Reporting back from Members’ Day. See what you missed and post-event resources

BWF Members’ Day has been highly praised by its attendees following the event taking place at Loughborough University on 24 May.

The event focused on preparing woodworking companies for growth through a series of workshops and debate with expert speakers on topics ranging from the construction economy to technical joinery issues.

The event began the evening before at the pre-Members’ Day networking event, open to the members, sponsors and exhibitors at the Burleigh Court Hotel on the same complex as the conference venue, Holywell Park, at Loughborough University.

The evening brought together around half of the delegates for the next day, allowing them time to meet and discuss issues with their industry colleagues.

The Conference took place the next day – the first Members’ Day overseen by the new Chief Executive, Iain McIlwee, who opened the proceedings.

BWF President, Roy Wakeman OBE, spoke reinforced the BWF’s vision to have a profitable membership built on effective specification and the BWF having a strong voice in the UK.

He thanked Mr McIlwee and the BWF team are driving change and modernisation through the organisation in efforts to grow membership numbers and for the BWF to become the leading authority for joinery and woodworking in the UK.

Mr Wakeman noted that while we were a traditional industry, we were not one that lacked innovation as the BWF’s award for technical excellence and innovation in joinery manufacture had proven and urged companies to submit entries to the award in 2012.

The award for Apprentice of the year was announced to be included in the awards ceremony for 2012, noting that skills play a major part in growing business.

Mr Wakeman ended on a rallying call to the members to engage with the BWF, noting the membership as the key to the BWF’s success.

Adam Khan, from the architectural practice of the same name, gave the keynote address to the conference. He spoke on the design and emotive properties of timber when specifying wood over other construction products and the challenges the sector faces to increase its market share.

He explained that knowledge of timber was limited within the wider construction industry, as had been proven in a recent project he worked on, with knowledge on storage, timber properties and behaviour crucial to ensure the beauty, timescales, and longevity of wood within building projects.

Following the opening session, delegates were invited to participate in three workshops, all which were tailored to meet the needs of industry, and different sessions appealing to companies large and small.

The workshop sessions provided some pertinent advice and stirred some controversy throughout the day. The British Board of Agrément (BBA) and the BRE outlined the urgency to link up with a Green Deal provider to take advantage of the joinery business opportunities.

Members slammed PEFC and FSC in the sustainable sourcing workshop for failing to recognise each other’s certifications, but both pledged to work more closely together in the UK to ease the strain on industry. There was also a warning for members to get procedures in place to be ready for the introduction of the EU Timber Regulations.

A workshop on sales & marketing highlighted the need to increase skills in using social media and generally to increase understanding of the marketing environment.

BWF Member JELD-WEN UK briefed delegates on putting in place CE marking for their products and show how this could be achieved relatively easily, but highlighted the need to put procedures in place ready for compulsory CE marking 2013.

Other workshops covered finding alternative sources of finance while the banks continue to remain tight-fisted, getting prompt payment with effective contract procedures and signing up to the Fair Payment Campaign run by the NSCC, moving from basic calculations to u-value simulations to ensure adherence with tighter building regulations, changes in woodworking health & safety and knowing what to do when a HSE inspector calls, and a workshops on increasing productivity & efficiency in the workshop. Presentations for all the workshops are available for download by logging in below.

In the closing session Simon Storer from the Construction Products Association outlined the economic issues facing industry, and while there is a gloomy outlook for growth, currently -2.8% construction output in 2012 and no growth expected until 2015, £100bn worth of construction spend is expected this year, and the housing market is growing.

Mr Storer led a panel debate where the subject of pre-qualification was discussed and members were encouraged to use The Builder’s Profile and report contractors not accepting this to the BWF. Members were also encouraged to be firm with clients to leave out retention clauses in contracts.

Free downloadable resources from Members’ Day are now available for Members. Please log in below to see the presentations.