Marilyn McCarrick

Crown Timber

Change is as inevitable as death and taxes!

Change is not in the future - it is in the here and now.

Sometimes the changes are so slow you don’t notice them happening.

Other changes are instant, they happen in a moment and alter the way you live, the way you think, the way you do business.

This holds true for the timber industry too. Over the years the use of timber per capita has fallen and continues to decline.

The proliferation of alternative building products is staggering from framing through to finishing.

While this gives the consumer a wide range of choices it can also be bewildering.

Timber framing or steel framing, timber fascia or steel fascia, F17 solid KD Hardwood or a composite beam of some description, timber window frames or aluminium frames, timber architrave’s or MDF, the list goes on.

When it comes to aesthetics such as floorings, kitchen cupboards and benches, bathrooms, etc it is mind-boggling.

And then we get to the ‘outdoor room’ concept, which has captured the consumers’ imagination.

The outside entertaining areas are now given as much attention as the rest of the house thanks to popular lifestyle television shows promoting a vast array of themes and ideas.

The challenge for the timber industry is to promote its products in a way the consumer can easily understand, to make an informed choice.

The difficulty is, in some retailing environments today, where consumers are encouraged to pick their own products and make their own choices, there is little opportunity for informed advice and more often than not the choice is made on price alone.

The knowledge and skills acquired over years of practical experience are in danger of being lost.

From a personal viewpoint I am disappointed that there are still so few women in senior roles in the timber industry.

When I first came into timber wholesaling in 1987 there were only a handful of women in such roles and often they were husband and wife partnerships, about the only way women were accepted, even though they had major impact on their businesses.

Eighteen years later - not much has changed!

It concerns me that although some of the prejudices and impediments, which stopped women from being promoted to these positions has improved, the women are still missing.

Over 50 per cent of the population is women. They make most of the household budget spending decisions and yet they are so poorly represented in the timber industry.

Making the decision to start Crown Timber Wholesale with Tony D’Agostino and Selwyn Lee in 1990 was a pivotal point in our lives.

It was exciting, scary and extremely challenging. It was hard work and it was fun.

Today it is still challenging, sometimes frustrating (especially relating to government compliance) and rewarding.

The desire to provide customers with the best service that we possibly can, with a reliable product and a timely delivery and remaining competitive, is still the same as it ever was.

For myself, I can only say that I have met some wonderful people through the timber industry.

It has given me an opportunity to travel all over the world and to make friendships that will last a lifetime.

The trading climate at present is certainly tougher than a year ago. The experts tell us this will continue well into 2006.

There are so many factors which can change the forward plans you make. The current price of oil would not have been factored into most peoples businesses last year.

Australia is not as isolated as it once was. Global events have an effect on us in ways we would not imagine.

As a wholesaler, importing gets more complex. Anti-terrorism measures being implemented at the wharf means more paperwork, more delays - how can we complain about that?

The large retail chains seem to be hell-bent on having national suppliers to help cut their costs, rather than good suppliers!

Is this really a benefit to them when each state has different building codes and different timber requirements.

One thing is certain. There will be plenty of challenges in store for our sector over the next couple years.