Industry news

ASPECTA™ FLOORING STRENGTHENS ITS COMMERCIAL TEAM MÁRIO PINHO JOINS ASPECTA™ FLOORING AS VP SALES EUROPE, RUSSIA & MIDDLE EAST Netherlands, Tuesday, July 7th, 2020 – Marcel Kies, president of Aspecta™ Flooring announces that the highly respected Mário Pinho with over 15 successful years of Sales & Marketing experience in the International flooring industry, will join Aspecta™ Flooring as VP Sales Europe, Russia and West Africa, as of September 1st, 2020. Mário shares the brand’s ambition and continued commitment for growth of its activities in the European Flooring market, with an intention to claim at least 5-8% market share of the estimated 75 million square meters European LVT market within the next three years. Prior to joining Aspecta™ Flooring, Mário spent over 15 years with the Portuguese publicly quoted Amorim Group. Most recently he was Sales & Marketing Director of export markets at Amorim Cork Flooring SA. This remit covered 55 countries across Europe, North America, Greater China and the Asia Pacific region. Mário has a reputation for innovation, creativity, strategic planning and sales success on a multi-national, multi-cultural scale. Global President of Aspecta™ Flooring, Marcel Kies, commented that: “Recruiting Mário is a huge coup for our company and so we are thrilled to have brought him on board. He is a true professional with extensive experience in the flooring industry and has an excellent track record for driving revenue growth alongside sustainable profitability. Above all, Mário is a team player and honest person who fits perfectly within the HMTX culture and spirit. He will have the necessary resources, our complete backing for continue fulfilling our growth ambitions in the European market! And……, we are going to go fast!” Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news

Prinz expansion joint system 778 with exchangeable expansion joint strip When laying floor coverings, it is inevitable to bridge expansion or movement joints. According to DIN 18365, expansion joints must be taken from the subfloor into the top floor. With fully bonded floor coverings, expansion joint profiles are used that cover the joint, but at the same time do not restrict their freedom of movement. The joint material should be as elastic as possible. In practice, expansion joint profiles with glued silicone joints are often used. But under tension, silicone can tear off from the profile. Silicone also tends to attract dust and dirt. The joint becomes shabby over time. Prefabricated expansion joint profiles with a vulcanized EPDM material are of higher quality and technically much better. For construction heights of up to 6 mm, however, four different expansion joint profiles would have to be stored for each desired color. With the new expansion joint system 778, Prinz is now taking a completely new path and offering the user flexibility, technical perfection and more design options. Unlike conventional expansion joint profiles,

it is not preassembled, but is processed on site as required. It consists of a universal base profile and two matching expansion joint strips for flooring thicknesses of up to 4 mm and up to 6 mm. The expansion joint strips are made of co-extruded hard and soft PVC. The rigid PVC substructure guarantees secure, permanent anchoring in the base profile. The upper part made of soft PVC ensures the necessary elasticity for upsetting and stretching movements. Tensions from the substrate are absorbed without the expansion joint strip tearing or detaching from the profile. Read more on www.floor-forum.com/en/news

FN Neuhofer Neuhofer continues to invest. A former primary school becomes a multi-family property

The continued growth of the successful family-owned and operated company FN Neuhofer in Zell am Moos and, as a result, the steady stream of new hires are one of the reasons why the company, led by owner Franz Neuhofer, are investing yet again. "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to build a multi-family property just a few minutes from our office and to offer living space nearby", explains Neuhofer adding: "The building site is of special importance to me as my former primary school once stood there". A multi-family property with 13 rental units will be built in this sunny, peaceful location in Haslau, a district of the municipality Zell am Moos. From the functional 2-room apartment, charming two-level maisonettes to the spacious penthouse apartments boasting a spectacular, sweeping view of the green surroundings. The building spans three storeys plus a basement level and 26 car parking spaces – 16 of which are covered. The property offers 1,075 m² of living space with completion planned for late June 2021.