NO. 369 // APRIL 2017 Imported timber Supply & demand PAGE 13 PAGE 34 PAGE 41 MASTER BUILDERS’ MITEK’S SAPPHIRE PROTECTING FIRST FEMALE CEO MANAGEMENT YOUR BUSINESS TTN369_01_cover_2017.indd 1 16/3/17 4:03 pm INTRODUCING THE ALL NEW SUPERCHARGED TIMBER COMPONENT CUTTER TURBO-DRIVE The fastest and most versatile truss and frame component cutting machine ever My Hundegger and me! Never change a winning team! www.hundegger.com • Designed specifically for high speed production of roof truss, and timber framing components • Minimal footprint • Latest technology • ln built board-stretching optimisation = more yield, less waste • Fast, accurate, flexible and affordable HundeggerHundegger AustralasiaAustralasia Pty Pty Ltd Ltd CharlieCharlie Hutchings 258A Hi-Tech Whiteside Place Road RowvilleClayton South Victoria Victoria Australia Australia 3178 3169 Tel:Tel: +613 95409540 01300130 Email:Email: [email protected] Web:Web: www.hundegger.com.au Innovation in timber engineering 4c 210 x 297 Australien_eng_2.indd 1 13.12.2016 12:24:04 TTN366_03_IndustryTTN367_03_IndustryHundegger_368_march insite.indd 17.indd 12 16/12/1617/2/1719/1/17 11:37 2:382:27 pmam CONTENTS INTRODUCING THE ALL NEW SUPERCHARGED PUBLISHING DATA Publisher: Ian Brooks TIMBER COMPONENT CUTTER (02) 9126 9705 Regulars [email protected] 36 Industry insights .........................................4 Editor: Alison Turner State of the industry ...................................5 (02) 9126 9714 [email protected] Association update Advertising: Julie McConachy Association news .......................................7 TURBO-DRIVE 0409 381 813 [email protected] News News in brief ...........................................10 Subscription Manager Julie Hughes (02) 9439 1955 Feature article [email protected] Home & away ...........................................18 Art Director: Julitta Overdijk Paragon Media Pty Limited Product profile ABN: 49 097 087 860 Vekta Razer ...............................................26 Suite 14, Level 2/174 Willoughby Road Crows Nest NSW 2065 Company profile PO Box 81, St Leonards, NSW 1590, Australia STS Timber ...............................................28 Tel: 02 9439 1955 / Fax: 02 9439 1977 Email: [email protected] Watt about the workplace Protecting your business ..........................41 Circulation: proprietors, managers and executives in all sectors of the timber and building materials industries Timber floor news including merchants, building material BauBuche Flooring ....................................30 centres, hardware stores, timber window 14 Brice on Boards ........................................32 and door manufacturers, truss and frame manufacturers, timber flooring retailers, stair, balustrade and solid AutoBuild News timber furniture manufacturers and their associated suppliers and industry Product profile: SAPPHIRE .......................34 associations throughout Australia. Alpine Truss turns 15 .................................36 The fastest and Established October 1985 most versatile ISSN 1035/4298 FTMA newsletter truss and frame Print Post Approved: 100002694 With Kersten Gentle .................................38 component cutting Published 12 times per year by: Email: [email protected] GN guidelines machine ever Website: www.timbertradernews.com Timely documentation ..............................40 My Hundegger and me! Subscriptions for 12 editions: Never change a winning team! Australia: $99 (+GST) Truss talk New Zealand: NZ$109 (+NZGST) With Paul Davis ........................................42 Overseas Airmail: AU$250 www.hundegger.com • Designed specifically for high speed production of roof truss, PERSONNEL ADVERTISERS’ INDEX – APRIL 2017 and timber framing components Ausframe .........................................................33 MiTek Australia Ltd ..........................................44 Sales Director: • Minimal footprint Julie McConachy Australian Sustainable Hardwoods Pty Ltd ........6 Multinail Australia Pty Ltd ................................39 Phone: 0409 381 813 Bliss & Reels Pty Ltd .......................................37 • Latest technology [email protected] Outdoor Timber Treatment .................................8 Hundegger .........................................................2 • ln built board-stretching optimisation = more yield, less waste Simmonds ....................................................... 21 PUBLISHER Hyne Timber ...................................................... 9 • Fast, accurate, flexible and affordable Ian Brooks Mathews Timber ..............................................25 STS Timber ...................................................... 15 Phone: 02 9126 9705 [email protected] McCormack’s Hardwood Sales ....................5, 35 Vekta Automation ............................................ 43 HundeggerHundegger AustralasiaAustralasia Pty Pty Ltd Ltd CharlieCharlie Hutchings Like us on Facebook 258A Hi-Tech Whiteside Place Road facebook.com/TimberTraderNews Source: Audited Media Association of Australia; RowvilleClayton South Victoria Victoria Australia Australia 3178 3169 Average Net Distribution: 1599 CAB Total Distribution Audit. For further E-newsletter subscribers: 5,158 Tel:Tel: +613 95409540 01300130 Period ending September 2015 information visit www.auditedmedia.org.au Email: [email protected] Disclaimer Unless explicitly stated otherwise in writing, by providing editorial material to Paragon Media, including text and images you are providing permission Email: [email protected] for that material to be subsequently used by Paragon Media, whole or in part, edited or unchanged, alone or in combination with other material in any publication Web: www.hundegger.com.au or format in print or online or howsoever distributed, whether produced by Paragon Media and its agents and associates or another party to whom Paragon Media Web: www.hundegger.com.au has provided permission. www.timbertradernews.com TIMBER TRADER NEWS / APRIL 2017 3 Innovation in timber engineering 4c 210 x 297 Australien_eng_2.indd 1 13.12.2016 12:24:04 TTN369_03_contents.indd 3 17/3/17 1:08 pm TTN366_03_IndustryTTN367_03_IndustryHundegger_368_march insite.indd 17.indd 12 16/12/1617/2/1719/1/17 11:37 2:382:27 pmam INDUSTRY INSIGHTS With Justin Newman, CEO, Vesta Timber and Hardware s I talk technology and the benefits of years your smartphone could be the only want and pick it up in-store and the Athe internet and ecommerce to members computer you own. As the processing power efficiency and customer service of of the timber and hardware industries within of phones increase and internet speeds your business increases dramatically. Australia, I often find myself saying, “Don’t delivered by the NBN blow previous speeds Leveraging the bricks-n-clicks model for hate me, I didn’t invent the internet”. away, it’s conceivable that the smartphone your business may not just increase sales, What do I mean, “Don’t hate me”? The will replace computers, especially for it may keep out competitors. The reality is reality is that the internet is both a threat consumers such as builders and tradesmen that, as an industry, there aren’t currently and an opportunity to the traditional business who are not anchored to their office or any exclusively online timber merchants model of many long-standing businesses who spend a large amount of time on- doing any significant volumes or using their within this industry. Many of these site and their ute is their office. ability to operate at a lower cost than you to discussions turn to what competitors could Your ability to increase customer service impact on your sales and affect your margin. be or are doing to disrupt their traditional and improve efficiency in the ordering and My belief is that one of the major reasons for channels to market by using e-commerce. fulfilment process once came at great this could lie with the ability to get supply in Often the discussion then turns to me expense, in both time and money. The significant volumes at wholesale rates, which being told that the timber and hardware benefits of embracing an omni-channel allows the margin gap required for growth. industries are immune to such threats and solution for your business lie in the benefit But again, we aren’t the only industry that we don’t need to be concerned, or at least you’re offering your customers in improved would have faced that issue, and to think we concerned for a very long time. customer service and in your ability to be can avoid it forever is dangerous. For current Well if that’s the case, as an industry, able to attract new customers to the industry participants with strong businesses, can we put our heads in the sand and business inexpensively. But does any of this the best method to avoid this type of online- confidently say that the timber industry answer the question, “Should timber only competition and the issues of low-cost doesn’t need to explore the threats and merchants in 2017 be looking at an omni- distribution it would present is to leverage opportunities the internet offers? Should channel option to ensure the success of their the bricks and mortar you have now and timber merchants in 2017 be looking at business into the future?” In truth it probably develop an omni-channel solution. an omni-channel option to ensure the doesn’t, as these are easy things to say. Many of the reasons for not adopting an success of their business into the future?