10 minutes with Vastern Timber ’ s Tom Barnes
Vastern Timber is one of the largest hardwood sawmills in the country , headquartered in Royal Wootton Bassett , it specialises in the cutting and manufacture of native grown timbers , including English oak , sweet chestnut , ash , sycamore and larch .
This family owned business is 120 years old and is currently run by four family members who represent the third and fourth generations working in the company . Across the firm they currently employ 37 people and in the last three years have seen between a 10-12 % increase in growth each year . We met with Tom Barnes , managing director to find out more about the business .
Tell us a little about the company ’ s history The business started in 1904 in High Wycombe . We were suppliers into the furniture trade and in those days we traded under the name of ‘ Barnes Branch & Co ’, which is still effectively the holding name of the company today .
In 1974 we bought the sawmill in Royal Wootton Bassett , supplying our High Wycombe operation with wood . Manufacturing then dropped away and as a company we evolved to suit the new environment , moving from furniture into construction .
In the late 70s and early 80s the construction market was buoyant and to allow for growth we bought a second sawmill in Studley , near Chippenham and this site is still operational today .
How long have you been part of Vastern Timber ?
I joined 15 years ago , after cutting my teeth working for larger companies in the industry . This allowed me to gain invaluable experience and insight and set me up for my promotion two years ago to MD .
For my own personal development , I completed an MBA . As part of this I studied family businesses . Through this course I learnt that to be successful you have to forget about the family element and run a business like an organisation with a clear structure and a high-level of professionalism .
What ’ s the firms USP ? The fact we use British logs and we ’ re producing British grown timber . This is unusual as most other UK-based companies import their materials . We ’ re proud to say we ’ re the largest British hardwood supplier in the country .
How are you changing and evolving as a company ?
The market for raw materials is shrinking . It ’ s more about the finished product going into construction than the timber itself .
We produce products such as timber cladding and flooring and sell into the self-build market space and to architects and construction companies . It ’ s important for us to have relationships with all of these routes to market .
Our products can be seen all year round at the National Self Build Renovation Centre in Swindon and we welcome visitors to our showroom in Royal Wootton Bassett .
What do you believe has been key to your growth in recent years ?
Being British is key . We wouldn ’ t have always admitted our products were home-grown , but there ’ s been an increase in national pride and interest in sustainability . Using wood that ’ s been grown and produced locally is a great story . For the most part our wood is bought and sold within 100 miles of Royal Wootton Bassett .
What are your growth plans for 2017 and beyond ?
The construction market is buoyant at the moment and with the Brexit vote , our product has become more competitive than wood from other countries .
In the last few years we ’ ve been developing a profile building strategy to aid our growth . We ’ ve employed a PR company and invested in our digital strategy and we are reaping the rewards of this . Our web traffic has doubled and we ’ re seeing a much higher conversion rate .
We ’ ve also invested in the development of a new brand .
Brimstone is the first thermally modified British hardwood product .
We wanted to find a use for underused tree species such as ash , sycamore and poplar . These woods are fastgrowing , maturing within 60 years , when it takes up to 120 years to mature an oak . With a growing population , in the future we ’ re not going to be using the traditional woods and instead we ’ re going to be moving towards reliable wood that can be used in multiple locations .
We ’ re committed to staying in Wiltshire and we ’ re currently looking for funding to build a new production plant for Brimstone locally . Watch this space ! www . vastern . co . uk
Vastern timber was used for a redevelopment project at the Tower of London . They installed British oak and replaced the main drawbridge .
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THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2016 21