David Connacher, Marketing Manager, West Fraser, answers your questions 1.    Norbord – who are/were they in a nutshell? As the UK’s number one engineered wood panel manufacturer and serving the housebuilding and construction industry with a vast array of board products for flooring, panelling and roofing, Norbord is the go-to corporate name behind the company’s popular brands for architects, merchants, specifiers, end-users and consumers alike in the UK.  2.    Who is West Fraser? West Fraser is a diversified wood products company with more than 60 facilities in Canada, the United States and Europe.  West Fraser was founded in 1955 when three brothers – Sam, Bill and Pete Ketcham – pooled their resources to buy a small planing mill in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada From responsibly-sourced and sustainably-managed forest resources, West Fraser produces lumber, engineered wood (OSB, LVL, MDF, plywood, particleboard), and other products including pulp, newsprint, wood chips and renewable energy.  West Fraser’s products are used in construction, repair and remodelling, industrial applications, papers, tissue and box materials.  You can find out more about the company at www.westfraser.com. 3.    Why is the acquisition a good thing?  The two companies are much aligned and share many common values, including a commitment to safety, efficient manufacturing facilities, a focus on continuous improvement and teamwork, as well as manufacturing sustainable products that are essential for a low-carbon economy. Product development and efficient supply chains will also be at the crux of the new organisation due to the merging of experienced teams.  4.    So, has anything changed? Absolutely nothing has changed for our customers. The people are the same, the products are the same, the plants are the same – Norbord Europe now becomes the European arm of West Fraser following the acquisition.  And a bright future awaits. 5.    Are the contact details still the same? The telephone number, and all the mobile numbers of contacts, have not changed. The website has a new name – www.uk.westfraser.com 6.    Will the names of the brands and products change? No. The existing brands are market-leading and hugely successful. They are well known and have been part of the UK business landscape for years, if not decades. They will remain as they are the company’s stock-in-trade – literally.  SterlingOSB Zero, CaberBoard, CaberFloor and CaberWood MDF, for example, will still be readily available. 7.    Will you still be supplying the same customers/merchants?  Yes – there will be no change to our supply network. Simon Woods, European Sales, Marketing & Logistics Director, West Fraser explains, “The joining of our two companies is a very exciting move for us in Europe. To list West Fraser’s long standing core beliefs – efficiency, modern mills, responsibility and leadership in environmental performance, the active involvement of employees in the business, a commitment to safety and a relentless pursuit of excellence in everything we do – is to echo Norbord’s. There is a huge opportunity for us to grow and develop in Europe – together. We are looking forward to a bright future!” For further information call 01786 812 921 or visit www.uk.westfraser.com

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has called on the government and local authorities for urgent investment in housing to meet the growing demand for social housing. Homeless charity Crisis recently calculated that 90,000 homes need to be built a year in order to meet this demand. Paramount Timber Frame have gathered recent studies in the industry to calculate that if these houses were built using timber frame construction rather than traditional masonry methods, it could save the government over £261 million. Timber frame construction responds to the wider housing challenges. In fact, building with timber would see the government’s existing target of building 300,000 homes per annum reached far more effectively and sustainably, generating cost savings across the board and arguably moving towards bursting the current housing bubble. Timber framed homes in the UK is the most traditional building method boasted by the UK’s oldest properties, surviving since the 15th Century. However, brick became the Victorian answer to mass housing production in the 19th Century. With sustainability becoming a core value for many businesses and individuals, the other benefits to building with timber are beginning to come into focus. Building with timber is cost effective, with timber frame coming in at around a 2.8% cost saving. It is also shortening construction time as Rider Levett Bucknall found in a study between the 2 methods. The build time for an average timber frame home was only 41 weeks compared to 49 weeks for masonry. The 2 months of saved time equates to further cost savings on labour most notably, as well as improve cash flow by completing projects sooner. The cost savings and efficiency aren’t the only benefit associate with timber frame, it is also highly sustainable. Timber is part of the circular economy, which is the most effective carbon store. When used instead of the more traditional building materials, a single cubic metre of timber will save around 0.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. When extended to the 90,000 homes a year – that can make a huge difference to the environment. Timber is also a renewable material, with up to 90% of the timber used in the UK coming from certified sustainable sources such as the FSC and the PEFC. The majority of the remaining 10% comes from well managed sources in countries which do not practice certification. For every one tree that is harvested, five are planted in its place which means that it is not only a sustainable method, but one that is integral to the governments Net Zero by 2050 initiative. Richard Swayne, Director of Paramount Timber Frame says: “The time has come for the industry to switch to timber frame more aggressively. The benefits for using timber instead of traditional masonry methods are tenfold. At Paramount Timber Frame, we know there is intense need for delivering high quality, good value housing and fast. Switching to timber frame is how we start to build for tomorrow. To not only alleviate the housing crises, but to evolve the industry to becoming more sustainable, for both the environment and society. Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive of the Structural Timber Association says: “It’s no secret that Britain’s housing construction has faced numerous challenges over the decades, from planning restrictions, cost of materials and safety issues. Timber construction provides a glaringly obvious solution to many of these challenges whilst also meeting housing needs efficiently and net zero carbon by 2050 target. With timber construction we believe we can build back Britain, Better, Greener and Faster. Our Time for Timber campaign embodies this, bringing together the science, data and industry thought-leaders, echoing that the time to change our outdated construction methods is now.”

Soprema UK, the specialist in waterproofing and building envelope solutions, is to begin manufacturing its Pavadry woodfibre insulation in the UK, with an improved product specification. A high performance, internal wall insulation that controls dispersion of water from the walls into the building to prevent condensation and the risk of mould, Pavadry is the solution of choice for solid wall buildings, and is particularly popular as a retrofit solution for heritage properties. The revised product will be manufactured with an OSB-facing, rather than the MDF previously used, making it easier and faster to install. Roland Jackson, commercial director at Soprema UK explains: “Pavadry enables the thermal performance of solid wall and heritage properties to be improved without changing their external appearance or unbalancing their building physics. The improved product will continue to deliver those benefits but the OSB facing will allow screw fixings to be attached directly to the board, rather than requiring a counter sink to accommodate a screw head. Over the course of an installation, this will save considerable time and aid consistency.” The move of production from Switzerland to Manchester enables changes to the manufacturing process and ensures reliable lead times and supply for UK specifiers and contractors, at a time when demand for renewable and sustainable solutions is high. Roland continues: “With the Green Deal now extended for another year until March 2022, homeowners and landlords have a great opportunity to improve the comfort of their property and reduce its carbon footprint. Meanwhile, the £1 billion Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) remains open for grant applications to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures in publicly-owned property assets until the end of January 2021. The £4 billion levelling-up fund also includes investment in housing and local arts and culture, with bidding for projects beginning in 2021. “With so many incentives available to invest in carbon reduction improvements, there is high demand for Pavadry because it is made from natural, renewable materials, is completely recyclable and has such a positive effect on thermal performance and building comfort. Bringing production to the UK and making the product easier to install are the right choices at the right time.”