The UK’s leading timber business, BSW Timber, is reviewing the sawmilling operations of its Carlisle site, with a view to remodelling it as a sawn timber processing and distribution hub.
BSW Timber has recently acquired additional land beside the sawmill and been granted planning permission for a railhead, allowing the site to enhance its distribution capabilities.
The railhead will allow the business to transport logs, sawn timber and co-products by rail, linking up with its Fort William site in the Scottish Highlands to reduce its reliance on trucks delivering material by road.
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That’s a remarkable amount of work hours for a single machine, the Norcar 600 owned by Erkki Rinne is taken well care of, it even has the original Diesel engine.
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It is not possible to eliminate chain shot, but there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk.
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Arwel takes great pride in the fact that the mill has no waste whatsoever, “the peelings are used for children’s playgrounds, gardens and for farm animals in barns in the winter and the sawdust has multiple uses in gardens and farms as well.
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Timber hauliers need to encourage young blood in, and also look after the hauliers we have, we need make the sector a safe and positive place to work.
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There is currently no inland rail terminal between Glasgow and Manchester, so installing a railhead in Carlisle, around halfway between the two, will also support other businesses and the local economy.
This proposal would see a change in the primary function of the Carlisle site – currently a sawmill – providing a renewed focus on secondary operations and value-added processing.
These developments will support manufacturing efficiencies, optimisations and investment across the wider UK business, as BSW Timber seeks to increase its total timber production output by 10% next year.
The proposed closure of the sawmilling operations at Carlisle unfortunately puts a number of related roles at risk of redundancy, and those concerned have been made aware.
We will do everything we can to support those involved as we enter a period of consultation, and will keep you updated accordingly.
This comes amid reports that Scottish sawmill and pallet manufacturer Scott Timber Limited, which is also owned by BSW Timber, has reported a £30 million drop in sales.
The Fife-registered company reduced its average worker count by 82, from 1,001 to 919, amid low demand.
Scott Timber Limited reported that turnover fell almost 18% to £139.1 million in 2025, from £169.3m the year before. Gross profit rose sharply from £21m to £33m, while administrative expenses fell to £24.2m from £25m.
The improved margins helped the firm swing from an operating loss of £3.5m to an operating profit of £9.6m.
New accounts for the year ended December 31, 2025 showed pre-tax profit was £8.7m, compared with a £5.7m loss in 2024, while the bottom line moved from a £4.6m loss to a £5.9m profit.
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