One of the UK’s biggest suppliers of timber to the British furniture trade has turned the tables on the traditional supply chain.

Newport-headquartered timber and panel importer and distributor Premier Forest Group has struck a deal to supply Orientated Strand Board to the furniture manufacturing sector in South China.

Premier has teamed up with its partner in Romania to deliver the OSB after being approached by Chinese manufacturers to help them source the product.

An initial trial order for 20 containers of the product and a further two containers of Scandinavian timber worth a combined €250,000, heralds the start of what could be an extremely large export business.

Nigel Williams, director and co-founder of Premier said: “We have seen huge demand for our products from British furniture producers and it is testament to the quality of European OSB that manufacturers from as far afield as China are keen to use it too.

“This deal is a reversal in the general furniture trends overseas and shows that Chinese producers are just as keen to use top-quality products as their British counterparts.

“Not only does the European material improve the quality of the overall product, it will also help benefit the country’s environmental credentials.

“Hopefully we will continue to see foreign manufacturers looking to European suppliers for high quality wood products. It is particularly gratifying for Premier as a Welsh based business to be seen as technically and logistically competent enough to source and supply product to one of the world’s biggest manufacturers.”

Established in 1993 by directors Dilwyn Howells, Nigel Williams and Terry Edgell, Premier Forest Group is one of the UK’s leading independent importers, manufacturers and distributors of timber and panel products. With its head office in Newport South Wales, the company has 14 sites covering the UK and Republic of Ireland.