Jacob Young, Conservative MP for Redcar, said: “It’s fantastic to see the new homes that are being built by Vistry, Linden and Beyond Housing, but also to hear about the new plans for a supported living coming to this site as well.

“This is all about our plan to provide more homes locally, for local people, in the right places, to help people get their first home but also to help people transition out of homeownership into and into care in the community.”

News

Guideposts Charity and DTS

July 22, 2021
 

Donaldson Timber Systems (DTS) has donated timber offcuts to local Witney charity, Guideposts Trust, in a first step in the organisation’s fruitful new charity partnership.

Guideposts Outdoor Wellbeing Hub received its first delivery of wood from the UK’s leading offsite timber frame manufacturer last month, which will be used in gardening and woodwork classes at Guideposts Dig ‘n’ Grow service for adults with learning difficulties and Guideposts Dreamcatchers Forest School for young people with additional needs.

As the partnership continues, the donated wood from Witney based DTS will be used to make raised beds for Dig ‘n’ Grow attendees to grow plants, flowers and vegetables; as well as in woodworking classes which help to develop skills such as dexterity while providing the opportunity for participants to connect with nature.

DTS’ construction process results in roughly 1.6 thousand tonnes of timber offcuts, a natural result of offsite manufacturing methods and, as a company, Donaldson Timber Systems has always had an environmental conscience, ensuring that 100% of its excess material is recycled. In this way, it contributes to the current government aim for the UK to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Shelley Benwell, Marketing Manager, Donaldson Timber Systems, said: “Not only are we are committed to reducing and recycling the offcuts produced from our timber systems as we work towards reducing environmental impacts, we also believe in supporting the local community and those who live and work within it.

“Guideposts do amazing work in Witney with their Dig ‘n’ Grow service, providing locals with the chance to connect with nature, get outside and learn valuable, transferable skills which will benefit themselves, the local area and community. We are proud to support their work, and we look forward to seeing how else our timber is used.”

Tania Kirby, Senior Fundraiser for Guideposts said: “It’s always great to get backing from local businesses who share our values, and SMTS have been very generous in providing materials for our classes and workshops which aim to engage adults and young people in the area in planting, woodwork, nature crafts and cooking, all in a safe and social setting.”

 

REPRESENTATIVES from some of the housing industry’s biggest names have been announced as speakers at one of the Midlands’ leading construction events.

Speakers from Cundall, Barratt Developments, Stewart Milne Group and the Welsh government will present at June’s CE Midlands Housing Summit, organised by Constructing Excellence Midlands.

The summit’s keynote presentation will be delivered by Colette McCann, Birmingham City Council’s acting assistant director of housing development, who will detail the city’s 2040 plan for affordable housing, as well as introducing how attendees can get themselves involved in the programme.

Also leading the lineup is Cundall’s Richard Twinn, who will detail how Future Homes Standards will affect those involved in the provision of housing going forward.

Stewart Dalgarno, Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ Director of Product Development will be talking about the innovative AIMCH project (Advanced Industrialised Methods for the Construction of Homes) where we are a lead partner.

The event – which takes place virtually on Wednesday, June 23 – gives attendees chance to get further insight into some of the key issues facing the industry, such as the Future Homes Standard, carbon net zero and the growing role of modern methods of construction and modular homes.

Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of Constructing Excellence Midlands, said: “We’re delighted to have secured such a stellar lineup for this year’s Housing Summit, which promises to provide a real insight into how both the public and private sector are working to tackle the UK’s housing crisis.

Constructing Excellence Midlands is working in partnership with Birmingham City Council in helping them achieve their ambitious housing targets.

Colette McCann, acting assistant director of housing development at Birmingham City Council said: “CE Midlands provides a unique opportunity and platform that brings together a wide range of members within the construction industry.

“I am very much looking forward to attending the CE Midlands Housing Summit to discuss innovative ideas and solutions to the challenges our sector faces, particularly in the delivery of affordable housing.”

Andrew Carpenter continued: “As we come out of the other side of the pandemic, housing has to be one of the critical areas of the construction industry. With house prices continuing to rise, affordable, sustainable housing is coming to the fore more than ever before, and we have pulled together a speaker lineup that reflects this.”

To register to attend the CE Midlands Housing Summit, click here

 

Annual house price growth rose to 10.9 per cent in May, the highest level in nearly seven years.

Prices shot up 1.8 per cent month-on-month, following a 2.3 per cent rise in April, according to new Nationwide data. The new record average house price is £243k, up by almost £24k over the past twelve months.

A year ago, activity collapsed in the wake of the first lockdown with housing transactions falling to a record low of 42k in April 2020. However, activity surged towards the end of last year and into 2021, reaching a record high of 183k in March.

Manufacturing activity expanded at an unprecedented rate in May according to the closely watched IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index. The sector saw an index reading of 65.6 in May, a record high for the month-on-month measure. That topped April’s 60.9 and July 1994’s 61.0, the previous peak. An index reading of 50 indicates no change from the previous month.

Production was up at one of the highest rates since records began, while new export orders rose at a survey-record pace. Stronger demand came from the EU, US and China with growth boosted by the unlocking of economies from Covid restrictions and ongoing vaccination programmes.

This all sounds very positive but a shortage of raw materials and some supply-chain disruption has inevitably pushed up purchasing costs again by a record high. This is a particular challenge across the new build sector:

  • Housebuilders have currently sold many houses, but construction hasn’t started, meaning they can’t recover cost price inflation
  • Manufacturers and suppliers are contracted for fixed price periods and can’t recover cost price inflation until these end

The likely outcome is that house price inflation will continue and allow housebuilders to recover their profitability on the next batch of houses released.

More worrying is whether smaller manufacturers and suppliers tied to fixed term pricing can survive the losses and stay in business.

As the price increases are demand driven, any easing requires a portion of the market to say enough is enough and slow down or stop. This is the worst outcome for everyone, even the opportunistic raw material suppliers. Every bubble bursts if it is over-inflated. It would be better to take the long-term view and allow it to float along happily at a reasonable level.

Alex Goodfellow, CEO at Donaldson Offsite, has been appointed chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI), which represents the UK’s timber supply chain.

Succeeding Roy Wakeman OBE, Alex Goodfellow has more than 35 years’ experience of working within the housebuilding and offsite timber frame industry, bringing vast and varied experience to the Chair role of the CTI, having previously served as a Non-Executive Director. He worked at Stewart Milne Group for 20 years and has led the UK-wide growth of their successful Timber Systems business, now Donaldson Timber Systems. He is also Chair of the Strategy group, ensuring our House-building business is future-ready by leading the Product Design and Accelerated Build strategies as the business maximises the use of MMC to deliver sustainable long-term growth.

Well respected across the industry, Alex is a board member of the Structural Timber Association, having previously served as Chair, and Director of Offsite Solutions Scotland, an organisation established to grow offsite manufacture across the UK and internationally. His industry influence allows him to build innovative and collaborative relationships with many UK housebuilders and other industry influencers in the drive to ensure offsite timber manufacturing continues to provide an effective MMC solution to the housing crisis.

Mr Goodfellow said, “I am pleased and proud to be taking on this role at what is an exciting and pivotal time for the sector. With the global shift to achieving net-zero, the recognition of the sustainability of timber and its vital role in decarbonising the construction sector has been brought into sharp focus. Timber is rapidly becoming the material of the future and the use of timber frames and modern methods of construction are key to ensuring the UK can meet its housing needs.

I look forward to driving forward the mission of the CTI and placing timber at the centre of a sustainable, vibrant and prosperous modern UK economy. It is more important than ever we work collaboratively to promote and protect the markets for, and interests of, timber and timber products and systems. Building in timber is a form of carbon capture and storage and is essential to decarbonising construction. To make this happen we have a full calendar of engagements, political advocacy, market research, policy reports, and other events in the year ahead. Our many thanks to Roy for his hard work over the last four years to advance the interest of timber, and helping to secure a better, stronger future for our industry.”

As a result of Roy’s stewardship the influence of the CTI as an advocacy group for timber has increased significantly, with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Timber Industries, reports like ‘How the timber industries can help solve the housing crisis’, and events bringing industry and politicians together strongly highlighting the status of timber as the material of the future. This means the CTI is poised to help the UK Government make construction more sustainable and move towards a zero-carbon economy.

Timber has a significant role to play in helping to decarbonise the structural fabric of new and existing homes, with every cubic metre of timber sequestering almost one tonne of carbon dioxide, and as a versatile material, it lends itself to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), which can help the UK build homes quicker, and to higher quality – which is essential if the UK is to overcome the housing crisis.

After serving four years as Chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI), Roy Wakeman OBE, has decided to leave his post to spend more time on his other interests.

Roy said, “I have spent more than 55 years in the wood processing industry starting out as a lad tallying and measuring timber for Montague L Meyer in their Hull base. In all that time I have not lost the passion nor drive for the material and I am pleased beyond doubt to see that at last we have moved the issue to the top of the agenda. I wish the organization and colleagues every success in their quest for an even wider awareness of the unique advantages and selling points of the material in the construction, building, home improvement and consumer markets.”

Roy has been elected President of the British Woodworking Federation three times, is a Member of the Institute of Wood Science, as well as a member of the Institute of Materials and Fellow of the RSA. He was awarded the OBE in 2012 for his services to the Joinery Industry.

Upcoming next month for the CTI is the relaunch of the APPG for the Timber Industries, with the inaugural Annual General Meeting coming up on Monday 28 June, together with a new #NetZeroNow campaign highlighting how timber can help the UK Government deliver on its economic, employment, housing, and climate targets now.

For those that have been in and around the timber industry for many years, the drive for sustainability isn’t a new thing. The inherent properties of using timber from well managed forests has always felt like a good space to be in and creates a sense of doing the right thing for the planet. As the interest and demand in behaving this way quite rightly increases, the hardest bit can be keeping up with the latest terminology!

Firstly, we start with the obvious need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and halt global warming. In amongst the bigger subject of sustainability we have gone through terms such as carbon footprint, embodied carbon (the same thing – embodied carbon is the carbon footprint of a material), sequestered carbon and now zero carbon and net zero carbon. All are terms with carbon in them but with differences either nuanced or radical, none with international or even national definitions, formulae or algorithms.

The best way forward, and what a number of companies and organisations have done, is to define the terms internally so they are understood and can set improvement targets appropriately.

The carbon agenda is heavily related to energy efficiency and in that context zero carbon and net zero carbon become useful terms within a green energy programme and electricity generation. Zero carbon is the ultimate goal; energy generated without the need for carbon emissions, easily defined through wind, solar, wave and hydro power. Net zero carbon introduces the concept of offsetting but also the generation of electricity from burning biomass, on the basis that specific amounts of carbon released into the atmosphere is offset and absorbed with the planting of replacement biomass fuel stocks.

Each organisation will settle on what they believe is the right solution until inevitably the world will settle on some standardisation of terms. In the meantime, with our knowledge of sustainable forestry, responsible procurement processes and efficient design engineering, our path is focussed on a net zero carbon goal, in which the likes of biomass and offsetting play a significant role in our success.  Our sustainability strategy focuses on the future challenges facing our business and the actions we are taking to ensure a positive effect on our people, our planet and our product.

The language may follow but our role is to lead and do our bit for the greater good.

IFS’s Cloud ERP solution to help award-winning UK construction systems manufacturer digitize value chain and increase efficiency

London, April 8, 2021 – With the construction industry’s increasing focus on reducing both carbon footprints and build times, UK offsite timber frame manufacturer Stewart Milne Timber Systems decided to replace its legacy business system, which could no longer support its project-based business, with an industry-specific enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution from IFS.

To build greener, faster, and more cost effectively, the global construction industry is increasingly turning to offsite and modular construction methods. In England alone, it is estimated that 345,000 new homes are needed annually to keep up with demand. This is driving the need for innovative building systems brought to the market by manufacturers like Stewart Milne Timber Systems.

The company was running a legacy business software solution that could not fully support its long-term operational ambitions. Still highly reliant on paper-based, manual business processes and a multitude of data standards, Stewart Milne Timber Systems consulted several different sources to aid its decision-making.

With a goal to automate a considerable number of business processes and consolidate all data into a single source, we identified that a key ask for us would be a solution that offered a combination of robust industry-specific capabilities, such as project management, manufacturing, and a fully integrated finance and human capital management (HCM) solution, to support growth. Following a competitive evaluation process, the company chose IFS over solutions from other providers.

Craig Thornhill, Finance Director at Stewart Milne Timber Systems, said, “We chose IFS because of the team’s and the product’s deep industry expertise and capabilities. IFS Cloud ERP will help us increase efficiency, stay on quality and reduce the lead-time, downtime and processing time associated with the manufacturing and installation of offsite systems. IFS is a central pillar in our digital transformation journey, which will help us work smarter, quicker, and greener.”

Alan Laing, Managing Director, IFS UK and Ireland, added, “We are excited to be partnering with Stewart Milne Timber Systems providing them with our leading industry capabilities. These have been tested and fine-tuned through close customer collaboration with some of the most renowned names in the global construction and manufacturing sectors. With IFS’s open architecture, Donaldson Timber Systems will be able to expand their footprint to include new automation and robotic technology. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership.”

Learn more about how IFS supports businesses in the manufacturing space at www.ifs.com/corp/industries/manufacturing/.