OSB campaign is a JOSB well done, says Norbord

Norbord, the UK’s leading manufacturer of wood panel products, is hailing the “JOSB Done” campaign a great success; over five years since its inception.

Launched under the auspices of the Wood Panel Industries Federation, with support from Norbord and other interested industry partners, JOSB Done has notched up five years of successful campaigning to establish Oriented Strand Board – OSB – as a cost-effective, sustainable and versatile alternative to plywood.

Although familiar as a general-purpose sheathing and hoarding product, OSB was less well known in other, more demanding, applications until the JOSB Done initiative got underway.

“The main purpose of the campaign has been to promote OSB as a superior choice compared with plywood” explains Linda Hovord, marketing manager with Norbord Europe. “It’s been amazingly successful in that respect”.

With its own website (www.josbdone.com) and its bold black-and-yellow branding, the JOSB Done campaign has spread the word on OSB via a range of media from the trade press, through point of sale to the internet.

“We set out to build awareness of what OSB can be used for, its superb environmental and quality credentials and to challenge the assumption, especially amongst small- to medium- sized builders, that OSB was not suitable for jobs which traditionally used plywood” explains Linda. “In fact, for many applications, it can offer superior performance over softwood ply.”

Besides its toughness and durability, OSB has the advantage of being made from forestry by-products known as “thinnings” rather than expensive timber veneer which uses whole mature trees. It is therefore more sustainable and cost-effective.

“One thing to note is that design details incorporating softwood ply which achieve an A rating in the BRE Green Guide, invariably get an A+ when OSB is used instead” adds Linda.

Although the JOSB Done campaign has scored many successes, the battle is not yet won; “We have to keep at it and make sure we keep getting the message out” she says. “Some important sectors, such as the timber frame industry are already major users and others are joining their ranks. Those users who have already made the switch invariable stay with OSB as they appreciate the consistent qualities. The campaign’s aim though is to continue to spread the word and keep attracting more converts” she says.