Business View Oceania | April/May 2022

45 46 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 PORTA just waiting for a client to come to us with a problem, why don’t we identify where these problems are coming from, and go right to the source? It’s that sort of thinking that we want to see become more commonplace in our peers.” Australia’s timber industry continues to face significant challenges in supply and distribution constraints following the COVID-19 pandemic. Coupled with an increased demand for timber worldwide to fuel booms in infrastructure, DIY, housing, and more, this disruption has caused import and freight prices to skyrocket, Mr. Jovanovski says. “We have been fortunate to have our local supply, processing, and manufacturing capabilities to support us following COVID. But a big part of our business still involves imports, and anybody importing product right now is experiencing these issues accessing products. Difficult access and huge demand equals escalating prices. There is going to be a lot of change as we begin to come out of this direct post-COVID stage- as our communities start to find normality again, it’s important that we stay abreast of changes in design and construction trends for both commercial and residential environments.” In preparation for said changes, Porta has made a number of investments in staff, equipment, facilities, and resources, to support further growth and the company’s ability to adapt efficiently to new market requirements. Mr Jovanovski elaborates, “We have invested heavily into a full-time resource to improve our health and safety culture and set a good example to the rest of the industry. We have a great employee assistance program, a ‘Take5’ program, and a real focus on prevention being better than a cure. We also have taken on staff wellbeing as a big priority, especially as we traverse the pandemic. It’s important that we understand deeply what this situation has meant for people, how they are coping with hybrid and remote work environments, and making sure that they have the support they need moving forward as those work environments continue to change.” Mr. Jovanovski continues, “We have done a lot of work over the last four years to ramp up our the growth of our own market. We will continue to conduct local and international research surrounding where our products are and how they are currently being used. Finally, it’s a key priority of ours moving forward to support our FSC and PEFC certifications with operations sustainability and improve our carbon footprint.” Porta would like to conclude with a note to their support of Beyond Subsistence, a not-for- profit organisation that undertakes agroforestry projects that help build healthy forests, which are essential to help subsistence farmers break the poverty cycle. This support is part of Porta’s dedication to socially and environmentally responsible business- responsible sourcing, social responsibility, and reducing environmental impact. Mr. Jovanovski shares that the company’s commitment to holistic sustainability will continue to be critical in the years to come. marketing objectives; developing customer and product centric programs, investing in innovation, building capability for our business to market effectively online, and really building a positive, active digital footprint to highlight and support all of that. We have a really strong social media following that’s grown exponentially over the last few years, which has underpinned the growth of the brand. Our sawmill development is probably our largest portfolio investment in recent years. We now have the ability to take in and process logs on site, as opposed to running just a dry facility.” In the future, Porta aims to engage more with product end user, marketing timber products to the public to maintain a strong and consistent channel with partners and influence the market through the Porta brand and product offering. The Porta product profile will continue to grow, Mr. Jovanovski says, particularly in the commercial space. “We are looking at the changing demands of residential and commercial customers to provide product line extensions that support their needs as well as PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Porta porta.com.au | sales@porta.com.au 1300 650 787