NETHERLANDS - The production of Accoya modified wood is projected to double over the next five years following a licensing, financing and marketing deal between manufacturer Accsys Technologies and Solvay Acetow.

Under the agreement announced Dec. 9, Accsys  will double the existing manufacturing capacity of its plant in Arnhem, Netherlands, to produce 80,000 cubic meters of Accoya per year, with 20,000 to come onstream as early as mid-2017.

As part of the deal, Solvay said it will purchase a minimum of 76,000 cubic meters of Accoya from the Arnhem plant over the next five years for distribution within Solvay’s licensed European markets. In return, Accsys will provide sales and marketing support in Solvay’s exclusive licensed territories, and will market and sell directly into more than 20 European countries previously  exclusive to Solvay.

Accsys CEO Paul Clegg said, “We are pleased to be able to cement our relationship with Solvay through this agreement to expand our Accoya manufacturing capacity and Solvay’s commitment to purchase significant volumes from Accsys over the coming years. This is an exciting step in the development of our business and is further evidence of the fruits of our strategy to maximize returns from our technology platform and resultant product offerings."

Demand for Accoya helped spur Accsys' revenues 21%, to €26.3 million, the company said.  “These latest set of results confirms that our manufacturing process generates increasing returns and gives us greater confidence to progress with our objective of ensuring we maintain a share in this new manufacturing capacity. Our enhanced relationship with Solvay will enable us to ensure that the ever-increasing demand for our products can be met in the future,” Clegg said.

Sold worldwide, Accoya touts its dimensional stability, durability, machinability and sustainability. Accoya wood recently passed a formal evaluation for rot resistance.