Indurite plc is just weeks away from signing up its first UK licensee to process softwood timber to give it the qualities of premium hardwood.

The company is talking to “two very large Scottish sawmills” one of which will win the contract to manufacture Indurite – the product developed in New Zealand – locally.

Indurite’s global marketing director Paul Duncan said: “The beauty of the process is that it uses traditional pressure treatment chambers and kiln driers and either one of those companies will have significant capacity for the existing market.”

A second licence will be issued if demand outstrips supply. To win the licence the sawmills will have to demonstrate their technical understanding, technical ability and commitment to quality product. Indurite is also talking to other partners to produce the formulation for the treatment.

Mr Duncan said: “Indurite needs to be made to pretty exacting specification. The intention is to have production by the end of the year.”

&#8220The beauty of the process is that it uses traditional pressure treatment chambers and kiln driers and either one of those companies will have significant capacity for the existing market”

Indurite marketing director Paul Duncan

He said initial results of a £70,000 research project at BRE into whether the method for densifying timber can be applied to UK-grown sitka and pine have proved that it categorically does work.

Watford will remain Indurite’s key distribution centre, and the company will open an office and showroom in Berners St, London W1 in May.

Mr Duncan said: “London was a strategic move as we wanted to get to the heartland of where the influencers and decision makers of solid wood products actually live. Indurite will grow automatically but Maro, our value added brand which is currently just flooring, is having particular success with the architectural community as it answers so many of their problems.”