The company has identified opportunities in the UK for the hardboard product, manufactured at the group’s factory at Czarnkow in the Czech Republic.
Parent company Steico AG is also believed to be looking for more lucrative and reliable markets in the face of uncertainty in its Middle East and African markets.
"We will be marketing ourselves as a serious hardboard seller, selling it directly to the market and through an agent, UCM Timber Specialities," said Steico UK Ltd managing director Andy Moore. "There are a lot of opportunities at the top end of the market."
High-density hardboard is currently used in the webs of Steico I-joists and limited volumes of panels have been supplied in the UK for a while, including several loads a month to Croydon-based UCM Timber Specialities.
The Steico hardboard product has recently been developed to improve its flatness and it will be supplied in new packaging, as the company seeks to present the product to UK customers in a fresh light.
Mr Moore said Steico UK would first target the product at existing customers such as Travis Perkins and the Grafton Group, before promoting more widely on the market.
Meanwhile, Steico UK’s wood fibre insulation board business has doubled this year. Its promotional efforts have included a mailshot to 10,000 architects.
The business also plans to recruit new sales personnel.
Group-wide sales for Germany-based Steico AG hit an all-time high in July.
