The UK’s leading equine bedding manufacturer, BEDMAX shavings, has today announced the appointment of Christopher King as Timber Manager. Christopher joins BEDMAX from King Forestry and Tree Care where he worked as a self-employed forestry contractor, timber faller and arborist.
With a real love for the timber trade, Christopher will be responsible for sourcing and procuring the timber required to ensure that all of BEDMAX’s three UK plants have sufficient supply to meet the demand of their customers. This newly created role will involve Christopher liaising with timber suppliers, timber harvesters and hauliers working between the company’s head office and all three plants.
BEDMAX pine shavings were the first company in the UK, to produce dust-free tailor-made shavings of the highest quality to the equine industry. Today, with three production plants and a UK wide sales team, it is an industry market leader, and the appointment of Christopher is a significant addition to the development and growth of the Company, as Managing Director of BEDMAX,
Tim Smalley explains:
“Having a designated timber buyer will prove to be a huge benefit to our company. Christopher is highly experienced in forestry and has an extensive knowledge of timber, timber harvesting and forestry regions. Procuring the best timber at the best price is imperative to ensure we continue to deliver the highest quality product to our customers.”
Tim goes on to say: “BEDMAX shavings are a recognised and loved brand throughout the equestrian world, creating this new role is another milestone in the development of BEDMAX Ltd and all of our products.”
Immersed in the timber trade all of his life, his father ran a forestry company and Christopher owned his first axe at the tender age of 3. Starting out in his father’s forestry company after leaving school, Christopher gained a range of qualifications through City & Guilds NPTC , including, felling trees, climbing trees and performing aerial rescue, operating chainsaws from rope and harness and Level 2 cert in arboriculture theory obtaining a distinction and specialising in large tree dismantling.
Looking forward to taking up his new position, he explains:
“I am delighted to be joining BEDMAX; this is a great opportunity to be part of an evolving company who are undoubtedly recognised as the pioneers of bespoke bedding for the equine and farming industries. I have worked in the timber and forestry industry for 17 years and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to now adapt all the knowledge and experience I have gained over the years into this exciting new role.”
BEDMAX, which has held a Royal Warrant from the Queen since 2008, has regularly topped equine industry trade body polls as the UK’s most popular horse bedding. It has also been a recipient of the BETA UKTI Award for outstanding export achievement.
Its prominence in the horse-owning world is due to the way the product was created and has evolved in the 15 years since it first appeared. The respiratory issues which often arose in stabled animals were put down to hay, and later straw, and the dust and spores which were produced. Going for a by-product shaving proved to be little better, so the BEDMAX approach focused on a carefully controlled product, from locally sourced pine timber. The shavings produced are quite literally designer-made – engineered to be a mixture of large and small shavings for respectively high level comfort and absorption at lower levels. Part of the process includes drying to sterilising temperatures, and dust extraction to ensure that the sources of infection are minimised.
Further information about BEDMAX shavings can we found on www.bedmaxshavings.com or by telephoning 01668 213 467.