Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, visited David Smith in St Ives, a 65-year old joinery and timber engineering business, to see its contribution to homes, commercial & public buildings.
The visit was arranged by the Builders Merchants Federation as part of its industry and parliament programme, to show politicians the role, value and importance of the building materials supply chain in delivering for their customers and communities.
Bristow was welcomed by managing director Tim Wilson, operations manager Tony Maxwell, and Brett Amphlett from the Builders Merchants Federation. Touring the 8-acre site, he was shown examples of the fire door sets, staircases, roof trusses and floor joists that David Smith manufactures for housebuilders, contractors and property developers.
Wilson said: “We were happy to welcome Paul today and show him how David Smith St Ives has evolved since we began in 1960. It’s encouraging to see the Mayor take a genuine interest in local manufacturers like ours and offer support to help timber engineering businesses succeed. We had a productive discussion about the role of timber engineered products in meeting local housing needs, particularly for homes that people choose with sustainability an ever more important aspect, and to deliver quality homes with more elements manufactured offsite to assist speeding up the construction process”.
“With significant house-building planned in the county, we believe timber engineered products have a much greater role to play, not only for their environmental benefits, but also for versatility. We also touched on wider industrial policy, including the rising cost of industrial energy, which directly affects manufacturers like us. While installing solar panels has helped to lessen our reliance on the National Grid, it remains concerning that the UK’s electricity prices are still among the highest in Europe.”
