Barrie O’Shea

O’Shea’s Timber & Hardware

In two years time, the building market will be stronger than it is at present.

Who will be taking advantage of that market? The winners will be those who have strong partnerships.

The most important partnership for merchants will be with their customers.

We have already gone well beyond the stage of selling “bits of wood”.

We need to be able to offer effective solutions for our customers to offer in turn to their customers. Builders are not selling houses - they are selling a life style to their clients.

Few home buyers and renovation clients are not interested in MGP10, F17 or trusses.

They see themselves sitting in the lounge watching television or on the deck having a beer.

They want a cost effective way of achieving that vision.

If we are to be successful, we need to start from that point and work out how we can help our clients to build that dream for their clients in a way which is cost and time effective.

The next partnership will be between merchants and their suppliers.

Some of the larger and more progressive suppliers are already providing comprehensive product backup via technical brochures, training courses, engineering advice and takeoff services.

These services are crucial for merchants who want to be able to provide choices to their customers.

As prefabrication and engineered products continue to increase their market share, merchants will rely more and more on the knowledge base provided by their suppliers.

The relationship between merchants and industry bodies will change quickly over the next few years.

Timber has suffered in the market place because of the numerous small organizations representing a specific sector of the industry.

The difficulties caused by the introduction of Five Star Energy Ratings are a classic example of how timber is disadvantaged by not having a single body representing its interests to Government and the public.

We need a strong, national organization which can represent loggers, sawmillers, wholesalers, merchants, importers, fabricators and other members of the supply chain.

We need to understand that the membership of many of the bodies which exist today has already fallen below critical mass. We need to forget old sectoral based bodies.

We are all in the business of supplying products made from a beautiful, renewable and environmentally friendly resource.

If we are to afford the high level skills required in lobbying, product promotion, industrial relations and training, we need to spread the overheads over a much broader base.

The manufacturers of competitive products have already achieved this level of focus.

If we continue our current fragmented approach, we will expose our industry to great peril.

The most important partnership will be with our staff.

As the industry becomes more focussed on engineered solutions, we will need to place greater emphasis on training our staff and providing them with the tools that they need to specify and supply new products.

Changes in occupational health and safety requirements, as well as changes in society’s attitudes to work and family, will require changes to the way in which workplaces are structured.

I hope that the personal relationships which make this a very enjoyable industry in which to work will continue.

I look forward to being part of it for some years to come.