Premier Forest Products, one of the UK’s leading timber groups has made a significant investment into green technology, acquiring electric forklift trucks to ensure that the company continues to thrive while emphasising its commitment to sustainability.

Premier has installed a fleet of electric forklifts at the company’s headquarters in Newport. The new trucks, which are easier to maintain than previous models, are recharged on site and produce no emissions.

The trucks will be charged in large part by Premier’s onsite investment in solar power and biomass generation, which make the company significantly less reliant on mains electricity, further enhancing their environmental credentials.

In recognition of this ongoing investment into green technology, Premier has achieved renewal of their ISO 14001 accreditation which is the international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system (EMS). It provides a framework that an organisation can follow to improve their environmental performance.

Joe Walker, Managing Director of Premier Forest Products, said: “As a business, we are constantly reviewing our processes and looking at new ways that we can reduce our carbon footprint and improve sustainability. This often involves a fairly substantial investment to ensure that we are using the most up-to-date technology however, if we get this right, like with the solar array and the biomass system, it is money well spent.”

Premier has also achieved a fully qualified pass on ISO 9001 the international standard on quality management and quality assurance developed to help companies effectively document the quality system elements needed to maintain an efficient quality system.

Joe said: “Our commitment to quality is absolute and we were very pleased that we received a fully qualified pass for our ISO 9001 accreditation renewal in recognition of the hard work done by all the team.”

Premier Forest Group is a vertically integrated timber operation engaged in the importation, sawmilling, processing, merchanting, and wholesale distribution of timber and timber products from its 16 sites in the UK and Ireland.