Interface

The magazine for wooden floor manufacturers worldwide May 2012 Rocky times for How parquet producers find a way forward Page 3 and 5

The trend towards globalization Who benefits and who pays the price? Page 8

Good news for Wood makes a comeback! Page 11

Transparency codes introduced Italians push for clear communication Page 10 Interface

Dear Readers, assurance, while ’s transparency Inside codes campaign (see page 10) helps The wood floor industry is keep consumers fully informed about the More floor care products in 4 streamlining and innovating products’ origins. Here at Bona, our Life- DIY outlets time Support programme helps uphold its way through the eco- the promise of a beautiful wooden floor 5 The Ideal Homes Exhibition nomic downturn with some throughout its lifetime. success. There is constant Having said that, not all the parquet 5 Galekovic of Croatia – stands pressure to increase market products available today are designed firm on solid wood share, but the ingenuity to last. Some are only designed to live as long as the current interior trend. Even that this has stimulated Portuguese employee wins such ‘fashion’ floors should be problem- 9 Carl Gustav award may open up new opportu- free, particularly if we want to encourage the owners to trade up to a more durable nities for all of us. product later. Care is the key, which is why Italian or Chinese products? we at Bona work so hard to make floor 10 Check the box! care as easy as possible (see page 4). The wood floor industry’s response to the downturn has been to be more creative I hope you enjoy reading more about 11 Turkey and wood’s new and agile. Increased flexibility means small how we and our customers are meeting popularity wave special orders that were once unheard of current challenges in this latest edition of have almost become routine; innovation Interface. Sun–protection for wooden floors has led to novelties like brushing and 12 colour effects that are brightening up the market in every sense. These competitive Yours sincerely Publisher tools not only help differentiate the wood parquet brands, they may also help the Paul Spångberg industry protect and expand its share of Editor the floor covering market as a whole. Agneta Weimarsson Quality is always paramount since we Paul Spångberg Vice President and Director Division Contributors list can’t afford to have disappointed cust- omers. The FEP’s Real Wood initiative Industrial Coating Anette Berglind, Lidija Broström, makes a significant contribution to quality Magnus Dellrup, Filip Galekovic, Joanna Le Pluart, Lorenzo Onofri, Ivan Pozgaj, Alexandre Pratas, Pekka Rova, Serdar Saylan

Bona is a global company. We’re active in more than 70 countries all over the world and have Bona’s mission: subsidiaries in 18 countries in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific. We have production facilities in , , the U.S. and . We are specialists in supplying all the products necessary for the installation, maintenance ”To bring out the best and renovation of wooden floors. In fact, we supply just about everything except the wood itself. Our complete system of products includes coatings, UV finishes, sanding machines, abrasives, in wooden floors” adhesives and maintenance products. They meet the needs of contractors, producers of pre- finished wooden floors, architects, specifiers and homeowners. We create all our products to www.bona.com work perfectly with each other to bring out the best in wooden floors. From production and installation to maintenance and renovation – we’ve got it covered.

Interface 2 Customer update

About the Pozgaj Grupa: With wood in the blood!

Today’s economy has led many careers and compa- nies in unplanned directions, and some have turned out to be surprisingly good! Ivan Pozgaj of the Pozgaj Grupa, tells his story. Ivan Pozgaj

Pozgaj Grupa is a thirty-five-year-old Croatian wood flooring company, based in Veliki Bukovec, north of . They sell to customers all over the EU, Turkey, UAE, and Kazakhstan. Ivan Poz- gaj, grandson of the founder, is one of the more recent family members to join the Morello Ottimo, lacquered walnut parquet from Pozgaj Grupa. company.

This wasn’t his plan! Although Ivan often saying, “Do something you like! Try other tia since 2005. “Even if business is quite worked with his father during the school things! We’ll always be here if you want to hard at the moment,” he says, “we’re do- holidays, he sought more distant horizons. come back.” Nonetheless, after gradua- ing our best to get over the crisis.” The After high school, he went to Dubrovnik to tion, Ivan joined the sales and purchas- atmosphere is less relaxed these days, study tourism and in 2005, set his sights ing department. He started travelling to “Suppliers and customers are worried on an internship in the USA. When this see suppliers and clients, and enjoyed and have less time to chat. Everyone is did not work out, he headed home to the the pace. Even as tougher times slowed watching their margins. There are no ‘fa- family firm. “Something happened to me growth, he found that opportunities with vours’ any more. It’s all strictly business.” that summer,” says Ivan, “I fell in love with the family business remained more attrac- This isn’t necessarily bad, he says. “This the wood business. I realised it was in my tive than alternative careers. situation has squeezed out poor-quality blood, after all!” products an unprofessional people.” Pros and cons Actually, Ivan did go back to Dubrovnik What does he like and dislike about work- Ivan remains optimistic about the future of to finish college. His father strongly dis- ing for the family business? The travel is the business: “I’m convinced that those couraged him from joining the family firm fun. His family and fellow workers are nice, who survive the crisis will do good busi- decent people. He loves the raw materi- ness again in the coming years.” als, and the constantly changing business environment. On the other hand, working where you grew up can sometimes be problematic – he moved 35 km away “for (IV\[[OL7VaNHQ.Y\WH his own sanity”!

‹)HZLKPU=LSPRP)\RV]LJPU*YVH[PH How are things going today? Ivan notes the effects of the boom and bust in Croa- ‹-V\UKLKI`4Y7VaNHQZLUPVY  0]HU»ZNYHUKMH[OLYPU 

‹)LNHUWYVK\JPUNWHYX\L[PU  HUKUV^THRLZHUKSH`LY  LUNPULLYLKWHYX\L[

‹4HPUTHYRL[ZHYLPU[OL,<;\YRL`  <(,

‹(UU\HSWYVK\J[PVU]VS\TL  ZXTL[LYZ

3 Product news

Off to a good start! roll-out in Europe

Easy-to-use floor care products make wood a practical option.

Based on decades of profes- : Leroy Merlin new display that shows off all the prod- 4HANKSå TOå #OUNTRYå -ANAGERå -ONICAå ucts together, and we’re also in the Bau- sional experience, Bona has #APRAROIUå ANDå +EYå !CCOUNTå -AN- haus catalogue, where the range looks now extended our unique ager Daniel Peptea, Romania was the very impressive.” offer to introduce an all-new first in Europe to offer our brand-new RETAILå RANGEå ,EROYå -ERLINå ISå Aå MAJOR Boom in the DIY market product range adapted for global player in DIY and is opening a Recent years have seen a boom in the use by end consumers. number of stores in Romania. DIY market, with a world market turno- ver of EUR 376.7 billion in 2010. Driven “Bona’s Retail Program has introduced a by consumers who crave the authentic- Our new retail range has now been new concept to the market – a complete ity and satisfaction of renovating their launched all over Europe. It is geared system from a single brand, with indoor own homes, this trend offers us great towards floor owners and features prod- finishes, outdoor solutions, cleaning and potential. We are now present in six of ucts for both indoor and outdoor wooden maintenance products for both indoor the world’s ten biggest DIY chains, and floors. The range has taken off in Do-It- and outdoor wood floors and garden the introduction of our new retail range in Yourself (DIY) stores around the world, furniture,” says Daniel. Europe provides an excellent opportunity and is now stocked by major players in to expand with the growing DIY market. the European DIY market such as: : Bauhaus Bona Czech Republic is delighted to report så!USTRIA å'ERMANYånå"AUHAUS å"AUMAX that our new retail product range has been så#ZECHå2EPUBLICånå"AUHAUS å(ORNBACH adopted by Bauhaus. “We’ve been work- så0OLANDånå#ASTORAMA å,EROYå-ERLIN ing with Bauhaus for fifteen years, which så2OMANIAånå,EROYå-ERLIN gave us a good base for introducing the så3LOVAKIAånå+IKAå new range,” says Lubos Hruz, Country så"ELGIUMånå(UURLAND -ANAGERåFORå"ONAå#ZECHå2EPUBLICåANDå så.ETHERLANDSånå(UURMAX . “The wide product range cov- ers everything end consumers need for Let’s look at a couple of these in more detail. their floors under one brand. We have a

Interface 4 Customer profile

Bona Spray Mop promo at: London’s Ideal Home Show

Bona in the UK is involved in “We are selling lots of mops each day and most customers are even prepared its first ever major consumer to carry home a 4 litre refill,” says coun- exhibition where the team try manager, Jack Weavers. “We were are promoting the Spray invited to exhibit by the Swedish Trade Council as part of their group of Swed- -OPå ANDå ASSOCIATEDå PROD- ish companies trading in the UK. This ucts to around 300,000 visi- was a fantastic opportunity for us to promote the Bona brand to a huge con- tors at London’s Ideal Home sumer audience just as we launch the Show this spring. retail range over here.”

Sticking to solids

Six years ago the Croatian company, Galekovic (which has been producing parquet floors since 1989) took the radical decision to focus ex- clusively on prefinished solid wood parquet. This went Filip Galekovic against the trend towards “I was born in multi-layer parquet. Why did sawdust!” they do this and how is it working out? Founded by Filip Galekovic’s grandfather in the 1950s.

Filip Galekovic explains: “There are several practical reasons: for a start, there’s no knowledge of local and regional prefer- “It’s rather like comparing a gold neck- need for glue which makes solid wood more ences. Filip explains, “Some want straight lace with a gold plated one. One is gold ecological. It’s possible to combine lengths, grains and no knots, whereas others like all the way through and, if you’re wearing shapes and wood types and have lots of plenty of knots and colour variations.” it, you know the difference!” different finishes. Also, if you’re renovating an old house, you can achieve an authentic The ‘feeling’ of exclusivity look that’s much closer to the original. He is also confident that there will always be a market for solid wood floors. “They’re “There are commercial reasons too. more affordable than people realise,” Companies which are making multilayer he says. “There’s actually a whole range parquet today face very hard competi- of prices depending on quality and tion. By contrast, solid wood floors re- dimensions.” However, ultimately Filip quire specialised equipment, experience concedes that the difference between and knowledge... and we have all these.” solid and multilayer isn’t always visible Success also depends on the producers’ to the naked eye.

5 /V^(WWSL[HRLZ JHYLVMP[ZºP7HYX\L[»

This Oak Fine-line floor by BKB is currently being installed in Apple stores around the world (over 150 stores in Europe alone!). The unusual design is a perfect complement to Apple’s minimalist look, but how will it stand up to the wear and tear of life in these busy stores?

7LRRH9VWHVM[OL4HSH`ZPHUÅVVYWYVK\JLYPZUV[^VYYPLK¹>P[O)VUH»ZOLSW^L»]L KL]LSVWLKHZWLJPHS]LYZPVUVM[OPZWHYX\L[JHSSLKº(WWSLVHRÄULSPUL»\ZPUNH^LHYHUK TVPZ[\YLYLZPZ[HU[ÄUPZOIHZLKVU)VUH;YHMÄJMVYPUK\Z[YPHSHWWSPJH[PVUZ:[HMMPU[OL Z[VYLZHYLILPUN[YHPULK[V\ZL)VUHÅVVYJHYLWYVK\J[ZZV^LRUV^[OL`‘SSSVVRNVVK MVY`LHYZ[VJVTL¹

)VUH3PML[PTL:\WWVY[¶7HY[ULY^P[O)VUHHUK`V\NL[HJJLZZ [VHSS[OLHK]PJLPUMVYTH[PVUHUKWYHJ[PJHSHZZPZ[HUJL`V\JV\SK L]LYULLK>OLYL]LY`V\HYLHUK^OLYL]LY`V\YJ\Z[VTLYZHYL [OYV\NOV\[[OLSPML[PTLVM`V\YÅVVY:VTLWLVWSLJHSSP[WLHJL VMTPUK>LJHSSP[)VUH3PML[PTL:\WWVY[

Industry trend

Trend of the century: Globalization – the winners and losers

In the last 40 years, political, cultural, and commercial forces have interconnected our world in a dramatic way. Carried along on jets and ships, transmitted by phones, films, TV, and now the Internet, millions of thoughts, images, and objects that originally sprouted for unique local rea- sons have been embraced nearly everywhere. This is globalization.

No matter where one travels or lives, the influence of globalization is all around. It Global contacts, fun and knowledge through online media. involves a lot of simultaneous changes. People can travel more quickly and effi- ciently, information is transmitted rapidly The Westernized futon sofa/bed found its olive oil, and wine were among the first and cheaply, popular tastes and fashions way from and became ubiquitous victuals traded inter-regionally in ancient have become more diverse and shared. BYåTHEåSå-OUNTAINåBIKES åINVENTEDå times. That pattern has been repeated Let’s take a closer look at some of the in Europe and the UK in the ‘70s, found to the point where we’ve for instance more striking impacts of globalization. their way to global adoption in the ‘80s completely forgotten that pasta – which combining Californian style and Taiwan- we now think of as typically Italian – was Electronics ese production acumen. Espresso mak- originally borrowed from China, or that Information and communication techno- ers and rice cookers erupted hissing pommes frites – how Franco-Belgian can logy networks and devices are truly and steaming from their European and you get? – are made of a tuber from South global today, involving research and pro- Asian kitchens. IKEA, the world’s largest America? Today, chicken tikka masala is duction facilities and supply chains span- retailer of furniture and home furnish- one of the most familiar British meals and NINGåTHEåPLANETå-OREOVER åTHEå)NTERNET å ings, promoted its cool, simple, and rich pizza is everyone’s favourite convenience combined with mobile communication catalogue of products to the world’s bur- food. But who knew that the popular Red and video technology has provided a geoning middle class. Bull energy drink originated in Thailand, large share of humanity with access to and was globalized with the help of an one another’s knowledge and company We humans are ever hungry for novelty, Austrian entrepreneur? in unprecedented ways. and with the Internet, we’re in a better position than ever to satisfy that hunger! Wim Wenders’ 1991 film Until the End of Cosmopolitan cities all over the world the World, set in a future 1999, shows a carry the same major clothing brands variety of innovative mobile recording and and their knock-offs. Waves of fashion communication devices. Now, just over still sweep the globe. Thanks to the In- twenty years later, with our smart phones ternet, they can now blossom virally as and and GPS devices, they don’t well as through some marketer’s care- LOOKåATåALLåSTRANGEå-AKINGåGLOBALåPHONEå fully planned campaign because so many calls has become unremarkable… and people have access to powerful com- there’s an app for everything! munication technology. Social media, especially YouTube, bring vast numbers Fashion and lifestyles of strangers into contact, where they can Even before the Internet, modern times scrutinize each other closely. saw an accelerating cross-adoption of clothing fashions, accessories, furniture, Eating and drinking interior design, architecture, and all the The globalization of foods, drinks, and other devices and displays of daily life. cuisine is not new. It appears that spices, Good coffee for everyone!

Interface 8 Winners & losers pointing to find that Ouzo is now avail- afford access to telephones, much less So who is gaining from globalization and able in almost every bottle shop on every the Internet. These victims of the “digital is anyone getting a raw deal? It’s pretty street corner of the developed world! divide” are really missing out. We can only clear that developers, manufacturers, hope that entrepreneurs will be excited and operators of IT networks and related Some producers of manufactured con- by the potential gains from getting the products are potentially the biggest win- sumer goods in countries with high labour remaining 40% of the world’s population ners, if they get their technology and costs have been pressed by globalization. connected, and make it happen. strategies right. People who gain know- They have typically responded in one of ledge, global contacts, and enjoyment two ways: either by outsourcing produc- through online media are also winners. tion to low costs countries such as China On the flip side, face-to-face, local inter- or India in order to compete, or by repo- action is reduced and people take less sitioning their brands as premium, where physical exercise if they’re always busy the fact that production takes place in playing games on-line. In addition, some the ‘country of origin’ signals high and would argue that international travel has reliable quality. become less interesting due to the global availability of local foodstuffs and other However, it’s interesting to note that the products once uniquely associated with biggest losers today are not suffering as a particular place. For example, Ouzo is a result of globalization, but their exclusion a drink that many strongly associate with from it. Over 3.2 billion people live on less holidays in . It can be oddly disap- than U.S. $ 2 per day and cannot therefore

Boosting sales in a challenging market

The Iberian property devel- products for installation, maintenance and challenging market conditions. Thanks to floor care all make the end consumer more his constant energy and resourcefulness, opment market has suffered confident about investing in a wooden Alexandre successfully developed new from the global economic floor. Alexandre continues, our customers business with industrial customers, raising are not just buying a good looking flooring awareness of the Bona Lifetime Support crisis in recent years. Just solution; they’re buying one that will remain programme and introducing other prod- like many other suppliers to beautiful and in good shape for years to ucts from the Bona system to Iberian the construction industry, come. It certainly gives peace of mind!” markets. wood flooring manufacturers Winner of the Alexandre Pratas have been adversely affect- CG Memorial Award, 2011 4HEå#'å#ARL 'USTAV å-EMORIALå!WARDåISå ed. However, thanks to Bona handed out annually as an inspiration to Lifetime Support, our custo- Bona employees to maintain the com- pany’s famously innovative spirit. Alexan- mers have proven more dre is the latest winner of this prestigious resilient than many. prize, because of his excellent perfor- mance in boosting sales in spite of very

Alexandre Pratas is responsible for the commercial market in mainland ANDåTHEåISLANDSåOFå-ADEIRAåANDåTHEå!ZORESå He has been working for Bona for six years. He explains, “There is no denying the im- pact of the poor economic climate on Ibe- rian business. In this situation, of course the floor itself is still important to Bona’s customers, but they are more interested than ever in the service concept around it.” Bona Lifetime Support, which includes

9 Industry news

Made in Italy, or just finished off there? Transparency codes

Lorenzo Onofri

Ensuring parquet products are labelled correctly before shipping.

If a parquet floor is manufac- tion. A consumer buying such products in good faith would assume their invest- tured in China and finished ment is covered by warranty and that, in Italy, is it Ok that it carries if they have problems with it, they will GET SUPPORT -ANY HAVE DISCOVERED THIS THE MESSAGE @-ADE IN )TALY is not so. Arguably, the situation is even Obviously not! It is a clear worse for contractors who install a floor case of false advertising, but THATS @-ADE IN )TALY ONLY TO lND OUT LATER that it was made in China, and the cus- apparently not against the tomer is demanding compensation! For more information: law. When Lorenzo Onofri of codicetrasparenzaparquet.org EU laws unclear the Italian parquet producer The EU laws, which are designed to Stile became aware of this, protect consumers from this kind of false kind of malpractice has been wiped out information, are unfortunately not that altogether. False advertising damages he decided to do something clear. Lorenzo adds, “Another problem is the reputation of the whole industry. We about it. that this market is dominated numerous all suffer in the end.” small suppliers, which makes it very hard to control.” That’s why he introduced the Lorenzo explains, “There are lots of dif- idea of Transparency Codes, a voluntary ferent types of flooring, all competing for scheme which sets out the rules and a share of the market. If the consumers requirements for parquet manufacturers choose one floor or another that is entirely and is audited by the Italian association, their prerogative. However, I believe they Federlegno. have a right to know what it is they are buying. The label on the box should ac- 15 companies on board curately reflect the product inside it. That Now the initiative is up and running with is not the case today.” 15 members, a web site and a logo. Is it making a difference? Lorenzo con- In some instances, he found that prod- cludes, “It has certainly opened the de- ucts were not only falsely labelled, but bate and is raising awareness. I hope it also had false CE stamps and certifica- will continue to gain strength until this

Interface 10 Natural materials rule: Wood is ‘in’ again in Turkey

Wood was a commonly used flooring material in Turkey right up until the 1990s when laminate floors first became available. But now the lami- nate trend seems to have passed its peak and sales Serdar Saylan of wooden floors are on the increase again. We asked Serdar Saylan of Turkish parr- quet manufacturer Dendro why he thinks this is so.

Albidus, engineered wood plank flooring by Dendro. h-OST OF US TODAY LIVE IN A HIGH TECH UR- ban environment. It helps calm the spirit if we use natural materials like wood and stone in our homes.” Does this really As one of six parquet manufacturers explain the switch back towards wood? active in Turkey today, what differenti- “No, there are more prosaic reasons too. ates Dendro’s offering from the competi- For example, the growth of a prosperous tion? “We focus on quality and design. middle class in Turkey, which means that Our products are advertised in the inte- fashionable young people can now afford riors magazines read by architects and to install wooden floors in their homes.” designers, which is a good forum to present our quality message. Working Low but growing volumes with Bona is an advantage too. They’ve Serdar is the managing director of Dendro helped us develop customised products (owned by the Aspen Group) which began for special orders, and we hope to do production of engineered wooden floors more of this kind of thing in future.” in 2008. Says Serdar, “With domestic de- mand increasing, the time seemed ripe for such a venture, but volumes are still rela- tively small. To put things in perspective, 70-80 million square metres of laminate floors are sold annually and only 2-2.5 million square metres of wood parquet. So we still have a very long way to go.” Dendro also exports to several countries, such as Iran and Georgia, and plans to expand into European markets.

Dendro comes from the Greek word for tree. Dendrology is the study of trees. Product news

Talk to your Bona representative! Bona Sun Block UV System

Following numerous custo- mer requests and extensive lab testing, Bona has come up with a solution for con- sumers who want to keep the colour of their wooden floor as close as possible to the way it looked when they first bought it.

All wood is ultimately affected by exposure to light and air over time, but Sun Block slows the process down considerably. The precise effect of Sun Block depends on the wood species in question. All wood species benefit, but the lighter ones such Let the sun shine in! Bona Sunblock protects your wooden floors. as ash, beech, birch and maple enjoy the most dramatic and long lasting protection. så,ENGTHENSåTHEåTIMEåAåNATURALåWOODåå Our Bona Sun Block UV System is cus- Key benefits floor keeps its original colour tomized for use on our customers’ pro- så!PPEALSåTOåCONSUMERSåWHOåSELECTååå så#ANåBEåUSEDåFORåALLåKINDSåOFåWOOD å duction lines. To discuss the possibility a wood floor based on its colour but is especially effective on light wood of introducing Sun Block in your floor- så5SEFULåFORåARCHITECTSåSPECIFYINGåå å species ing range, don’t hesitate to get in touch wooden floors as part of an interior så#OMPATIBLEåWITHåOTHERåPRODUCTSåINåTHEåå with your local Bona representative. scheme Bona System, such as Bona Naturale

Contact us today

Head Office North America South Europe Latin America For other markets, please Bona AB Bona U.S. Bona Srl Bona contact our head office. P.O. Box 210 74 2550 S. Parker Rd, Suite 600 Via Galvani 7 Avenida Sete de Setembro, Visit us at our website 3% åå-ALMÙ å3WEDEN Aurora, CO 80014 )4 å/ZZEROå-) n°4214 – conj.704. bona.com/interface Tel +46 40 38 55 00 USA Italy Bairro Batel - Curitiba-Paraná Tel +1 303-371-1411 Tel +39 02 91090790 CEP-80.250-210 Asia Pacific Todd Schutte +1 303-923-6665 !LBERTOå-ASSIMOå Tel +55 41 32335983 Bona Far East & Pacific Pte. Ltd. -OBILEå åååå Tony Borek +55 41-9931 9525 Bona and their products are trademarks 15 Jalan Kilang Barat, North Europe owned by Bona and their legal entities. #01-05 Frontech Centre Bona AB /Portugal Bona AB Branch Panamá All other trademarks belong to their 159357 -URMANSGATANå Bona Ibérica Torre BBVA, Av. Balboa, respective owners. Copyright © 2009 Tel +65 6377 11 58 3% åå-ALMÙ 0OLåINDå3ANå-ARCOSå entre calles n° 42-43 Bona. All rights reserved. Fax +65 6377 02 77 Sweden C/Pitagoras 7 Piso 13, oficina 13-02 Eugene Goh +65 9786 8005 Tel +46 40 38 55 00 å'ETAFE å-ADRID Panamá City, Panamá Fax +46 40 38 73 53 Spain Tel +507 614 017 25 China ,ARSå(ÙGWALLå ååå Tel +34 91 682 55 22 -ARCUSå"JÙRCKå åååå Bona Coatings (Dalian) Co., Ltd. Fax +34 91 682 21 95 (UAIå(Eå-IDDLEå2OAD å.Oå! Central Europe -ARCUSå"JÙRCKå ååå Dalian Development Area Bona GmbH Liaoning Province -AYRWIESSTRASSEå P.C. 116620, China A-5300 Hallwang bei Salzburg Tel +86-411-875 85 500 Austria Fax +86-411-875 81 158 Tel +43 662 66 19 43-0 Jon Loi +86-159-04245500 Fax +43 662 66 02 05 Jürgen Reissner +43 664 82 49 710