Premier–NTS acquisition: offsite timber capacity and design notes for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Premier Forest Products has acquired engineered timber specialist National Timber Systems (NTS) out of administration, securing 160 jobs and taking over operations in Bristol, Catterick, Newcastle and the assets of the Sheffield site. NTS brings panelised NTSROOF systems, roof trusses, engineered joists and roof/floor cassette systems that tie into Premier’s existing Mon Timber Engineering business in south Wales and the southwest. The deal follows Premier’s purchase of three Arnold Laver depots in Manchester, Reading and Hull, signalling expanded UK capacity for offsite and modular timber construction.
Technical Brief
- Acquisition occurs post-administration of National Timber Group England Ltd, following its collapse in November.
- Transaction includes operational continuity at Bristol, Catterick and Newcastle, plus asset transfer for the Sheffield facility.
- NTSROOF is supplied as a panelised roof system, suited to offsite installation and rapid weatherproofing.
- Product mix also covers prefabricated roof trusses, engineered I-joists and bespoke roof/floor cassette assemblies.
- Premier intends to restore NTS to full manufacturing capacity to satisfy existing and latent order books.
- Integration is targeted to complement Mon Timber Engineering’s regional plants, effectively extending engineered timber coverage northwards.
- Management statements explicitly link the enlarged network to supporting faster housebuilding and modular construction programmes.
Our Take
Within our 377 Infrastructure stories, there are relatively few UK timber offsite or panelised system pieces, so Premier Forest Products’ move around NTSROOF positions it in a niche that has not yet seen the same media saturation as concrete and steel modular systems.
The clustering of assets in Hull, Sheffield, Bristol, Manchester and south Wales gives Premier Forest Products a UK-wide spread that can shorten haul distances for large roof cassettes, which is often a decisive factor in winning work on volume housebuilding and distribution shed projects.
Targeting further growth by 2026 aligns with a window when several UK regional frameworks are expected to re-let; having NTS operations embedded in both northern England and the south-west could improve Premier’s chances of securing multi-region supply agreements.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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