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Double-click for success Unilin
DOUBLE-CLICK FOR SUCCESS
Unilin is a European leader in the development and manufacture of fibreboard finished flooring products and panels. Philip Yorke talked to Lode de Boe, the company’s president of its panels division, about the launch of a new range of unique ‘click’ board products and strong growth in its furniture and DIY sectors.
Unilin was founded in south-west Flanders in Belgium in 1960 by a group of families involved in the flax industry, who began producing flax-based chipboards. They called the new company Unilin. The business grew very quickly and the company soon needed to source an alternative raw material product as demand had exceeded the supply of available flax. Therefore in the 1970s they decided to use wood as an alternative raw material, resulting in the production of wood-based chipboards.
A major decision was made in the late 1980s to move into the manufacture of laminate flooring, and yet another milestone was reached in 1997 when the company developed and marketed the world’s first glue-less, integrated ‘click’ system. Today Unilin is a major global player in its three core areas of operation: boards, decorative panels and finished products, and forms a significant part of Unilin’s American parent company, Mohawk Industries Inc., which is listed on the New York stock exchange.
Unilin’s highly successful Uniclic® system represented a revolutionary departure from the traditional fixing and assembly of panels when it was first launched in 1997. Unilin’s unique ‘click’ system was the world’s first, glue-less, integrated system and was special because Unilin’s new panels could be joined securely together by either using a rotary movement, or simply by tapping them together on a flat surface.
Today continuous innovation forms one of the pillars of Unilin’s success and is pursued throughout its three key operational divisions. This continuous commitment to innovation and quality has resulted in a number of new engineering break throughs for the company, including its revolutionary ‘clickfurniture’ and ‘click-wall’ panel products.
Unilin’s latest contribution to the world’s furniture markets is its revolutionary ‘clickfurniture’ range which offers extremely easy and quick assembly without using any tools. Dismantling this furniture is also very simple, which makes it an ideal solution for a speedy and efficient house move.
Mr De Boe said, “We are also launching our exciting new range of ‘click-furniture’ products at the upcoming industry trade fair ‘Interzum’ in Germany and these products offer toolless connections for today’s modern furniture assembly lines, thus saving our customers both valuable time and money. This latest ‘click’ technology is being launched in a com-
pletely new range of ‘flat-pack’ kitchen carcasses that offer our customers a huge range of options to suit their individual requirements.
“In addition we are also developing a new range of embossed melamine panels which are pre-impregnated in the pressing process and are contoured to look precisely like real wood, which is achieved in sync with the printing process itself. All our product development is conducted in-house and sometimes in association with local universities, and this intellectual property is something that we are happy to license out to other companies throughout the world. In fact, more than 85 per cent of all flooring manufacturers are using our ‘click’ technology, patented products today.
“In many instances, we also manufacture decorative panels and flooring products on behalf of other companies, thereby working as a major contractor. Returning to our new ‘click-furniture’ products, I would like to emphasise that these are brand new concepts and represent another industry first for Unilin.”
Mr De Boe added, “We have always been aware of the need to provide sustainable products and processes and are currently developing a new lightweight chipboard known as UniAIR400 series chipboard. This has a high content of recycled wood and is significantly lighter than other standard chipboard products on the market today. In addition, we are developing an entirely new range of melamine products in association with Formica® under the brand name Formica®Unilin. We see our future growth coming from our trade and DIY sectors where, we are able to supply mixed trucks of innovative new products every year.
Panels to suit every application
Unilin’s panel division also offers its customers unique designs and a wide range of contemporary surface textures and finishes for its wall and flooring products. The vertical integration of the company means that products are readily available from stock, or can be made to measure to suit any individual customer’s needs. The company’s UniDESIGN boards are finished with stylish surface textures with a melamine layer on either side, whilst its UniPAINT boards offer ready-to-paint melamine surfaces.
Today ready-made finished products form a major part of Unilin’s product portfolio and these include completely finished products that range from UniFURNITURE ‘completekit’ products, to its innovative, seamless wall system, branded ClicWall®. If a customer is looking for a fast and easy system to cover walls with a seamless finish, then the ClicWall® range offers the perfect answer. ClicWall® enables the customer to fit floor-toceiling panels with consummate ease and up to five times faster than more traditional wall systems like plasterboard. n
For further information about Unilin’s revolutionary panel and furniture products visit: www.unilinpanels.com and www.clicbox.eu
Traditional wall systems
