The timber treatments and fire retardants (FR) sector would be forgiven for being in cautious mood.
It faces economic and regulatory uncertainty after Brexit, continuing complexities in treatment production and application plant operation caused by the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), plus the product development constraints of the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR).
But treatment producers and service providers view post-Brexit business as “so far, so not so bad”, as one put it.
Rather than curb development, tougher regulation also seems to have instilled a necessity is the mother of invention approach. The result is a sector determined to develop products beyond compliance and introduce new processes and active ingredients (actives) to future-proof against any new rules ahead.
Some market disruption was reported around Brexit, mainly due to the construction slowdown, but seems short-lived.
“We haven’t had Brexit proper yet, so there’s still caution about long-term implications; including whether it will compound the issue for timber and treatment sectors that UK house building numbers are still not where they should be,” said Koppers Performance Chemicals business director Lee Christie.
But immediate Brexit market fallout seems to have dissipated.
“In hindsight, it’s also difficult to differentiate Brexit’s impact from the seasonal construction dip and less storm damage replacement-driven activity this year,” said Mr Lee.
Neil Ryan, Director of PTG Treatments, took a similar line. “The vote may have delayed confirmation on some projects, but we don’t anticipate losing any. The only major impact has been positive, with the weakening pound helping our treatment service exports to Benelux markets, including fire retardants, where we work with Dutch partner Leegwater.”
WJ Group also reports a busy year. “We’re seeing strong business treating decking and building timbers,” said managing director Mark Eggleston. “And the weak pound is also opening up overseas opportunities we’re working on.”
Expansion of the overall market universe requiring treatment, and particularly fire retardants, also continues.
“Timber is increasingly fashionable with architects, including in large-scale and public builds requiring FR,” said Mr Christie.
“Timber frame is also growing organically and through regulatory incentives, and the Structural Timber Association (STA) specification for using FR is another market driver.”
Manufacturers acknowledge the BPR is making product development more arduous,
with ingredients needing more market specific approvals.
“But as numbers of BPR-approved actives in our chemistry grow, we’ll see increasing innovation,” said Lonza Wood Protection (LTP) marketing manager Andrew Hodge. New earlier this year from Koppers was the latest variant in its Celcure copper organic biocide preservative, CP-T3.
“We saw volume users’ need for a range specifically for classes 1-3, so optimised CP-T3 for that sector,” he said. “Conversion to the new product is straightforward and it’s been well received, with users including Walker Timber Group and Ridgeons.”
Launched last year, Koppers says its Celcure C65 range has since become a staple and, with proven suitability for uses class 3 and 4, has “shown its worth for companies with a range of product going through treatment”.
“C65 has a modern formulation proven to make it easier for users to achieve loadings that are correct and highly competitive in terms of treatment use,” said Mr Christie.
At Timber Expo, Koppers will also show its redesigned end-coat and remedial treatment ‘Cut’N’Treat, the sealer and moisture repellent for cuts, notches and holes in pressure treated timber.
“It’s a new formulation, with all ingredients ready-BPR compliant,” said Mr Christie.
Next from LTP will be a new Tanalith with higher content of BARamine, the anti copper-resistant fungi ingredient.
“BARamine has already proved a hit and helped confidence recover in the in-ground contact market, with the added attraction of in-built solution management ensuring treatment in process isn’t diluted with wood extractives,” said Mr Hodge.
“Building on this, a new higher BARamine range, for heavy residential and industrial use, launches in 2017.”
Colour – Colour is also continuing to make its presence felt in timber treatment, with Tanashades at Lonza remaining a development focus.
“This has already made a major impact, thanks also to Hoppings, which has really run with it in its Q-Shades decking and cladding range,” said Mr Hodge.
“The user benefit is that it enables them not only to deliver a stable, long lasting stained product, but to prestain prior to Tanalith treatment. They can then treat all different coloured products together without compromising colour or preservative.” Lonza will unveil new coloured options at Timber Expo, including for Noncom fire retardant.
Retardants were previously difficult to colour, but we offer a coating service via a UK applicator with Drywood Woodstain,” said Mr Hodge.
“This includes modern colour washes and Drywood provides a colour performance warranty and maintenance programme.”
Creosote replacement products – The development holy grail for the treatment sector is a credible substitute for creosote.
Opinions vary on the future of creosote itself. One is that it will be around awhile, for social and economic reasons. Another treatment producer bluntly described it as ‘dead man walking’.
But the consensus is that evolving health and environmental regulation will drive it into ever smaller market niches and that users eagerly await alternatives. Both Koppers and LTP say they are nearly there.
The former’s Protect range is already extensively trialled in the field as AgroProtect, PoleProtect and SleeperProtect.
“It’s not on open sale, but we’ve gone through BPR compliance and we’re working on large-scale trials with railway, electrical and agri businesses across Europe,” said Mr Christie. “One European rail operator already says it will switch to the product for all its sleepers and it will be on the market in the not too distant future.”
Mr Hodge predicts LTP’s creosote replacement, oil-based Tanasote, will be ready in 2019.
“We’ve invested over £500,000 in development and it includes new, highly effective and BPR-approved actives,” he said. “It looks, feels and, critically, performs like creosote and will enable European treaters to satisfy industrial customers.”
Treatment services – In the treatment provision sector, companies say the emphasis is headed increasingly beyond protection performance to all embracing service. “There’s been a trend towards preservative treatment at source, especially from overseas suppliers, with standard construction timber, decking and fencing imported ready-treated from producers,” said Mr Ryan.
“So we’re focusing on added services such as storage and logistics, barcoding, labelling and warranty provision. We also work with secondary processors re-machining to specification.”
Fire retardant treatment is also increasingly service-oriented, he added.
“The operational process is similar to preservation, but there’s more involved behind the scenes,” he said “Discussions with architects and contractors, to ensure correct specification and end result, can now be 12 months before treatment is required.”
Billing itself as a treatment service provider also contributed to a reinvention of PTG’s marketing and corporate identity, with all treatments now branded Sentrin.
“Traditionally treatment providers promoted brands of chemicals they used,” said Mr Ryan.
“But we were increasingly selling services that happened to use a certain chemical brand. We then launched a coatings service for fire retardant-treated wood. This isn’t straightforward in product compatibility, and previously customers used separate contractors.
“We have access to a range of coatings, including one specifically for use with fire retardant, so could select to suit the end application. That prompted us to ask why not market all services under one brand. Customers can specify Sentrin and leave selection of treatment to the experts, while still being able to specify particular treatments or coatings if desired.”
PTG has further diversified by offering Sentrin Chromacoat in a non fire retardant-linked stain service.
WJ Group is focused on developing its service portfolio to prioritise increased levels of customer guidance and knowledge in treatment and timber specification.
“This ultimately ensures optimum selection of species and use class and a high quality outcome and maximum timber service life,” said Mr Eggleston. “And some merchants and suppliers can benefit from help and advice around this too.”
Developing an all-round service also led WJ Group to develop its colour offer in conjunction with Impra Wood Protection.
“This follows last year’s launch of vacuum coating at our new Hull site,” said Mr Eggleston. “The Impra range ranges from semi-transparent stains to high build coatings, but also a new stain designed for pressure-treated wood. We worked closely together to optimise processes, creating cost and quality advantages that translate into fast order completion and warrantied product performance.”
Looking ahead, treatment providers and producers see more challenges. Medium term there will be bigger impacts from Brexit as it is actually implemented. Longer-term, increasingly demanding customers and new timber end-uses will also compel further product evolution. But all this creates openings too.
WJ for one sees no shortage of timber treatment opportunity, regardless of Brexit, but says exploiting it will demand ever better service and products. “We’re already recruiting to bolster our core team,” said Mr Eggleston, “and we’re not done yet!”
Mr Ryan predicts a future of more wood in construction, especially visually. “And until we produce wood that won’t decay, weather or burn, it will need protection and enhancement.”
Mr Hodges agrees, and adds climate change as a further market challenge and driver. “Some regions are already reported getting warmer and wetter, ideal conditions for fungi and timber treatment.”
