Reducing supply costs in any industry is important and the forestry sector is no exception. Forestry and timber production in the UK has suffered from a lack of policy support, investment and innovation for many years. Hopefully that is starting to change as governments realise that trees and timber products are part of the solution to our climate change emergency. That is why it was so refreshing to see the recent announcement of an Innovate UK project focused around the timber trade.
Tilhill Forestry will be working with the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and Innovate UK on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). The KTP programme helps businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through better use of knowledge, technology and skills.
The purpose of this partnership, known as “Trees to Timber Mill” is to develop and deliver a digital end-to-end solution that will deliver process efficiencies, improve reporting and reduced supply chain costs. This will be done by a unique decision support system enabling the company to both optimise the standing timber crop’s conversion into logs during tree harvesting operations and maximise the high value sawn timber product cut from these logs at the sawmill.
More funding for research and innovation in the timber supply chain is very welcome and hopefully we will see more project like this in the near future. Woodknowlede Wales is in touch will Universities in Wales working across the timber supply chain so if you do have an idea you would like to discuss let us know and we will try to put you in touch with the right person to talk to.
We look forward to hearing updates from this project over the next few years.
Read the original article posted on the Timber Construction / Timber Trader UK website here.
