Timber iQ August- September 2018 // Issue: 39 | Page 18

COVER STORY Rare Woods’ extensive facilities are home to an enormous stockholding of exotic timber. A rare timber gem From humble beginnings over 35 years ago, Rare Woods is a thriving timber business today that boasts an incredible product range built up over the years, which leaves South Africans spoilt for choice. By Rare Woods | Photos by Rare Woods R are Woods – headquartered in Epping, Cape Town – has been a solid fixture of the South African timber scene since it was established in the early 1980s. It is a familiar name to many – especially those in the Western Cape. Born out of the passion of its founder – Rory Wood – for all things timber, Rare Woods’ journey has always been about increasing the range of timber available to the local market, from the dozen or so staples that were available in the 1980s through to big distributors like Federated Timbers, to the more than 150 species of stock in their Cape Town and Knysna warehouses today. However, with the ever-changing nature of the industry, it is worth reminding our current generation of this amazing treasure trove of timber resources. Rare Woods is and always has been focused on offering the broadest range of local and imported timbers to the South African market. At Rare Woods, one defining characteristic trumps all others: stock, stock and more stock. At any given point, the business has a stockholding of around 5 000m 3 of rough sawn timber and 10 000m 2 of pre-profiled decking. On the surface, it seems like a crazy amount to have invested in a relatively slow-moving commodity, but there is business sense to it. 16 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018 // This is because supply chains in the timber industry can be extremely long. For imported species it typically takes four to six months from the time of ordering from a foreign sawmill, to receipt of the goods in South Africa – this can be as long as 18 to 24 months for some harder-to-source species. In addition, fashions are changeable and demand can be very bumpy in that one or two big projects can have a material impact on the overall level of sales for a specific species. All of which makes demand forecasting extremely challenging. Rare Woods has found that the most effective way to overcome this is to hold large amounts of stock. TAKES HASSLE OUT OF SOURCING Besides making for an incredible Aladdin’s cave for woodlovers, this model has great benefits for architects, trade customers and end users as it allows them to concentrate on what they do best: designing and delivering beautiful products without being constrained by a fear of stock shortages or lengthy delays. With this huge timber drawcard, Rare Woods’ customer base is as broad and diverse as its stockholding. Construction companies, shopfitters, cabinetmakers, joiners, flooring companies, decking installers, boat