It’s been 19 years since modified wood brand Accoya saw its first use at the home of an architectural designer in Scotland.
The brand arrived with a fanfare boasting acetylation wood technology which could transform a humble plantation grown softwood into a product with the durability characteristics of the best-performing tropical hardwoods and class-leading dimensional stability.
Clearly the performance and sustainability message was one that reverberated far and wide, with the potential to upend choices in wood markets worldwide, particularly in joinery, decking, cladding and landscaping applications.
Fast-forward from those first cladding boards being installed at Gordon Aitkin’s home near Fife, Scotland and today you find a business expanding globally, finding new applications and being used in landmark projects like Google’s new UK HQ in King’s Cross and the QEII Memorial Garden in Regent’s Park.
Accoya producer Accsys Technologies plc today has three production plants – two acetylation plants, with one in The Netherlands and one in the US (Joint Venture with Eastman Chemical Company), as well as an Accoya colouring facility in Barry, Wales.
It also supplies Accoya for the production of Tricoya modified wood panels – a product which has transformed the applications for MDF into exterior applications.
The company’s latest annual financial figures – published in June – represent a substantial moment in themselves, as they show how the years of capital investment, hard graft creating markets, and patience is now paying off.
The years have not been plain sailing – significant capital investment has been required, profitability challenges have been experienced until relatively recently, as well as a period of limited product availability, and the discontinuation of a plant construction in Hull.
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