Platowood's history reaches back to 1972, when Shell Research was investigating extracting oil from wood during the oil crisis. This research was codenamed PLATO, an acronym for Providing Lasting Advanced Timber Option. Shell researcher Herman Ruyter suspects that the process can make wood rot-proof. In 1989, he first describes the current hydrothermal modification process in a scientific publication. When Shell disposes of the PLATO project, Ruyter obtains the patents for the process, together with two other Shell managers. The company ‘Platowood’ is founded.
More than 25 years experience
After opening an experimental factory in Wageningen in 1994, Platowood established a production factory at Industrial Park Kleefse Waard (IPKW) in Arnhem in 2000. Platowood still serves a large group of national and international customers from this location, who all choose an aesthetic and high-quality product that puts a lot of value on durability. Platowood is honest, durable and thoroughly platonised wood with a natural appearance and optimal characteristics.