FWPA’s CEO Andrew Leighton has been busy travelling Australia in recent months to visit forestry and wood products businesses as part of his ‘Meet the members’ tour.
Andrew has already visited member companies in Victoria, southern Queensland and the Green Triangle, with plans to head to Western Australia and Tasmania.
“So far I have visited or met with around 40 member companies, and a similar number of research partners, suppliers and other industry associations,” said Leighton.
“The aim has been to get a feel for how they view FWPA, and to get their input on how we can better serve their needs and deliver value to the industry.
“The visits have also provided an opportunity to further build and strengthen relationships with members, gain an in-depth understanding of what they do and discuss pressing industry issues.
“The ultimate goal is better member engagement and two-way communication going forward, and an FWPA that is better attuned to members views and needs,” said Leighton.
During one particular visit, Andrew and FWPA R&D Manager Chris Lafferty called into the Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH) site at Heyfield, Victoria, where they met the team and were given an overview of the company’s revolutionary MASSLAM shed.
The shed is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment, including fully automated, industry leading Hundegger technology and is responsible for the production of the company’s unique MASSLAM range of mass timber solutions. This range includes hardwood and softwood beams, columns, floors and roof structures produced using sustainably harvested glue-laminated hardwood (GLH) or glue-laminated timber (GLT) — also known as ‘glulam’.
This visit provided a valuable opportunity for FWPA to deepen its insights into the innovative activities of an FWPA member.
If you would be interested in having a conversation with Andrew about your business and its activities, the door is always open for discussions and meetings. We encourage you to get in touch at andrew.leighton@fwpa.com.au.
