KINGSPORT, Tenn., — Accoya USA LLC,  is on track to begin manufacturing Accoya, the ultra-high performance sustainable wood, in early 2024.

The company broke ground on its U.S. manufacturing facility in June. The plant is a joint venture between Accsys, the only acetylated wood producer in the world, and Eastman a global specialty materials company. As part of the joint venture, Accsys leverages Eastman’s world-class acetyl production capabilities to produce its Accoya wood products. 

North America represents the largest potential regional market for Accoya, and the new plant will ensure a ready supply of Accoya to the U.S. market, the company says. 

“Our sales in North America grew 44% between our fiscal 2021 and 2022 years and we are seeing continued strong demand for Accoya,” said John Alexander, group sales director, at Accsys. “Once operational, the Kingsport site will double our Accoya 2022 production volumes.”

The groundbreaking comes on the heels of the completion of the fourth acetylation reactor at Arnhem, the Netherlands plant in September. The fourth reactor increases Arnhem’s Accoya production capacity by 33% and the Kingsport facility will be an additional 67% increase in capacity from 2022 volumes. 

Once operational in early 2024, the Kingsport facility will supply the North American market and the Netherlands plant will supply the rest of the world. The U.S. reactors are currently being transported from Europe and will arrive in Kingsport in January 2023.

“We are excited to join the Kingsport community and witness the progression of the U.S. facility,” said Rod Graf, general manager of Accoya USA. “Our state-of-the-art facility will increase capacity, create local jobs, and build community. We are also excited to collaborate with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology and Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing to be a preferred employer in the region as we begin production.”

The U.S. facility will be known as Accoya USA LLC and will create more than 50 new jobs in the Kingsport area.