As part of the Builders Merchants Federation’s ‘industry and parliament’ programme, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Paul Bristow visited David Smith St Ives to see how timber engineering is driving sustainable construction in East Anglia.
How to grow the market for timber engineered products in housebuilding and commercial development was the purpose of the visit, and during the tour of the 8-acre site, the Mayor was shown examples of the fire door sets, staircases, roof trusses and floor joists the business – part of the Wykeham Blackwell Group – manufactures for housebuilders, contractors and property developers.
The Mayor, a Conservative who beat the incumbent Labour Mayor in May of this year, welcomed by Managing Director Tim Wilson, Operations Manager Tony Maxwell the BMF’s Brett Amphlett. He saw first-hand the contribution David Smith St Ives is making to housebuilding, commercial development and sustainable manufacturing across the region, praising the 65-year old company’s £3 million investment in new machinery and upgrades, as well as its commitment to low-carbon manufacturing, with more than half of its energy generated by rooftop solar panels.
Tim Wilson, Managing Director, said: “We were happy to welcome Paul today and show him how David Smith St Ives has evolved since we began in 1960. It’s encouraging to see the Mayor take a genuine interest in local manufacturers like ours and offer support to help timber engineering businesses succeed.
“We had a productive discussion about the role of timber engineered products in meeting local housing needs, particularly for homes that people choose with sustainability an ever more important aspect, and to deliver quality homes with more elements manufactured offsite to assist speeding up the construction process.”
Tim continued: “With significant house-building planned in the county, we believe timber engineered products have a much greater role to play, not only for their environmental benefits, but also for versatility. We also touched on wider industrial policy, including the rising cost of industrial energy, which directly affects manufacturers like us.
“While installing solar panels has helped to lessen our reliance on the National Grid, it remains concerning that the UK’s electricity prices are still among the highest in Europe.”
Mayor Paul Bristow added: “It was a pleasure to visit David Smith St Ives to see a shining example of British manufacturing and gain a better understanding of its contribution to modern, well designed and long-lasting buildings. I would like to thank Tim, Tony and the team for giving me the opportunity to see its contribution to Cambridgeshire’s economy and throughout East Anglia.
“It was great to see the £3 million investment it has made in new machinery and upgrading its premises. Generating over half the energy it uses onsite from rooftop solar is an impressive achievement and reflects its strong commitment to being a forward-looking, low-carbon manufacturer.”
Main image shows (L-R): Mayor Paul Bristow and Paul Gibbons from the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority with David Smith MD Tim Wilson and Operations Manager Tony Maxwell looking at bespoke staircases being made.
The BMF’s industry and parliament programme aims to show politicians the role, value and importance of the building materials supply chain in delivering for their customers and communities.
