Tuesday, February 24, 2026
BSW Group, the UK’s largest integrated forestry and timber business, and a member of Binderholz, made significant investments across 2025 to modernise fleets and strengthen logistics. These strategic developments ensure the Group enters 2026 in a strong position, reinforcing its market-leading role in the UK’s forestry and timber supply chain.
Tilhill Harvesting continued to invest heavily in modernising and expanding the UK’s largest and most advanced harvesting fleet.
The business now runs 35 harvesters and 33 forwarders, including the latest John Deere 1270G and H models, Tigercat tracked harvesters and forwarders from Ponsse, Komatsu and John Deere. These machines are matched to terrain and timber type, enabling high-productivity operations across rugged upland sites, mature conifer stands and large-scale lowland clearfells.
All equipment is maintained on a rolling five-year renewal cycle, guaranteeing modern technology, lower emissions and enhanced operator safety. New features such as extended 1,000-hour service intervals, improved ergonomics and enhanced hydraulic efficiency are already contributing to productivity gains.
Tilhill is also expanding its innovation pipeline by trialling mechanised planting systems, integrating nursery, forest management and harvesting expertise to improve planting speed and consistency.
BSW Timber invests £5m in sawmill fleet
BSW Timber introduced a raft of new machinery across its sawmills in 2025. Dalbeattie and Fort William each received new all-terrain forklifts; in addition to a Volvo L150H wheel loader at Dalbeattie and two 16 tonne Kalmar Forklifts at Fort William. Fort William was also one of the UK’s first recipients of the new Volvo L150K.
BSW Timber has plans to continue growing its fleet across 2026, with 22 new vehicles secured for the first 6 months of this year for the Carlisle, Fort William and Dalbeattie locations. This new fleet will include forklifts, material handlers, large wheel loaders and side loaders. Coming to a total of over £5m, this investment ensures that BSW Timber can continue to operate smoothly, safely and competitively to produce unique timber products for a variety of uses.
Duffy Skylining acquisition strengthens specialist capabilities
Last year also saw Tilhill Forestry acquire specialist harvesting business Duffy Skylining Ltd, strengthening the Group’s steep-ground harvesting capabilities. The acquisition brings four skyline systems, 12 highly specialised machines and a skilled team into the business.
Based in Inverness, Duffy Skylining is renowned for its work on challenging terrain, particularly across Scotland’s west coast. The team’s expertise in skylining and steep-ground safety allows Tilhill to service harvest sites that require advanced technical proficiency, unlocking new opportunities for forest owners and ensuring safe, efficient operations on some of the UK’s most complex sites.
Scott Pallets logistics improvements drive efficiency across BSW Group
In 2025, Scott Pallets continued to advance its logistics strategy by reducing empty miles and improving asset utilisation through coordinated backloading with BSW Timber and Tilhill Forestry. More than 300 vehicles have been reloaded this year, cutting fuel use, lowering carbon emissions and supporting better supply chain efficiency. The coming year will also see BSW Group replace a significant proportion of existing Scott Pallets vehicles, with 31 new articulated lorries and 9 rigid lorries set to modernise the fleet and drive efficiencies.
BSW Group Logistics Manager Mike Gerrard said, “Our unique position as an integrated forestry and timber business means they are able to identify a number of potential efficiencies and improvements across every step of the supply chain.
“These investments ensure we remain resilient and ready to deliver for our customers across the UK. By modernising our fleets, strengthening specialist capability and introducing new innovations, we are laying the foundations for long-term sustainable growth across the entire Group.”
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Tags: BSW Group, forest products, Forestry, forklift, Recycle, sustainability, Timber Industry, United Kingdom
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