Customer service that also cuts carbon – Kelvin Timber demonstrates the power of networks

For 55 years, Kelvin Timber has been part of the merchanting landscape across Glasgow and the south of Scotland, supplying timber, doors and landscaping products. It has always been a well-respected business. But it’s the way it is adapting to changing customer needs and a wider geographical demand that makes it stand out today.

Kelvin Timber is a business working to create a highly supportive group of independent merchants and trusted trades. At the heart of this approach is a belief that a successful project depends on more than just the right materials – it’s about making every part of the buying experience smoother, clearer and more aligned.

Simplifying the conversations

When a customer begins a project, they often speak to several suppliers, chase down quotes from tradespeople and spend time trying to make sense of costs and materials.

Kelvin Timber is set on changing this process.

“We’ve always kept things easy for our customers,” says Nicola Tierney, ecommerce manager at Kelvin Timber. “If our customers are unsure where to begin, we offer one-to-one advice. We sit down and talk through their options and costs. And if plans change mid-way, we adapt. Because everything is managed in-house, there’s limited disruption.

“Once products are chosen, the next questions are always, who can carry out the installation and who can we trust to do a good job? That’s why we have created a directory of known and trusted tradespeople that customers can access through our website, for free.

“We wanted to build a network where we put our customers in touch with the tradespeople we’ve worked with for years and allow them to take it from there. This helps keep the work in our local area and ensures we support our loyal trade customers.”

Reaching further, working smarter

Nicola explains that, as the business began receiving more requests from across the UK, it looked into launching a new approach to logistics. Rather than shipping everything from Glasgow, the team is currently in the process of developing a process that coordinates with other NMBS suppliers closer to the delivery address to get them to deliver the product instead. This helps speed up lead times while cutting transport costs and reducing carbon emissions.

“Someone might be ordering from us in Bristol, but they don’t need the delivery coming all the way from Scotland,” Nicola says. “Working with the NMBS supplier network, we could offer faster lead times, fewer emissions and better service, without the customer ever having to deal with multiple contacts or changing standards.”

Dean Hayward, sales and marketing manager at NMBS, says: “Kelvin Timber is exactly the kind of business our network is designed to support. Their team is making great use of our national supplier reach to keep service levels high, without having to invest in complex infrastructure. It’s a smart, scalable way for independents to grow.”

The power of working together

For Kelvin Timber, the future lies in building more connections between customers, tradespeople and other independent businesses.

“As independent merchants, we don’t need to compete against each other when we can support each other instead,” Nicola concludes. “It doesn’t need big budgets or fancy apps. Just good people, communication and shared values that can come together to provide better customer service, while caring about the environment too.”

As Kelvin Timber continues to support its local community and look ahead to future opportunities, the support of NMBS doesn’t just bring administrative benefits like centralised payments and competitive rebates; it builds the system that allows the national network to thrive.

Learn more about becoming an NMBS member on the NMBS website https://www.nmbs.co.uk/become-a-member/.