Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
Business
David Laister

Pioneering fire retardant timber treatment provider nails funding for expansion

A Hull-based company that is the first in Britain to offer eco-friendly fire-retardant timber treatment is set to double its capacity to meet growing demand.

WJ Group is to install additional kilns at its East Yorkshire treatment plant, boosting production. It has secured a £100,000 loan from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund managed by Mercia Debt Finance to cover it.

Led by local entrepreneur Mark Eggleston, he founded his first business in 2007 to supply timber components to the caravan industry. Two years later, after spotting a gap in the market, he opened a preservative treatment plant at the Port of Hull before launching a second facility in Rochester, Kent.

Read more: Hull toolmaker invests big to aid global manufacturers

The latest spend will see a production plant at Kirkburn, near Driffield, added to, having secured a £200,000 loan two years ago to establish it.

Danny Bullement, WJ’s finance manager, said: “The new fire treatment arm has really taken off, to the point where the existing facilities are no longer sufficient. As the kilning process can take 12 to 24 days, we began to experience bottlenecks in production. The latest funding will enable us to double capacity and keep up with increasing demand.”

The timber is treated using its FireWright process and supplied for use in UK and overseas construction projects.

More recently the group has developed a range of innovative products including anti-slip decking solutions and lightweight ‘i-beam’ products for caravans.

WJ Fire Retardant Ltd fast tracked the development of an efficient and eco-friendly treatment to make timber fire resistant. (University of Hull)

Gary Whitaker of Mercia said: “WJ Group is a real success story. Over the past 15 years it has repeatedly identified new opportunities and introduced new products and services, with the latest being set up in response to growing concerns over fire safety in buildings. We are pleased to be able to support the group for a second time to enable it to continue its expansion.”

The group, headquartered on Marfleet Industrial Estate, now employs more than 70 staff between Hull and Kirkburn, with a further six in Kent. Since 2019 it has doubled its turnover and is on course to double again in the five years ahead.

The deal was supported by YB Financial Advisory.

Read next:
Humber's freeport status could be declared in days
Volta Trucks' EV approval to bring huge Hull orders to life as 240 jobs are created
Swift gears up to feed the 1,500 as new staff facilities added to fuel leisure growth ambition
2023's Top 30 Under 30 named as Humber region's rising stars recognised
All your Humber business news in one place - bookmark it now

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.