Special
Producers of engineered floors
A HAND FULL OF ASSETS HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN TO CLIENTS WHY OPTING FOR MULTILAYER CAN AN ATTRACTIVE CHOICE?
Lut Dolphen (BerryAlloc - B) ‘We commit to running an efficient production, which happens to work very well. ’ We recently wondered, how does a major manufacturer such as BerryAlloc tackle the production of multilayer floors? And more specifically, what about the panels used in the product core? We wanted to know whether they experienced any problems due to a scarcity in panel supplies or if they decided to manufacture these themselves. We spoke to Lut Dolphen, Regional and Project Development Manager at BerryAlloc. BerryAlloc offers a wide range of interior solutions for residential and commercial projects. Laminate is produced in Menen (Belgium), vinyl planks and tiles in Wielsbeke (Belgium), high pressure floors and walls in Lyngdal (Norway), and multilayer parquet floors in Meaulne (France). ‘Before I answer this question, I think I ought to elaborate a little more on how our parquet is produced,” Ms Dolphen explains, “BerryAlloc parquet is a multilayer wooden floor with top layers of 3.3 or 2.5 mm and is made at our factory in France. We use HDF (high density fibre board) as a core, which has lots of benefits: it has excellent stability, a high impact resistance, it’s suitable for floor heating, and it guarantees perfect joints. Our parquet floors are finished with Ultimtec®, an innovative varnish which protects our parquet floors without using solvents and chemical reagents. As such, we don’t supply any unfinished parquet and our main focus remains France and Belux.’ ‘To answer your question about the panels, we don’t make them ourselves, but we purchase them. Manufacturing them ourselves is a solution, but we do not yet have a decisive answer for that. Sourcing panels has become easier recently and having a big stock enables us to supplement stock shortages. The biggest problem these days isn’t the panels, but sourcing people instead, especially workers in West Flanders. The unemployment rate is low, with a high level of demand within the industry at the same time.’ ‘The biggest challenge in France is sourcing solid wood, although our problems are relatively small in comparison to those who are supplied by China. We use 70% French oak and 30% Eastern European oak. This means our clients won’t be deceived with rampantly rising container prices, which recently quintupled. We commit to running an efficient production, which happens to work very well.’ ‘If everything goes as planned, we’ll be launching a new collection ‘Les Iconics’ in April. This will replace ‘Lodge’ and focuses specifically on handbrushed floors, Hungarian point, and herringbone. I can already disclose that this will be a distinctly high-end and very exclusive collection. The top layer consists entirely of 3.3 mm of oak.’ ‘I’d also like to point out the launch of three new High Pressure Floors collections: Original, Grand Avenue, and Grand Majestic. These floors are produced in our factory in Norway and are made to cope with extremes, are incredibly strong, and, if I say so myself, incredibly beautiful. I can also reveal that our existing herringbone laminate Chateau collection has gotten an update and that we’ve created a new collection of vinyl planks and tiles made for everyday life. The latter is equipped with our licensed DreamClick® installation system and consists of decors with a wood or stone look. The collection was created with respect for the environment, as it is fully recyclable and is largely made up of recycled materials.
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