Apr 21

WELCOME TO FAMILY BUSINESS RF GEVERS

Kelvin Bland, the operations director at Vryheid-based sawmill and treatment operation RF Gevers, was taught in the old school way. “My mentor always taught me adapt to change,” he said. “I was told that at a sawmill, there are a thousand things that could go wrong in a single day.... read more →
  • April 21, 2026
Apr 21
pro treat system dolphin bay

PRO-TREAT INTELLIGENCE CATCHES ERRORS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN

Sometimes, operators need an assistant so alert that it will speak up to help prevent errors even before they happen. That’s where Pro-Treat Books’ Intelligence comes in. Pro-Treat Intelligence is a new feature of Dolphin Bay’s Pro-Treat digital treatment books, which alerts plant operators when their treatment process moves outside... read more →
  • April 21, 2026
Apr 21

SHOULD I GIVE MY CHILD A CELL PHONE?

For years, we had refused to buy our young son a phone. Everything changed with a short, astute observation from my stepdaughter. “But he has no way of chatting with his friends at home,” she said. “When I was young, we had a landline.” Ben* is a laatlammetjie, way younger... read more →
  • April 21, 2026
Apr 21

NO EASY FIX TO THE FUEL PRICE PROBLEM

Like all industries, the timber trade has been deeply affected by the sudden spike in fuel prices. Since the United States and Israel began their attack on Iran on 28 February, global oil prices have increased by 40% or more. The result is soaring petrol and diesel prices, with knock-on... read more →
  • April 21, 2026
Feb 18

FORGING YOUR NICHE

Flux Trend futurist Bronwyn Williams and business strategist Pierre du Plessis gave fascinating, and at times hilarious, advice for entrepreneurs at Heavy Chef’s The Futurists event last month. Heavy Chef is an entrepreneur-support platform and community. At the event, the speakers described the ‘soup of uncertainty’ that entrepreneurs are facing,... read more →
  • February 18, 2026
Feb 18

WHAT’S DRIVING THE HIGH COPPER PRICE?

Gold and silver prices reached record highs in 2025, as did copper, which reached $14500 per metric tonne on the London Metal Exchange in January this year. This boom had a big impact on our industry, as copper is a key ingredient in the manufacture of wood preservatives. What is... read more →
  • February 18, 2026
Feb 18

THE MYSTERY OF MODERNISATION

Some years ago, a prominent South African forestry company came up with the saying, “It’s time to put down the axe.” The industry modernised, expanding its operations into new products and becoming a world leader in some of them. Our industry is now at a similar inflection point. It’s time... read more →
  • February 18, 2026
Feb 18

DIGITALISATION SHOULD SERVE OUR CONCRETE REALITY

We work in an industry of real things: timber and its products. I am grateful for this. And it’s important to remember, as our worlds of work and play become increasingly digitalised. Our timber trade’s values are rooted in earth, nature, and people. As we wrote last year, “Our industry... read more →
  • February 18, 2026
Dec 09
Bertus Coetzee Dolphin Bay

EMERGING FROM FIRE

This past year − if I’m honest the process actually began late last year − stretched me more than I expected. However, after a business disappointment, I remember telling the team: “I’m not sad this happened. It keeps us humble – which is good.” It reminded us that we’re not... read more →
  • December 9, 2025
Dec 09

BACK ON TRACK

2025 caught us by surprise. After years of setbacks – the Covid19 pandemic, supply chain crises, inefficient local ports, and loadshedding – this year startled us, in a good way. The Dolphin Bay team exceeded our internal sales projections as business confidence in South Africa grew on the back of... read more →
  • December 9, 2025