A Scottish Timber Products reunion dinner was held at the Dunblane Hydro Hotel in May, attended by former personnel and invited guests including local supporting companies, some in their third generation.

This event celebrated the start of Cowie particleboard production by the company 50 years ago in 1973. It included a photographic presentation looking back at the Cowie factory, management, workers and key suppliers.

Among those attending was Robin Pegna, former STP managing director (1974–77), and Klaus Kohler, who later led Caberboard and CSC Forest Products at Cowie in the 1980s and ’90s. Also present was Alan McMeekin, current MD of the Cowie plant, now owned by Norbord Europe (who supported the dinner).

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Organiser Alan Bloomfield OBE said: “My objective was to celebrate this 50-year milestone and bring together old STP colleagues and key suppliers and supporters of the 1970s.

“Although STP was not, in itself, successful, it did leave a crucial legacy of a particleboard factory that could, with some changes, and in different circumstances, be successful.

“Thanks to STP, a skilled management and workforce was absorbed into a new company, Caberboard Ltd, in February 1978 under Bison Werke, Bahre and Greten.

“From 1978 it has been a success story, developing into MDF production. The company was purchased in 1985 by Glunz AG and is now operated by Norbord Europe, itself part of Canadian West Fraser, a major global producer of OSB (oriented strand board).

“Those who managed and worked at STP in the 1970s should be proud of what was achieved under very difficult and different circumstances compared with today.”