The acronym on the lips of everyone in the treatments sector is BPR – the Biocidal Products Regulation – the most “tortuous” legislation to test the industry for as long as anyone can remember.
Whether still navigating their way through the process of compliance or safely out the other side, treatments providers are handling the legislation with kid gloves.
“It is our number one priority and we are treating it with the utmost respect and following the correct protocols,” said Martin Green, sales and marketing director at Impra. “We are working as closely as we can with the relevant competent authorities and are ensuring we are submitting the most up-to-date and precise information as is possible.
“The depth of questioning has been far greater than from any other regulatory body and providing all the information has been a tortuous process but we are confident of a positive outcome.
“Our R&D work is looking at actives and questioning our suppliers as to the longevity of those actives and sourcing environmentally friendly products wherever possible. We are planning years ahead to have the next generation of products coming through.”
Lonza Wood Protection’s message to its customers is that they need to be aware of the BPR but they can trust the company to get them through it.
“With BPR you have to think years in advance,” said Andy Hodge, marketing director at Lonza. “And you can’t nip and tuck – once you’ve got a BPR process you have to be very prescriptive about what is in it and about the way it is used. So as a business you have to be very forward thinking when you design and engineer products. You have to think about how the world will look when that product comes to market and then build in as many options as you can.”
He added that all Lonza’s main core products are now BPR approved and the company has got new, innovative products going through now which will come out later this year.
“Our Tanalith pipeline is very strong and we have a number of versions that we sell into different parts of Europe. They are all through BPR and will be fine for the foreseeable future. We have been working on some next generation products and they are starting their journey through BPR.”
A major investment for Lonza is Tanasote, the company’s alternative to creosote, which has been developed for high performance applications such as telegraph poles, sleepers and agricultural and revetment products and is promising a 40-year service life. It started its BPR journey a year ago and Lonza has “every hope” it will come through the process, on schedule, this autumn.
Extensive testing and optimising of Tanasote has already been carried out at Lonza’s small test treatment plant at Castleford in the UK and since Christmas it has been undergoing commercial testing with full charges at a full scale commercial plant in Belgium.
“The transition from pilot plant to commercial plant is going very well,” said Mr Hodge, adding that the company is excited by the prospect of an impending online webinar for potential treaters and specifiers in May.
“We will have a full launch of a product that will come with a very high performance pedigree behind it. It is a very strong design and with BPR approval it will be guaranteed as safe in terms of human health, animal health and the environment. It’s a great news story for wood itself.”
Another of Lonza’s upgraded systems going through BPR and expected to be launched toward the end of this year is a new flexible application version of Vacsol. Traditionally this has been a low-pressure treatment, meaning that for Use Class 3 applications it has to be coated. However, it can now be used in a range of application methods including both low- and high-pressure vessels.
“It’s a game changer because it means that UC3 products such as cladding could be treated with a metal-free product and be used outside without having to be coated,” said Mr Hodge.
The new flexible application Vacsol will contain novel patent pending technology that is very efficacious and as it is an organic metal free formulation it means colour pigments can be added for decorative effect.
The inclusion of colour is also part of Impra’s product development.
“Our clients are increasingly asking for different ranges and types of colour,” said Mr Green. “We are looking at how we can combine these within both our high- and low pressure range and also our dipping range.”
He added that the UK is playing catch-up with Europe in terms of using colour but that, even here, fences that used to be brown or green are now springing up in a multitude of different colours.
“It is probably being led by the composites market, which is driving different colours in. We can now match those colours for our clients and because we also have a coatings business we are looking at how we can incorporate the two. We now see many clients using our high pressure treatment and using our coatings in conjunction with that.”
Within the coatings market, Mr Green said there was a definite move away from solvent-based products towards water-based and this is largely driven by legislation.
As for products already on the market, TSK40 is underpinning Impra’s growth this year.
“It is a metal-free product for use above ground and it has generated huge interest,” said Mr Green. “Because it is a clear colour it works particularly well with our colour range and – without giving away any trade secrets – we can now get colours to last up to two years while standard colours only last a month or two.
“TSK40 is a real all-rounder,” he continued. “It can be applied by high-pressure, lowpressure, dipping, spraying or brushing – you name it and it can be used. It is fully approved within the UK by the HSE and is a real force to be reckoned with, with relatively low retentions.
“We are already seeing an increase in volumes, particularly in the UK but also in Germany and the Benelux countries.”
While Impra supplies its European clients with fire retardant treatments, these are not currently approved in the UK. However, they are on the radar.
“We are currently investigating potential areas for fire retardants in the UK and hope to have an offering soon,” said Mr Green. “We are working on a number of options – and in conjunction with our colourants and coatings – to find ideal solutions.
“However, in light of what has happened [the Grenfell Tower fire] we need to be 100% certain before we bring anything to market.
There is still uncertainty and a lot of new legislation being produced, particularly in the UK, so we need the market to settle down and reach a consensus on what the actual regulations are.”
Meanwhile, Lonza said that its Dricon fire retardant treatment for interior applications is still operating successfully across Europe. Both Lonza and Impra report healthy business across the various industry sectors they serve.
“We are lucky – I have never worked with a company that has such a wide and varied product range,” said Mr Green. “We have something to suit everyone in our range, which gives our clients a lot of flexibility in terms of what they supply.
“And the UK is still the biggest market for wood treatment products in Europe,” he added. “It generates the most imports and also has the highest volume of chemicals used within treatments.”
“We have the capacity for growth and we’re taking on new business across Europe,” said Mr Hodge. “Our volumes are increasing year on year.”
He added that customers now want “solid partnerships” with treatment providers who can meet their current and future needs. And that applies not just to chemical solutions but also to added value options such as engineering support, incising technologies and Auto-Treater treatment management.
So how will Brexit affect these two European-based companies that have strongholds on both sides of the English Channel?
The impact is already being felt in the way they are having to deal with the BPR and Martin Green believes Brexit is making a long process even longer.
“Knowing when you will get the ultimate decision [on approval] is the 64,000 dollar question,” he said. “We’re using the HSE for our products [approval] within the UK as they will be the competent authority for all UK approvals post Brexit. Outside of the UK we are using alternative competent authorities to approve our products, so we are taking nothing for granted and covering all bases.” Likewise, Lonza has moved all its BPR registrations overseas.
“We have moved all product approvals into a European-based entity,” said Mr Hodge. “It’s a significant change for us.”
Both companies benefit from having manufacturing plants in the UK and Europe.
“Having plant in Barrow-in-Furness in the UK as well as in Mannheim in Germany is a definite advantage,” said Mr Green. “We have the ability to produce the full Impra range in both plants, so it’s a model that will smooth out any impact on us.”
He added that Impra has increased its stocks and gained assurances from its raw materials suppliers to ensure future supplies aren’t affected. “There will therefore be little impact seen by our clients,” he said.
“Lonza has operations all across Europe, so the beauty for us is we can work on an infrastructure that is already there,” said Mr Hodge.
“Seventy-five per cent of our business goes [from the UK] overseas so we are moving stocks into Europe. We won’t be able to work the way we perhaps have before where someone buys something and it comes out of the UK. Instead it will be held in warehouses around Europe. It’s quite a significant change in the way we deal with distribution but it doesn’t affect our customer base.
“I think we can make a promise to our customers that it will be hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst. No matter where they are situated it will mean a soft Brexit for them.”
