Inside news

RECTIFICATION Renzo Srl & FNT Trabattoni Stampi

Our editorial article ‘Mechanical Distressing’ in Floor Forum International edition 110 included content which was open to misunderstanding. We refer in that article to two companies Renzo Borgonovo Srl & FNT Trabattoni Stampi and incorrectly give the impression that both companies produce machines to distress floors using a roller. In fact, Borgonovo produces embossing machines, whilst FNT makes embossing rollers. There was also mention of cold embossing with the use of pulp. To avoid any misunderstanding we would like to stress that this technique is not used on parquet.

Futura Floors Andreas Federkeil, new sales representative Futura Floors presents Andreas Federkeil, a sales and distribution expert for more than 25 years, who joined as a sales representative for the areas of Austria, Northern Bavaria and Northern Italy. “Sales is not about selling, but about building relationships and trust,” says Federkeil, adding that he values “transparency, respect and reliability”. His new role at Futura Floors is characterised by broadmindedness and a spirit of partnership. Coming from a background of renewable energy, Federkeil successfully combined sales and sustainability. He worked with numerous sales partners from Italy, Germany and Austria. As a reliable partner for more than 15 years at the BMW Group, he effectively applied his practical sales and marketing skills. Futura welcomes Andreas to our team! www.futurafloors.com

EPLF enlarges its membership with Servaco Product Testing - Joint Venture with VITO EPLF, the association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring, recently welcomed Servaco Product Testing - Joint Venture with VITO, as a new Supporting Member of the association. “As president of EPLF, I’m delighted to welcome Servaco Product Testing - Joint Venture with VITO as one of our members. Product testing is a key area for the laminate industry as it is committed to providing customers with the highest quality products, while ensuring a reduced environmental impact.” Max von Tippelskirch (Swiss Krono Group) said. “We, at Servaco Product Testing - Joint Venture with VITO, are very pleased to be joining EPLF as supporting members. Our collaboration with the association will surely lead to great projects that will benefit both the organisation and its mem bers”, Marc Lor, Managing Director at Servaco Product Testing - Joint Venture with VITO, stated. The Belgium-based company Servaco Product Testing - Joint Venture with VITO was launched in March 2019. It provides laboratory and consulting services in the market of product emission testing and volatile organic compounds reduction performance testing. The product emission tests analyse the impact of all sorts of building, consumer products, and materials on indoor air quality. With this new addition to the association, EPLF has now 16 ordinary members, 24 associate members, and 11 supporting members.

EPLF - Sustainability and circularity EPLF adopts a new mission, vision and logo The members of the Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF) adopted a new vision, mission and logo. After celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2019, members decided to revisit the purpose of the association to ensure continued relevance given the context they operate in today and their ambition for the laminate flooring industry. A new vision Max von Tippelskirch (Swiss Krono Group), Chairman of the Board, stated that “The new vision of EPLF, ‘enabling a sustainable laminate flooring industry’, expresses our ambition to support our members in continuously improving the sustainability and circularity of their products and processes; provide them with market and policy insights to inform their strategies and adapt to an ever more green-conscious consumer. This shift will guide our future choices in terms of activities or services to our members”. A new mission With its new mission, ‘raise awareness about the benefits of laminate flooring and represent the interests of the European Producers of Laminate Flooring’, EPLF aims to strengthen the reputation of laminate flooring, by raising awareness around its core characteristics (made with wood, sustainable, circular) and focus on its members. To do so, EPLF will: - EDUCATE by providing information on the product and the industry - PROMOTE the reputation of laminate flooring and the industry - LEVERAGE the wealth of expertise of the network - FOSTER the highest quality for laminate flooring through standardisation. Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news

FN Neuhofer - Investment in a new plastic suction system With the investment in a new plastic suction system, FN Neuhofer is coming another step closer to realising its 2025 Vision. “Based on the persisting trend of LVT floor covers, water-resistant plastic skirting boards are once more moving into the focus, which is why we are massively expanding this area,” says CEO Franz Neuhofer. “For FN Neuhofer, customer service comes first, which is why we always take a close look at the particular customer wishes and offer them the fitting solutions,” explains Neuhofer. The digital fingerprint “FN digiprint” also plays a central role. That is because it enables producing skirting boards, floor profiles, door frame profiles, etc. with the absolute identical décor as the floor. A big advantage is also the quick and flexible implementation of all possible ideas. This not only saves lots of time but also reduces the costs. Another procedure in this area

is “FN digi-direct” - digital direct printing. Here, the most varied carrier materials such as plastics, aluminium or hardwood can be printed directly – without the further involvement of paper or veneer, which would then, in turn, have to be glued onto the carrier. A new workflow comes along with this, which allows for the smallest lot sizes in the shortest of delivery periods. The flexibility also reapplies to the profile lengths. The endless production of the plastic carrier also facilitates the production of custom lengths. Moreover, the surface structure can be produced in 3D haptics. A special procedure makes this relief-type surface possible on skirting and floor profiles. The production capacity in the plastic skirting segment after the expansion will be at 26.4 million running metres per year. The total production capacity of all plants adds up to 165 million running metres per year.

MMFA welcomes Fair Underlay as new Associate Member MMFA, the Multilayer Modular Flooring Association is pleased to announce that Fair Underlay joined the association as a new Associate Member. Matthias Windmöller (Windmöller), President of MMFA, highlighted that Fair Underlay is a valuable addition to the MMFA and continued: “MMFA especially appreciates Fair Underlay’s innovative approach when it comes, for example, to combining digital technology such as mobile apps with its products.” “At Fair Packaging, we are delighted that Fair Underlay has joined MMFA and look forward to mutually beneficial exchanges with the other members of the association to further sharpen our expertise,” Mateusz Pretki, Chief Executive Officer at Fair Packaging, stated. Fair Underlay is part of Fair Packaging and is the leading European manufacturer of professional grade natural rubber underlays. Its production plant and logistic centre

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are located in west Poland (Posnan region). The company has been developing competences in the field of flooring standards and their requirements since 2003. In 2016, they established their own test laboratory to evaluate important product parameters and performances. Each year, the company produces 25 million of square meters of high-quality underlays with focus on performance and parameters fulfilling the most rigorous requirements of European floor manufacturers. With the help of market analyses and a customer-oriented approach the rising Polish brand develops unique products with an excellent price-performance ratio. With this new addition, the MMFA now has 25 ordinary members (producers of MMF flooring or their European representations), 29 associate members (supplier companies) and three supporting members (scientific institutes).

Proligna A new location, a new step for Proligna! Proligna was founded a few years ago by the Roos family, as a family business we specialize in the production of parquet and other wood related products. The family character of our company ensures that we are very flexible and can respond to the specific requirements of our customers. A logical step in this whole process was the entry into our new office and warehouses in Rotselaar. By taking care of the warehouse and transport ourselves, we can guarantee a fast and smooth delivery to our customers, quality and service are after all our biggest assets. MeisterDesign. comfort The authentic flooring with an extra cork layer The design flooring MeisterDesign. comfort features a double layer of cork and thus offers the best footfall noise protection so that an additional sound-absorbing cushion is not necessary. This floor covering is so quiet, easy on the joints and warm to the foot that it is perfectly suitable for all living areas, especially for children’s rooms. Besides the

well-known short plank and tile format, MeisterDesign. comfort is now also available in the trendy and popular long plank format. Odourless and without any plastifiers the design flooring MeisterDesign is the healthy living answer to conventional vinyl flooring. MeisterDesign has all the advantages of vinyl flooring (durability, ease of maintenance and elasticity), but manages completely without the primarily ecological and technical disadvantages. It has been awarded the Blue Angel ecolabel and is 100% made in Germany.

Denderwood / DDW Hardwoods

Denderwood and DDW Hardwoods are specialist importers of tropical hardwood. As of 1 October, Steven Creemers is joining their commercial sales team. Do not hesitate to contact him if you have any questions about sawn, glued, or planed material for indoor and outdoor uses. Steven’s expertise, which he has built up during his 13 years with Mapo Belgium, can only

benefit our sector!

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