Kurawood

Source: Construction Digital

Date :17/03/2008 12:32:01

In the two years since it was founded, Kurawood has floated on the London Stock Exchange and bought an innovative new product to the UK construction industry

Written by Lucy Mowatt and Produced by Nicholas Davies

Founded in 2006, Kurawood is quickly making a name for itself in the UK construction industry. Significantly, in 2007 the company acquired PG Industries Ltd in New Zealand, which invented and developed the underlying technology for the manufacture of VECOwood, before floating its shares on the stock exchange. “That was really the sounding point for the company to begin,” explains Justin Martin, Kurawood’s FD.

Having joined the company at the end of 2006, Martin has seen the company through these changes and is very passionate about the product. He calls the science behind VECOwood “a bit of a dark art” and was keen to point out that the product can be used in a number of applications.

Made from New Zealand Radiata pine, the softwood is pressure injected with a water soluble solution, with varying level of solids within it. These link with the wood’s molecules and polymerise within the wood, effectively creating a hardwood once the wood has dried.

“The VECO formulation can incorporate a dye so that the wood can be coloured all the way through,” Martin says. The wood can take on whatever colour the customer specifies or it can be left with a natural appearance so it is very versatile. Kurawood also adds a UV stabiliser to the wood which will stop the colour fading. A flame retardant formulation can also be added.

Versatility

He goes on to say products made of VECOwood can be used in a wide variety of decorative application in the home. The company currently sells it for flooring, staircases, kitchen surfaces and bathroom furniture. “You won’t find wood in a traditional bathroom because of the moisture, which permeates it causing it to blister and swell. VECOwood is far less susceptible to blistering,” Martin explains.

In addition, because VECOwood is far more homogenous than a wood that hasn’t been modified, it is suitable for use with under floor heating. “If you apply under floor heating to VECOwood you are going to get a nice even spread of heat throughout and you’re not going to get pockets. Pockets cause warping, twisting and buckling,” says Martin.

He is also keen to point out that Kurawood is working with a number of door, window and conservatory frame manufacturers. Roy Tilleard, Kurawood’s CEO owns the Callow’s Yard redevelopment project in Castletown, on the Isle of Man. This mixed use development is a Brownfield site located within a heritage site. Martin explains that the project’s manager and architect, Tony Corlett, instantly saw the advantages and value of VECOwood, combined with modern coatings, for external applications such as windows for the site. Rather than using uPVC windows for the project which would, in any case, be inappropriate for a heritage site or expensive powder coated aluminium windows, they are looking at the possibility of using powder-coated VECOwood.

Like Aluminium and uPVC, powder coated VECOwood windows are expected to have an external service life guarantee of up to 30 years but they will be significantly cheaper, while also being manufactured from a renewable source of materials. Martin noted that the same level of guarantees should be possible for other external applications such as barge boards, cladding and soffets, an area Kurawood is keen to develop with interested wood coating specialists.

Sustainability

When asked why Kurawood has decided to source its wood from New Zealand, Justin Martin is clear about the reasons. Initially he explains that the native New Zealand Radiata pine grows much more quickly than hardwoods such as oak, mahogany and teak. “We get mature trees after about 25 years and because of the ideal climate down there, they grow very big, tall, wide trees,” he says, which means that company can source far more wood far more quickly than other manufacturers.

He goes on to explain that many construction companies are now finding that they have to buy bigger pieces of wood for building, often having to use juvenile fast grown hardwood, which will change as it matures. “I suppose you could say that we add maturity to the wood making it as stable as a mature hardwood,” Martin says.

“Our product is just as good as mature hardwoods in terms of physical properties, but is from a sustainable source,” he says. Indeed the company works with the Forestry Commission in New Zealand to ensure that all of its wood is FSC certified from sustainable sources. Kurawood is keen to ensure that chain of custody is maintained for all its products, from forest to customer.

Martin explains that customers have to be more aware of their timber purchasing choices in a world where sustainability is becoming the watchword. And these choices are increasingly influenced by initiatives such as the Code for Green Homes and those coming from BRE (Building Research Establishment).

Marketing

With all these positive attributes, it is easy to see why Kurawood is looking to raise awareness of its Vecowood® in the market which is becoming more and more sensitive to sustainability. “We’ve retained the services of thegoodagency, a trade focused PR agency which already represents a number of organisations in the timber industry,” Martin says. Kurawood wants to “educate our target audiences” about its wood, the innovative technology behind it and the opportunities for further developments in the process.

Kurawood appointed its first UK distribution company in 2007. Robbins Timber will start to supply VECOwood as both a raw material and as finished products, to the marine industry as interiors for yachts and ships; this marks the start of a new phase for the company, as they intend to appoint distributors all over the country and tackle a market which they believe will be responsive to a technology which uses natural processes to create a 21st century material. Martin says he would like to see the company as a ‘commodity supplier of VECOwood to a number of industries’ going forward, and Kurawood is well on its way towards this aspiration.

Kurawood has also participated in a number of trade shows, including InterBuild at the NEC and EcoBuild at Earls Court, where they were able to showcase their product range to architects, specifiers and other professionals in the building materials and construction industry.

This also allowed potential customers to compare VECOwood to other timber products on the market, in terms of properties, sustainability and price. Compared to softwood, Kurawood’s timber is certainly more expensive, but compared with the majority of hardwoods the product is more competitively priced, with a reliable supply chain and the appearance, versatility, durability of a hardwood.

With such a range of applications and a strategy for growth, Kurawood is looking forward to a busy year. “There aren’t enough hours in the day to deal with all the interest,” Martin concludes, “but that is a good way to be”

Click here to view the corporate brochure on Kurawood