About Us…………

Now

Associated Timber Services has the expertise, technology and dedication to respond to the growing trend for architects and builders to specify legal, sustainable and increasingly home-grown timber. Associated Timber Services has focused its recent investment programme on environment-friendly technology to minimise waste and maximise yield. Its aim is to reduce its carbon footprint and become the leading supplier of its speciality hardwood timbers in the UK.

Rupert Schofield, purchasing director, and Andrew Lodowski, managing director, have worked together for over 20 years to establish one of the most progressive timber merchants in the country. The English owned and run company, based in Colsterworth Lincolnshire, is at the forefront in supplying premium English and European hardwoods (air and kiln dried, round and sawn) in all species, grades and sizes to large and small businesses alike, achieved by travelling much of Europe and the U.K to source some of the finest hardwoods on offer.

With a site of some 12 acres, showcase offices and over 60,000ft2 of undercover storage, holding stocks of around 4000 cubic metres of kiln dried hardwoods, Associated Timber Services has one of the largest ranges of English and European Oak, Cherry, Ash, Sycamore, Chestnut and Beech in the UK. With over 300 years of knowledge and expertise of the timber trade between its staff, first class customer service  and the ability to deliver its prime timber anywhere in the world, Associated Timber Services were proud & honoured to receive The Queen’s Award for Export Achievement in 1992, making them the supply partner choice to many prestigious building and restoration projects.

In 2007 Associated Timber Services decided to purchase a rural home-grown sawmill, Sewstern Timber Services Ltd, not only to save the jobs of the existing staff, but to allow the company to produce locally sourced finished goods, to substantially reduce its reliance on imported timber and to encourage English Forestry to continue as more and more sawmills close down.

This puts the company in control of all aspects of supply, from standing forests to end user. It has a kilning capacity of approximately 3000m3 annually and can enjoy the privilege of kilning what it wants, when it wants and to the moisture the customer requires. The sawmill also provides full back up for re-sawing cut to size orders; planing, including the facility to plane large sections, and with a new Weinig moulder the mill can produce finished flooring and other profiles such as skirting and architraves.

Associated Timber Services has reinvested in the sawmill in order to increase efficiency, growth and exploit our full market potential and to modernise the sawmill generally. It has invested in new manufacturing equipment and training of staff to eliminate the need for third party involvement and thereby enabling the company to provide a complete service to its customers and substantiate a niche market which is currently under serviced.

In responding to the growing trend for architects and builders to specify legal, sustainable and increasingly home-grown timber Associated Timber Services is more than able to supply precise and exacting timber requirements for their customers no matter how large or small.

The Future

The management of Associated Timber Services recognises the importance of environmental issues and the need to take this in hand. It fully believes in promoting and encouraging the environmental process and the need for full control as the only way forward.

Customers want and need the assurance that the company is doing its utmost to promote sustainable and environmental issues and is continuously looking to improve.

Associated Timber Services believes it has made an outstanding advance within this scope and in summary has invested in the future by its increase in efficiency and customer fulfilment, has already made a significant reduction in the company’s waste by the investment in high-tech equipment and is in the process of virtually eliminating this waste by Spring 2010. This investment, currently being negotiated, means that all the wood waste will be turned into chips, mixed with sawdust and put into a specialist dryer to allow the chips to dry to 18% which will fuel the wood boiler. This will not only service the kilns but heat the wood waste dryer to dry the chips. Any further excess manufactured will be sold in the local bio-market. The elimination of its oil usage will also contribute indirectly to its carbon footprint.

An upbeat business, the company is clearly progressing but still maintains old fashioned core traditional business values and further enhancing its reputation for quality and care to the industry by utilising state of the art solutions. Where else can you purchase one piece or a full artic load, using the hands on process of fully trained yard staff and expertise, with central distribution and delivery to anywhere in the country?

At a time when protection of the environment and sustainability are ever more crucial and with timber being an outstanding renewable material, being competitive now in this expanding market is essential to being a frontrunner in the years ahead.

	The London Gazette Issue 52898 Associated Timber Services awarded the Queens Award for Export and Technological Achievement 1992. Please click HERE to see a full size version