Working closely with Vastern Timber we have helped to bring Brimstone Thermally Modified Timber from idea to reality. High value, extremely durable and stable modified timber produced from low-value UK-grown hardwoods. From managing research and development, to helping produce the ‘Environmental Product Declaration’ (EPD) and funding bid-writing for the capital investment, our work was central in helping set up the first thermally modified timber plant in the UK.
The challenge is huge. There is a growing demand for exterior joinery products that are highly durable. There is also a growing demand for UK grown solutions. We have large areas of broadleaf woodland that includes species such as ash, poplar and sycamore but these species are not durable and have limited markets. Tom Barnes, the visionary CEO of Vastern, wanted to match these supply and demand issues.
In the early work we worked with Grown in Britain and BRE to undertake pre-production feasibility work. Later we worked directly with Vastern to manage the production of the Environmental Performance Declaration and production of test joinery. Finally we worked with Tom to write the bid for capital investment funding that saw the first UK plant delivered and commissioned at the yard in Wootton Basset.
It’s been one of the most exhilarating projects to work on. helping a client take highly innovative product from inception through to production. The plant is now run at full capacity turning low-value British timber into high-value engineered product with very large market potential.
