A family-run timber company Vandecasteele Houtimport, founded in Belgium in 1883 is today run by the fourth and fifth generations of the Vandecasteele family.
A modern and expanding business, it has a long-term commitment to service a wide variety of customers in the construction, joinery, cladding and furniture sectors, as well as the high-end marine industry.
Located right in the heart of Europe, with easy road access to customers in all European markets, Vandecasteele Houtimport has over the years consistently developed its long-term strategy to become Europe’s number one timber stockist.
Vandecasteele Houtimport imports timber and timber products from over 45 countries worldwide. Its facilities are located in Kortrijk, Aalbeke, Belgium, where the company specialises in the import, trading and export of tropical hardwood from Africa, Southeast Asia and South America. The company also provide Scandinavian and Russian Softwood, Siberian Larch, North American Soft and Hardwood and European Hardwood.
The company has been passed down through the generations to its current owner Stefaan Vandecasteele. Stefaan took over the running of the company in 2000 and together with his son Louis, keep the company’s family spirit alive.
Its impressive set up allows its storage facility, which is situated on 39.5 acres of land to accommodate more than 150,000m³ of sawn timber products. The total covered space of the company’s main warehouse reaches 16 Hectares, Implanted in a site of 60 hectares. Timbers coming from all over the world are centralised in one location, only a stone’s throw away.
Working alongside timber importers, timber merchants and wholesalers, the company is able to deliver stock that is difficult to source within days using its own fleet of 18 vehicles. In a matter of days, Vandecasteele Houtimport has the resources and ability to adapt and bridge the gap between sources of supply in Africa, Far East, South America and North America to Europe. This makes the company the first choice with many importers and merchants.
The company has over 130 timber species in stock including the new addition of certified European Oak in Joinery, Prime and Super Prime grades and certified steamed Beech in all qualities. From the most expensive and rare hardwoods, to a full assortment of softwoods in all qualities and sizes, everything is neatly bar coded and displayed.
CERTIFIED timbers: Its impressive and vast stockholding of hardwoods and softwoods is coupled with strong environmental credentials (FSC®, PEFC, OLB, LegalSourceTM) and an efficient, accurate processing of customer orders. The company has set a challenging goal to trade in 100% certified timbers only from 2025.
Experienced staff unload incoming lorries and prepare outgoing deliveries and all parcels have a quality file in which the quality of the parcel is registered, with quality control inspections of goods at the ports of Antwerp or Ghent or in Aalbeke.
In 2021, Vandecasteele Houtimport has Invested in 17 new VOLVO trucks with Volvo Connect tracking system, 5 new side loaders of which 1 full electric and 10 new trailers. The racking system has also been extended which will now reach 5 miles.
The company has launched a dedicated customer portal, which allows customers to order their timber online. In a world where consumers seek instant response to any ‘search,’ Vandecasteele Houtimport’s sales representatives have quick to real time information on all inventory moves from all over the world. The company is also investing in new IT tools to track and trace the timber from source and insure the provenance of the timber is EUTR compliant.
Aligns with the 17 sustainable development goals
Vandecasteele Houtimport has set a challenging goal to stock 100% certified timbers from 2025. Currently, 100% of the softwoods the company stock is already certified and over 65% of the tropical hardwood. This number is continuously growing and makes Vandecasteele Houtimport the biggest stockholder of certified tropical timbers in Europe.
Vandecasteele Houtimport now provides its newest addition of stock that is certified European Beech and Oak in Joinery, Prime, Super Prime grades and flooring. The variety of stock from the company embellishes the company’s taglines of ‘Choose Life, Choose Wood’ and ‘Using timber is good, using certified timber is wonderful!’ Vandecasteele Houtimport really do love what they do and have a strong passion to grow within the industry. One way in which the company is making growth take place is its reaction to how BREXIT has and will change the industry. To combat new rules and importation structures, Vandecasteele Houtimport has set up a company in the UK – Vandecasteele Timber Ltd – that facilitates the trade to all UK partners.
Vandecasteele Houtimport endeavour to show that timber is the world’s most ecological and sustainable material. And its future plans only echo the company’s approach to sustainability within the industry. Vandecasteele Houtimport has a dedicated team to ensure all due diligence is up to date and in addition to the strict process, the company has invested in a forest engineer in Brazil to ensure full control on the CoC of the Brazilian timbers purchased.
Circularity
Vandecasteele Houtimport are passionate about timber being used for sustainable building and construction material. Every step the company make boasts several ecological advantages showcasing the use of timber compared to traditional materials. With a low embodied energy and minimal carbon impact, timber really is the most sustainable material. It has an ecological, recyclable and biodegradable nature, which is why Vandecasteele Houtimport is implementing a strict sustainability policy in all of its future actions and activities.
Long-term vision
Every step Vandecasteele Houtimport take, succinctly reveals the dedication and passion of the company and its future goals. As the company strive to be the European market leader in the trading of the richest assortment of certified timber, exclusively sourced from well-managed certified forests it is not going to be an easy journey, but it will most certainly be rewarding. With the goal of maximising the social, economic and environmental value of timber, now and for future generations, Vandecasteele Houtimport is creating economical sustainable change in a world that needs it most.
Since the year 2000, Vandecasteele Houtimport has committed itself through the Corporate Sustainability Charter by signing up to environmental objectives exceeding applicable environmental legislation.
This year, Vandecasteele Houtimport has achieved the Charter for the 20th time in a row, which makes Vandecasteele one of the few laureates who participated for 20 consecutive years and successfully completed the trajectory.
All the initiatives are linked to the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations. A good annual assessment ultimately yields an annual certificate of the Voka Sustainable Business Charter. When the final balance is positive after three years, and companies have elaborated at least one action in each SDG, companies receive the internationally recognized Unitar-SDG Pioneer certificate.
Vandecasteele Houtimport is the first timber company in the world to have obtained the Unitar- SDG Pioneer Award!
Buying from a responsible supplier makes YOU a responsible buyer!
For more information on Vandecasteele Houtimport and the products or services it provides, please see below:
T +32 56 43 33 00
www.vandecasteele.be