Climate Coatings gets $1m to perfect powder coating for wood

12.45pm

Auckland firm Climate Coatings has received a $1 million boost from Technology New Zealand to perfect a powder coating process for wood products.

Climate Coatings said it would match the Government funding agency's research and development (R&D) investment.

"The high performance powder coating process would transform both engineered and low quality woods, and natural timbers, into a high performing and economical ready-painted finished product," the company said in a statement.

Chief executive Guy Wills said the variability and heat sensitivity of different woods made the powder coating process a challenging one to perfect.

"The challenge now for our R&D team is to bring a variety of new and old technologies together to allow the powder coating of a variety of wood products," Mr Wills said.

The Technology New Zealand investment was part of programme that aimed to move companies towards high added-value and high margin products.

"In Climate's case, the outcome will be quality powder coating technology that has not yet been achieved elsewhere in the world and stands to add significant value to New Zealand's burgeoning supply of timber," Mr Wills said.

"Climate plans to take the technology global through partnerships and licensing."

- NZPA