Ayrshire MSP Sharon Dowey has visited Glennon Brothers UK Ltd sawmill in Troon.
Glennon Brothers, one of the largest sawmilling groups in the British Isles, are a true family business with sawmills in Scotland and Ireland. Their Troon site is one of the largest sawmills in the country, taking in 300,000 tonnes of sawlogs per annum and employing over 100 local people.
They have been manufacturing high quality timber products since 1913, supplying both the Irish and UK markets with products for the construction, pallet wood and fencing industries and designing, manufacturing, and supplying timber frame homes via their sister business Alexanders Timber Design.
Timber processing produces residual by-products such as woodchips, sawdust, bark, and shavings. Glennon’s have developed end-use markets for all these by-products to ensure all wood fibre from the manufacturing process is utilised in some way, right down to the tiniest particle of sawdust. Quite uniquely, Glennon’s have their own on-site Combined Heat and Power Plant and use the by-products from the sawmill to produce all their heat and electricity requirements as part of a truly green circular loop. This even includes charging all their electric forklifts with electricity generated in their own power station.
The local MSP met with,
Alex Murray, Forestry Manager
John McCallum, Plant Manager
Roddy MacKenzie, Head of Operations Scotland
Adam Thompson, CHP Plant Manager
Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Sharon Dowey said: “It was a real pleasure to visit Glennon Brothers in Troon to learn more about the valuable work this successful local business does and the impact it has on the local economy. With businesses like Glennon Brothers putting sustainability front and centre of their operations, it is vital that they are given the support they need to help ensure their continued growth and expansion plans are realised.”
“Thank you to Alex, John, Roddy and the team for showing me around the site. I very much look forward to continuing to engage with the Glennon Brothers and recognise their significant contribution to the local economy and the sector as-a-whole.”
Alex Murray, Glennon Brothers Forestry Manager added: “We really appreciate Sharon making a second visit to our Troon site to learn more about what we do and our ambitious plans for the future. Her interest and enthusiasm in our business and the sector in general is most welcome. The forestry and wood processing sector will play a vital role in meeting the country’s climate change targets as part of our journey towards net zero. Timber is a truly green and sustainable building material, and if our national forest resource is managed properly, we have the opportunity to progressively reduce our dependence on timber imports to meet our needs. It is essential that governments recognise this opportunity and work co-operatively with the sector to support jobs, continued investment, and an expansion of our commercial forest resources”.