Sawmills land €1.5m Turkey deal

GRAINGER Sawmills Ltd (GSL) has just shipped the first four containers of a €1.5 million order of quality kiln-dried and packaged timber to Turkey.

The west Cork firm already has strong exports to Britain, Belgium, Holland and Germany. While Irish-owned sawmills have no prior track record in Turkey, the firm says this order will lead to significant growth in Turkey.

GSL group director, Susan Grainger, said: “We picked the Turkish order up through our UK agents. We won it through contacts built up over recent years and, most importantly, our track record of meeting stringent customer requirements.

“Others have had success elsewhere, of course, but we think this may be the first time that an Irish sawmill has gone to Turkey. We believe that we’re well placed to build on this success.”

This Turkish order will help offset the impact of the slowdown in building in Ireland and Britain.

GSL managing director, Niall Grainger, said: “Gaining the Turkish order against formidable international competition was a real coup for us. The contract is a vital element in our long-term strategy to grow export markets for Irish timber.

“Although we already export to the UK, Belgium, Holland and Germany, we are always open to developing new markets and work really hard on growing this aspect of our business.”

GSL was founded in 1977 by William Grainger. It is now run by brother and sister team Niall and Susan Grainger. It has 190 employees in its manufacturing, tree harvesting and haulage operations in Enniskeane, Ballineen. It is one of the largest employers in west Cork, contributing €12m a year to the local economy.