44 | South Waikato: Wood Marketing Services Firm proud of links to Sth Waikato WMS prides itself on using local contractors, many of them based in South Waikato. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT T T Karen Phelps Wood Marketing Services (WMS) is proud of its links to the South Waikato area. Since starting in 2005 it has since grown to become one of the larger private suppliers of forest harvesting and marketing services in the Central North Island. One of the company directors, Duncan Mills, says this success is a direct result of strong client and industry relationships, with a large amount of work coming from referrals. “Clients deal directly with management, ensuring a direct approach to business. It’s a very flat business structure and we are big enough to do the job but small enough to care and clients appreciate that personal service,” he says. WMS is also backed a solid team of proven contractors and prides itself on using local contractors where possible, many of which are based in the South Waikato district. It has strong ties with a number of key domestic and export log customers to maximise client returns, in a wide geographical spread. It was when Wrightsons exited the forestry industry that Carl saw an opening to provide personalised harvesting and marketing and management services to forest and woodlot owners in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, which had often been underwhelmed by the level of services from other forestry companies. Carl brings a broad knowledge base of the forestry industry having started from the ground up as a faller before moving into forest management, gaining experience in harvesting and forestry management, before moving on to specialise in private forest management and harvesting. Duncan joined the company in 2011 and brings further expertise having spent a number of years with Carter Holt Harvey in operational harvesting roles before moving to a commercial procurement role. He offers WMS clients extensive experience in harvesting systems and planning, stumpage procurement, log sales and contract management. Duncan says currently there is strong demand locally and internationally for logs – with many of our domestic, pruned, structural and industrial grades going into local South Waikato processing sites. There is also strong interest in planting forests for productive land use and for carbon credits. He says the aim of WMS is maximise returns for clients always providing sound advice with an open and honest approach so they can make the best decisions. Good examples are a couple of projects completed for South Waikato District Council. WMS provided harvesting and marketing services for the large pine trees adjacent to the Tokoroa Airfield site that Council owned and maintained when the trees were over 40 years old and needed to be harvested then replanted, and at Lake Whakamaru Reserve. Duncan says the Whakamaru site was particularly challenging, as it was located beside the lake and involved WMS liaising with multiple parties including recreational lake users and Mercury Energy. The job also required WMS to manage all “Clients deal directly with management, ensuring a direct approach to business. It’s a very flat business structure and we are big enough to do the job but small enough to care and clients appreciate that personal service.” aspects of compliance to Health and Safety legislation and operate an Environmental Management System to ensure requirements under Regional Council, permitted or consented harvesting activities were met. WMS key relationships with domestic and export forest products companies enabled it to give clients returns that were in line with large-scale commercial forest operations. “Every forest owner has a different set of needs, commonly financial, risk or land use based. “WMS aims to understand each client’s needs, and develop a harvesting and marketing approach to best fit these. “We always take a team approach, as we believe that no group of individuals can beat a good team. We enjoy what we do and strive to make our clients’ forestry industry experience a great one.” Digby Cameron Opera�ons Manager Ph: 027 968 3275 | E: digby@loadco.co.nz Robyn McCullough Admin/H&S Manager Ph: 027 277 6016 | E: admin@loadco.co.nz Heart and Soul of Log Transport
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