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Business View Australia
According to James, innovation
comes in many different forms: “We
value the research and development
work conducted by the University of
Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable
Architecture with Wood (CSAW)
ensuring continuous innovation in our
industry. Our own direct relationships
with key personal and students has
had a direct impact on our own ability
to innovate and improve operational
processes and develop and trial new
products”
Survival of the fittest
Changes in rules and regulations
have also forced companies like NSFP
to adapt new strategies and change
their focus to meet the demands
of the market. The operating areas
have shrunk, for instance, which is
a huge part of the reason why NSFP
has aimed at maximizing the value
of every single piece of wood. Almost
nothing is wasted, particularly now
that advancements in technology
have allowed for far wider uses of
timber than ever before.
“Wasting nothing is another key
element. We feel privileged to have
access to such a versatile and
sustainable resource. As a leading
processor in the industry it is our
responsibility to ensure the resource
is not wasted. This means continuous
innovation to extract the most value
through improved processes, new
product development, and new high-
valuemarkets, so we can continuously
grow and reinvest in our business, our
people, and the Tasmanian economy”,
explains James.
Integration in the forestry
sector
Integration means operating as one
team. There’s many moving parts
connected to the processing and
sales of timber products. Seamless
communication, knowledge sharing,
and collaborative ideation along the
value chain are critical to success
of their business. Historically they’ve
been pretty good at integrating the
various steps of their production
processes, however they have
recognized the need to improve their
capability in “joining the dots” across
all business functions and are now
addressing it, with a particular focus
on sales and marketing.
NFSP values integration and will work
to foster it outside their business with
the industry as a whole. They have
great relationships with local and
national logistic companies such as Toll
Tasmania, De Bruyn’s Transport, and
CRESolutions. These relationshipshave
been vital in helping themovercome the
challenge of being located on an island
state and allowing them to effectively
service their customers.
“I do believe there is room to improve
when it comes to integration between
the Tasmanian processors (big and
small). Whilst we are competitors,
I believe we need to work more
closely to rebuild our reputation as an