1

In this issue

FINEWOOD MARKETING WINTER NEWSLETTER ISSUE 03 DECEMBER 2013

Introducing our NEW

and improved catalogue

As this year is almost coming to an end and the new year is fast approaching, we are looking forward to the new challenges 2014 will bring.

To kick off 2014 we are excited to announce the arrival of our new Finewood Marketing Product Catalogue. The new catalogue will showcase the products Finewood Marketing Group supply to our customers, along with some company background.

The Catalogue details all our popular products from Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, China and Ghana..

In addition to this there is information about our sister company, Green Tree Timber Ltd and the products we supply from our Warehouse near Sheffield.

You can view the current stock available at Green Tree Timber by visiting our website at www.greentreetimber.com

Mike’s Blog

After many years suffering knee pain due to a few too many

years on the cricket and football pitch, I decided to bite the

bullet and have a knee replacement.

My operation was carried out by Mr Chauhan on Monday

14th October at Spire Health’s Montefiore Hospital in Hove

and thankfully the operation was a great success!

I am under doctors orders to carry out the physiotherapy

exercises and I am also currently undertaking hydrotherapy

treatment.

Although it can be frustrating not to be running around, I

have had my grandson Archie to keep me busy.

I’m sure it won’t be too long before I’ll be kicking a football

with him!

Our NEW Product Catalogue Page 1

Mikes Blog Page 1

Thoughts from abroad Page 2

Industry News Page 3

Staff announcement Page 4

Merry Christmas Page 4

To request a copy of our new catalogue, please contact us by email at info@finewoodmarketing.com or call us on 01273 729988.

2

Thoughts from

abroad

I found the volunteer work quite hard to start with, but it’s now turned into an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience, as the Chin students are like little sponges who soak up everything, from the English language to cultural differences and our Western way of life.

The children can be very shy but they always have a smile on their face, which I’m pretty sure isn’t that easy under the circumstances. I’m also a firm believer in that every child deserves some form of education.

By having English speaking volunteer teachers in the classroom, the students are given an opportunity to prepare themselves for resettlement to another country, where they will restart their lives. Many children have experienced traumatic events in Myanmar and the CSO is a place of learning, but also a place of security, routine and friendship.

The students are given a special kind of pastoral care as many of the Chin teachers have also undergone similar experiences of displacement and alienation. The Chin teachers are, themselves, waiting for relocation by the Unit-ed Nations under a Humanitarian status and some have been waiting in Kuala Lumpur for up to five years. They are dedicated to protecting the refugee children, and along with expats have much to offer the children by creating further ‘’hope for the future’’.

On a personal note it has made me feel at times quite undeservedly spoilt and over privileged with my current way of life, but at least I like to think that the children are gaining just as much from this experience as I am.

To find out more about the Chin Student Organisation, visit their website at www.csomalay.org

Finewood Marketing’s Sourcing Director Nigel Haigh and his family have now been living in Malaysia for the past 16 months. Nigel’s wife Yvonne has been involved in a volunteering project in Kuala Lumpur as a volunteer teacher for refugee children. Here Yvonne tells us more about the work she and the Chin Student Organisation do to help in the community….

I volunteer in a particularly under-resourced and under-staffed school, which is run by the Chin Student Organisation (CSO). This is a registered voluntary community whose main aim is to teach Chin refugees children residing in Kuala Lumpur. The Chin people are from one of Myanmar’s most vulnerable and victimised ethnic minority groups, located in the west of the country. Many Chin people have fled persecution and made their way to Malaysia seeking refugee status with the United Nations. Whilst they wait for relocation to other countries such as Australia, the USA, Canada, or the UK, they must try to live a sustainable life and this is not easy when most refugees arrive in the country with nothing.

In March 2005, a small group of dedicated Chin university graduates living in Kuala Lumpur and also waiting re-settlement, formed CSO to ensure refugee children continued their education both academically and spiritually.

The Chin schools consists of five learning centres across Kuala Lumpur of which I teach at one of them in Puchong. They are affiliated with the United Nations High Commission for refugees and are currently run solely by volunteers and donations.

There are approximately 500 students enrolled in the CSO and many of the volunteer teachers are Chin. However there are a number of volunteers from the expat community who offer their time to teach children the various subjects, though predominantly and most obviously, English.

I’ve been teaching English to a group of around 20-25 children who are aged between five and seven years of age since February this year.

Did you know.... that more than half of the wood harvested in the world is burned to

generate energy

3

Industry news

New EU Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)

The EU’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) helps developing countries by making it easier for them to export their products to the European Union. This is done in the form of reduced tariffs for their goods when entering the EU market.

A spokesperson for the EU GSP explains the reason for the changes. “The last decade has seen the emergence of more advanced developing countries, which are now competitive on a global scale. We are providing preferences to many such countries and sectors which no longer need them: the more advanced economies have successfully integrated in world trade.” “On the other hand, many poorer countries are lagging behind. They are affected by competition from the more advanced developing countries which often export very similar products.” The main features of the reformed GSP are:

Concentrating GSP preferences on countries most in need. A number of countries, which do not require GSP preferences to be competitive, will no longer benefit from the scheme. Reinforcing the incentives for the respect of core human and labour rights, environmental and good governance standards through the GSP+ arrangement.

Strengthen the effectiveness of the trade concessions for Least Developed Countries through the "Everything but Arms" scheme. Reducing GSP to fewer beneficiaries will reduce competitive pressure and make the preferences for LDCs more meaningful.

Increasing predictability, transparency and stability. With the exception of

EBA, which has no expiry date, the new scheme will last 10 years, instead of three previously.

More than 80 countries and territories, including Malaysia will now no longer be beneficiaries of the scheme.

Without the preferential treatment, Malaysian businesses will no longer benefit from the maximum 3.5% tax reduction on export duties from the EU, as Malaysia is now classified as an upper-middle income nation.

“Companies will work to improve efficiency and productivity in order to compensate for the loss of GSP benefit.” Anthony Dass, MIDF Research chief economist told the press. “ A larger impact may be prevalent toward the end of supply chains which are more labour intensive. So what we may see is more mechanisation as companies shave costs to make up that 3.5%”.

In 2012, Malaysia exported 15.4 € million worth of products to the EU. Luc Vandebon, EU Ambassador said the aim of the EU revision on GSP recipient countries is to allow other countries to benefit.

“They were emerging economies that had developed up to a certain level, so they didn’t really need anymore help from us because they were already integrated with the global economy. By providing them with further access to preferential export into the EU, we are actually creating more competition from the lesser developed economies.”

According to the Ambassador, Malaysia’s exclusion from the GSP list is a testimony to the countries development. “The EU has estimated the impact on Malaysia to be at -2.5% of total exports to the EU. But then again, because of the development of the Malaysian economy, we don't think it is going to be a catastrophe” the ambassador said.

FMUK and Tan Sri Vincent Tan 20 years ago, Finewood Forest Products along with Mike Woodward and Steve King started Finewood Marketing UK Ltd .

At the time FFP were owned by Berjaya Corporation, Vincent Tan Co. and Berjaya still have a small holding in FMUK. In 2010 Mr Tan entered the Forbes billionaire list with an estimated worth of US$1.3 billion (RM4.2 billion).

Mr Tan's success in the Malaysian business sector has been attributed in part to his close association with prominent Malay political figures., notably Dr Mahathir, the long-term Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003.

He obtained the license for his lottery business from a non-tendered privatisation in 1985, Berjaya Sports, to the largest lottery in Malaysia! On 23 February 2012, Mr Tan retired from an active corporate role in Berjaya Corp, the flagship of the Berjaya Group of Companies.

Vincent Tan also owns a controlling share in the Barclays Premier League side Cardiff City Football Club. Tan has promised to spend £25m to help Cardiff City establish themselves in the Premier League, and has publicly stated his interest in listing his 36.1% stake on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE).

4

FINEWOOD MARKETING UK LIMITED

The Byres

Wellingham Lane

Ringmer

Lewes

East Sussex BN8 5SN

+44 (0) 1273 729988 tel

+44 (0) 1273 729933 fax

Kerry from the Ringmer Offices’ dog Nancy

waiting for Santa

Chris Walton, Managing Director

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Walton as Managing Director with immediate effect. Chris has been with Finewood for 17 years and has been a major factor in the company’s growth during that time.

The current Managing Director, Mike Woodward has accepted the newly created position of Chairman, and will continue to play a full part in the company’s on-going growth.

“This exciting change in leadership places us in a strong position of continued success in the future”, says Mike Woodward. “Chris has been my friend for more than 30 years, and I am thrilled that he has agreed to this new role, which he is uniquely qualified for.”

Before he joined Finewood, Chris spent over 20 years in senior positions within the UK joinery and timber industry including famous names like Arnold Lavers, Rothervale Joinery, John Carr which is now Jeld-Wen and Regency Doors which is now Premdor Crosby.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! And finally, all of us here at Finewood Marketing (and Nancy, left)

would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New

Year!