Special
Producers of veneer floors
THE BENEFITS, NOT THE DRAWBACKS ALTERNATIVE TO BOTH LAMINATE AND HARDWOOD FLOORS HAS MORE AND MORE WIND IN ITS SAILS
Griet Fournier and Tim Hennin (Parky – B) ‘Forget rationality! Wood is emotion!’ Parky, based in Menen (Belgium) and a brand of Decospan, is a market leader in veneer floors. Next to its production in Belgium, Decospan has 2 other factories where they produce multi-layer parquet. We spoke to flooring product manager Griet Fournier and group product manager Tim Hennin. ‘We’re often seen solely as a producer of veneer parquet, but that’s not quite right. For instance, we also produce engineered parquet in our own factory in Cabannes, near Bordeaux, France, under the name Cabbani. This is parquet with a top layer from 2 to 5.5mm on HDF or birch plywood. This collection is a custom-made parquet where you put together your own floor in five steps. There’s also a factory in the Czech Republic under the name Esco,’ Tim Hennin says. ‘Here we make solid and engineered 2- and 3-layer parquet. Within this product portfolio we’ve recently launched the brand The Twelve. Easy choice parquet, which is kept as simple as possible with a 3mm top layer on a spruce core.’ Eight coats of varnish What we’re particularly interested in is obviously the veneer floor. In that context we hear that Parky turns out no fewer than eight coats of super strong varnish. ‘The finish to our veneer floor has been completely renewed, and that has yielded greater durability and scratch resistance,’ Griet Fournier explains. ‘The rethinking of the product coincided with a complete rebranding. The result is that in fact we now fit the strongest wooden floor on the market, which corresponds to a usage class of 33. Whilst veneer floor used to be limited roughly to a bedroom floor, it is now a fully fledged alternative for the project market and commercial projects such as shops, offices, studies, etc. Moreover, we made the surface waterproof for at least 12 hours, and we've revamped the look & feel: deeper brushing and a more matt finish yield a much more natural look.’ ‘More and more clients are telling us that they regard veneer floor as the best alternative to solid and semi-solid parquet on the one hand and laminate and vinyl on the other,’ Tim says. ‘In the past, it was more of a niche product which no one knew or understood. Veneer wood was a difficult product because everyone just assumed that a thicker top layer also yielded a stronger product. And so, we’ve worked rigorously on our product to make it even more efficient to launch a much better alternative to laminate and vinyl on the market which is just as strong and equally simple as regards fitting and maintenance, but which comprises real wood. Ecologically, too, this is the floor of the future, certainly now that wood is getting more scarce and people are grasping the narrative. And last but not least, we source our trees from sustainable managed forests and every board is 100% recyclable, participating as such in the circular economy.’ ‘We continue to invest in improving our product and service,’ Griet adds. ‘For instance, we’re investing hugely in the finish department until we get a production capacity of about three million square metres. This is linked to investment of 12 million euros. In the next three years, we’re going to expand further in phases to meet the rising demand for veneer floor. At the moment, we’ve started to work out all the plans, whilst the start is planned for next year. We should reach the projected capacity by the start of 2023.’ New marketing strategy In Menen, during the almost full closure of the market during the pandemic, they worked particularly hard on a new marketing strategy. ‘We’re much more committed to sales points where we invest to involve them in our floor strategy and get more visibility,’ Tim explains. ‘Moreover, we want to get everyone on board digitally with digital marketing. What it boils down to is that we form a link between consumers and retailers. With an important note: no direct sales to end clients!’
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Floor Forum International 119
