BSW Timber
BSW Timber (BSW), headquartered in Earlston, is the UK’s largest sustainable forestry and sawmilling business. Comprised of five main divisions – tree nurseries, forestry management, tree harvesting, sawmilling and timber processing – the company operates seven sawmills across the UK with one further site in Latvia and has the capacity to produce more than 1.2 million cubic metres of sawn timber per year.
Supporting sustainable forestry
BSW is truly a heritage business. Founded in 1848 in Earlston – a market town in the county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders – the company now has a turnover of more than £600 million a year and employs around 2,000 people. But it was BSW’s well invested operations and deep commitment to sustainable forestry that attracted the attention of Endless LLP, a Yorkshire-based private equity firm, in February 2020.
Endless spotted a company that not only had extreme potential for operational and sales growth, but one that could play a critical role in supporting the UK’s commitment to using more local and sustainable materials. The acquisition of Maelor Forest Nurseries was the first step along this journey, bringing onboard a company that produces 30 million tree saplings every year and ensuring the sustainability of the UK’s forests. Endless supported a £4 million investment in automation and advanced production at Maelor’s existing facility as well as expansion at a new tree nursery in Forres, Scotland.
Now, Maelor produces over 45 million saplings and for every tree BSW harvests, a minimum of five are planted in its place. Endless also helped grow and develop the business through three further acquisitions - Dick Brothers, SCA Wood UK and Bayram Timber - in order to provide services at every level of the supply chain. Dick Brothers gave the business access to tree harvesting capability, whilst SCA and Bayram provided additional timber processing and distribution capabilities. This enabled the business to provide a full range of timber products to customers and grew revenue by c£200 million.
Endless’ guidance of BSW, and primarily its investment and support for the company’s sustainability goals and growth ambitions, was ultimately what caught the eye of Binderholz Group who purchased BSW in October 2021. The takeover saw Binderholz become the largest solid wood solutions producer in Europe, with the group stating at the time that BSW was a great example of how the “Green Economy ideal is being actively lived in Great Britain” and that “BSW and Binderholz complement each other perfectly for the consistent continuation of the group’s sustainability strategy”.
