The UK timber supply chain: improving management and reducing environmental impact

Timber is a relatively low cost material that traditionally has been prone to changing hands throughout the supply chain several times with little value being added. This means that transportation alone is responsible for a significant proportion of the final price.

This report is a best practice guide to demonstrating how the environmental impact of the storage and distribution of wood products can be minimised through better supply chain management. It presents the results of research which examined supply chains in the UK timber industry and in other industries. The key findings address issues such as Partnering to improve co-operation and solve potential problems, E-commerce to enable greater integration between customer and supplier information systems and Transport where savings can be made through choice of method, by implementing more efficient delivery systems, optimising vehicle selection and improving driver training.

Contents:

• Supply chains in the UK timber industry
  • Salient points of the supply chain study
  • Environmental impact of the UK forest timber supply chain - an industry view
• Case studies
  • Common issues arising from surveys
• Benchmarks for best practice
  • Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a diverse industry
  • Opportunities
  • Benchmarking to improve supply chain management
• Improving supply chain management
  • Partnering
  • Communication
  • Transport
• Key findings
  • Partnering
  • E-commerce
  • Transport