Timber iQ February - March 2019 // Issue: 42 | Page 55

REGULARS - IN PROFILE
daily basis. I enjoy being innovative in ways of
marketing our various products and advertising it on
our social media accounts.
Q WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CHALLENGES IN
THE LOCAL TIMBER INDUSTRY?
One of the core challenges is that many South Africans
do not have the right knowledge to understand the
benefits of using timber, therefore they are not willing
to spend the money on this material. For example, a
big trend in Europe and the US is cross-laminated
timber (CLT) as a replacement for bricks and metals
which lowers carbon footprint, requires no water, is
much lighter than bricks and metals (less damage on
trucks) and is a natural insulator (less money required
for heating and cooling). This is not widely used locally
as it’s a bit more expensive than traditional building
materials. Another big challenge, which I believe is
turning into a threat, is the increase of borer beetles
that are killing thousands of trees. This problem is
occurring in Europe and has now infiltrated South
Africa. It’s very sad and researchers are still trying to
find a way to curb this. It started in Johannesburg and
is slowly moving down towards the Knysna forest,
which is a massive challenge in the forestry companies
will have to deal with soon. Lastly, economic
uncertainty is a major challenge that local timber
industries face.
Q FROM EXPERIENCE, WHAT ARE THE
LATEST TRENDS IN THE SECTOR?
People are wanting to visually see products, meaning
that social media has become more relevant than it
was a few years ago. Interacting with clients constantly
is important to ensure a good client relationship,
therefore updating them with new stock, new timber
and new ways of using timber products is highly
important. People have become more impatient in
today’s world therefore they want to see new content
more often and much quicker than ever before.
Q HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR FUTURE?
I am only 23 so I have many years ahead to experience
many things in my life. At the moment, I want to move
overseas and gain work experience there to
understand the working world in a different country so
that I can bring that knowledge back to South Africa.
// FEBRUARY / MARCH 2019 53