SUSTAINABILITY
STRONG SUPPLIER AND CUSTOMER TIES HELP SHELTER MACBLAIR BUILDERS MERCHANTS FROM THE WORST OF THE TIMBER SHORTAGE CRISES…
MacBlair pulls together through timber shortage
T he unprecedented demand for timber products during the last 18 months could never have been envisaged, admitted MacBlair Antrim Branch Manager, David Gill. Yet, despite the tightness in supply, MacBlair has, to a large extent, managed to weather the storm. “There is some predictable demand from our customer base, so we’ve taken full advantage of our large site at Antrim to keep
the other 16 branches in the MacBlair network in order to facilitate the sale as best we can. This interbranch co-operation has been an increasingly important aspect of trading.” MacBlair traditionally stocks home-grown fence boards and construction timber, but over the last year-and-a-half it has strategically increased its stock
David Gill, Branch Manager, MacBlair Antrim.
of imported timber. “When we’ve seen our home-grown suppliers struggling to cope, our imported timber stock has allowed us to mop up some of that undersupply. “Sometimes products haven’t been available and we’ve had to manage expectation on the customer side. There was a period of time when no outlet in the country had fence boards. We reduced our barren spell to a minimum thanks to the relationships that have been built over a long period of time with some of our core supply base. We’ve really been able to lean heavily on suppliers and they have supported us very strongly.”
bigger stocks to assist in the surge in demand. Being able to reliably forecast and to pro-actively stock products has helped insulate MacBlair from larger stock shortages.” Supply has been tight, “Stock levels go down very quickly and we are also supporting timber demands from other MacBlair branches, so this is a very busy operation. However, we are aided with a strong sourcing model and a willingness to support our customers. “While there have been difficulties with some products, we can reach out to
To find out more contact, T: +44 (0)28 9448 1352 E: antrim@macblair.com or visit: www.macblair.com
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