Medite Smartply, part of the sustainably certified Irish forestry and forest products manufacturer Coillte Group, produces a range of MDF and OSB products for construction and interior applications across the UK and Europe. As the Medite brand celebrates its 50th anniversary – and with significant investment taking place in Ireland – Furniture News asked Chris King, Medite Smartply’s MD – commercial, for a progress report …
What brought you to the company?
I’ve over 30 years of experience across the construction and building products sectors. Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about leading teams to deliver sustainable growth, continuous improvement and technical innovation.
While my focus today is firmly on the future of Medite Smartply, my career has always been driven by a commitment to the trade and to long-term growth. My role as MD is centred on ensuring that our business, our people and the markets we serve continue to thrive, especially as we navigate significant industry shifts and invest heavily in our manufacturing capabilities.
How have you marked Medite’s 50th anniversary?
Reaching 50 years of MDF expertise is a proud moment for us, but this milestone is really about looking ahead. We are celebrating this golden anniversary under the banner, ‘Trusted for 50 years. Built for what's next,’ which signals our unwavering commitment to the future of the trade.
The milestone is a testament to our ongoing dedication to product performance, reliability and regulatory readiness. We’ve spent five decades making ideas real for carpenters, joiners and furnituremakers, and are marking the occasion by spotlighting our core lines like Medite Premier, Medite MR, And Medite Tricoya Extreme (MTX).
What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in your time with Medite Smartply?
One of the biggest has been the evolution of what customers expect from MDF, and where they are prepared to use it. Standard MDF evolved into moisture-resistant and flame-retardant products, broadening the range of applications, while innovations such as MTX took MDF into exterior environments that would once have been considered completely outside the category.
At the same time, expectations around sustainability, product performance and regulatory compliance have increased significantly. Customers want materials that perform consistently, but they also want confidence in where those materials come from, how they are manufactured and whether their suppliers are prepared for changing regulations. For manufacturers like us, that means continuing to innovate while investing in the manufacturing capability and technical expertise needed to support customers for the long term.
With major industry shifts such as the EU REACH revision currently under way, there’s a much greater need for proactive compliance. Customers are looking for partners who continuously invest in quality and regulatory readiness to provide confidence as the market evolves.
What benefits will the investment in your Clonmel facility bring?
We’ve announced a €75m investment programme to replace critical biomass boiler infrastructure at our Clonmel manufacturing facility. This investment is the largest current investment in MDF production in Western Europe.
It’s fundamentally about securing the future of the Clonmel facility and ensuring the mill remains operationally resilient for decades to come. The biomass boiler system sits at the heart of the manufacturing process, and this upgrade to Line 1 will eliminate the use of natural gas, transitioning fully to renewable biomass as the primary heat source. By doing so, this project will materially reduce fossil fuel-related CO₂ emissions and support our scope 1 CO2 emissions – a key focus for us as a business.
Can you share details of Medite Smartply’s latest product innovations?
We’ve launched Medite Trimax, a durable, low-maintenance external cladding solution made from Medite Tricoya Extreme. Available primed or fully finished, it combines the design flexibility of MDF with the durability and dimensional stability needed for demanding exterior applications.
For us, innovation is ultimately about solving practical problems – whether that’s improving moisture resistance, durability, or opening up entirely new applications for wood-based panels.
How are material trends changing, and what does that mean for your offer?
The construction and interiors industries are placing increasing value on environmentally conscious practices and regulatory readiness. For furnituremakers, this means increased demand for materials from suppliers with long-established expertise who can navigate industry shifts, such as volatile markets and changing regulations. Our continuous investment in quality and compliance ensures our products provide unparalleled reassurance for designers and manufacturers.
How are broader environmental concerns – in particular, this summer’s high temperatures and wildfires – informing your strategy?
Environmental performance is central, which is why our Clonmel investment supports our long-term environmental targets through the increased use of renewable biomass energy within the manufacturing process. Fully transitioning away from natural gas to renewable biomass on Line 1 directly supports Medite Smartply’s Scope 1 carbon reduction objectives, wider climate action commitments and Coillte’s broader sustainability and circular economy objectives.
How has trading with the UK evolved since Brexit?
Our commitment to our core markets remains steadfast. Our Clonmel facility operates 24 hours a day, producing approximately 400,000m³ of MDF products annually for the UK, Irish and European construction and interiors markets. Our recent investments are designed to ensure the facility remains competitive, reliable and capable of supporting future market demand across these regions for the long term.
The UK has always been our largest market, and continues to be so. Brexit has brought about a substantial amount of administrative burden and cost for both our customers and us. Beyond this, our trading activity looks a lot like it always has.
What’s in the pipeline?
Our immediate pipeline includes delivering on our €75m investment programme in Clonmel to modernise several critical manufacturing systems. Ultimately, by continually investing in product performance and compliance, we’re ensuring that the Medite brand remains the most credible, dependable choice for our customers as they build for what's next.
But this is not just a €75m spend – it’s the beginning of a wider capital investment programme whereby we’ll be looking to upgrade all our major critical assets across the Medite business. It’s the largest current investment in MDF production, and the second-largest investment of any Western European panel manufacturer, demonstrating our long-term confidence in the business, our people, and the markets we serve. By investing in the business today, we’re laying the foundation for the next 50 years and beyond.
