"The market is definitely starting to pick up," he said. "We’ve been growing for the past four years, particularly in Japan, the Middle East and the US. This year we expect Europe will have pretty good growth of about 35%."
Visitors to Kebony’s stand at Ecobuild were mainly looking for decking and cladding, Mr Pye told TTJ.
"About 50% of visitors know of modified wood; the others are interested in new materials," he said. "A lot of customers are looking for high-performance material that looks and performs like hardwoods."
Kebony puts Scots pine, radiata pine and southern yellow pine through a "kebonisation" process to produce timber that has the durability and strength of hardwood.
Mr Pye said the company was always looking for new species for new markets and was currently using cedar for customers in Asia.
"We’re interested in fast-growing sustainable woods," he said, adding that eucalyptus was another species with potential.
Kebony aims to have its Norwegian factory running at full capacity within the next two years but it plans to license factories in the US, Asia and Europe.
