Accsys Technologies PLC, producers of Accoya, the world’s leading high technology wood, announced today it has entered into a licence agreement with Rhodia Acetow GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Solvay-Rhodia, the multinational chemicals and plastics conglomerate, for the production and sale of Accoya across Europe.
Accoya is a high performance acetylated wood product and the result of over 80 years’ Research and Development. It is distinguished by its exceptional stability, improved coatings life and Class 1 durability which means it’s guaranteed for 50 years above ground and 25 years in ground contact. This non-toxic, environmentally friendly material, sourced from sustainable and FSC, PEFC or other regionally certified forests, is becoming a popular choice for architects, engineers and developers across the world. The outstanding qualities and benefits of Accoya wood have already been proven through its use in award-winning and unique projects.
The licence grants Rhodia the exclusive rights for a 15 year period for Rhodia to produce and sell Accoya to over 40 European countries except the UK, Ireland and Benelux. The agreement also allows the construction of multiple Accoya production plants in various locations over a period of 25 years. The first plant will have an initial capacity of 63,000m³ of finished Accoya output and should be operational by the end of 2014. Accsys’s first plant, based in the Netherlands, will continue to operate as a R&D unit as well as production facility to supply markets in the remaining European countries and the rest of the world.
The new deal by Accsys follows the launch of Medite® Tricoya® with Coillte Panel Products, the subsequent Tricoya option licence agreement in Latin America and the strategic collaborative relationship with BP, which further confirm Accoya as a globally-recognised, high technology, high performance, modified wood.
It is expected that many of Accsys’ existing distributors and new customers in the European region will be introduced to Rhodia and that the resulting relationship will drive greater market penetration of Accoya by guaranteeing larger scale production leading to wider availability and competitiveness.
Paul Clegg, Accsys CEO, said: “It is a pleasure to be able to disclose the identity of our prospective licensee, Rhodia Acetow a subsidiary of the Solvay Group, with whom we have been working closely for some time. Rhodia is a leader in the production and sale of a wide range of performance materials sold into key market sectors of relevance to Accoya, including for use in buildings and the urban environment, around the globe. As one of the world’s leading producers of cellulose acetate, a material which shares certain processing components with our Accoya technology, they also have a set of technical capabilities which should further contribute to the success of this licence.”
Gérard Collette, President of Rhodia Acetow, commented: “We are delighted with this licence agreement that will allow us to build on our acetylation know-how in the field of cellulose acetate. While we will continue to develop our core businesses, cellulose acetate RHODIA® Filter Tow and RHODIA® Acetol flakes, the Accoya technology fits perfectly with our strategy of product portfolio diversification. Moreover, combining a highly attractive ecological profile and excellent performance, Accoya is in line with our ambition to become a leader in innovative and sustainable materials and to deliver long-run returns to the Solvay Group.”
