Closing the loop: SterlingOSB Zero Powers Alexanders’ Timber Design

Politicians in both Westminster and Holyrood are fond of talking about creating a “circular economy”. Recently, the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, had the satisfaction of opening Alexanders’ Timber Design Ltd’s new timber frame plant – an impressive facility that’s demonstrably putting this principle into practice. Inverness-based West Fraser is supplying its highly sustainable SterlingOSB Zero in a genuinely closed-loop process, while also keeping transport miles to a minimum.

Alexanders Timber Design is a leading provider of quality timber frame kits and engineered roof trusses

The state-of-the-art 9,600sq.m plant in Irvine, Scotland, has been built to the demanding specification of Alexanders’ Timber Design – part of Glennon Brothers (www.glennonbrothers.ie) – a 112-year-old family business in the timber processing sector. The company relocated from a site adjacent to its parent’s long-established sawmill, just six miles away. Not only are the open- and closed-cell timber frame systems manufactured using home-grown Scottish timber, but waste wood chippings from Glennon Brothers’ sawmills form a key part of the responsibly sourced, FSC-certified West Fraser supply chain that produces SterlingOSB Zero.

At the opening of the £18 million facility, John Swinney remarked that its output would contribute to the Scottish Government’s Net Zero and affordable housing ambitions. As a trusted supplier to long-term customers such as Ashleigh Construction and national housebuilders including Taylor Wimpey, Bellway and Persimmon, Alexanders’ Timber Design has capacity to produce 2,500 homes per year across two shifts.

Jim Patterson, Head of Timber Frame at Alexanders’ Timber Design, explained: “The company was founded in 1990. Previously, we operated on a seven-acre site next to the sawmill, but our new factory occupies a 14-acre brownfield site owned by the business. Alongside our open- and closed-panel systems, we also manufacture roof trusses, floor cassettes and floor joists in-house. Sustainability has always been central to our operations, but for this plant we made the decision to maximise the use of Scottish-made products.

“West Fraser is not only our nearest OSB manufacturer, but we also supply their mills with sawmill by-products, such as wood chips, for chipboard and OSB production, which creates a genuine cyclical benefit. We use 9mm SterlingOSB Zero as sheathing for all wall panels and 15mm SterlingOSB Zero as a sacrificial floor for cassettes, which are then overlaid with a finish on site. Both products meet all our requirements for timber frame manufacture. We also maintain substantial stock levels and, for example, provide West Fraser with three months’ visibility on our projected volumes.”

Julie Turner, Group Compliance Manager at West Fraser, added: “Sustainability is at the core of everything we do. West Fraser is making very strong progress towards compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and our UK operations are ahead of schedule on the journey towards Net Zero. We’re very proud of the due diligence systems put in place and have taken them to a whole new level. We go the extra mile on sustainability and remain strongly committed to legislation.”

All West Fraser panel products manufactured in the UK are net carbon negative and produced in ISO 14001-accredited mills. Responsibly sourced, the panels are FSC® certified (C012533). For further information, call 01786 812 921 or visit https://uk.westfraser.com/.

To find out more about Alexanders’ Timber Design Ltd, see www.alexanderstimberdesign.com.