Interface The magazine for wooden floor manufacturers worldwide May 2012 Rocky times for Croatia 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 Turkey Wood makes a comeback! Page 11 Transparency codes introduced Italians push for clear communication Page 10 Interface Dear Readers, assurance, while Italy’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 Sweden, Germany, the U.S. and China. 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 Zagreb. They sell to customers all over the EU, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine 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` <(,<RYHPULHUK2HaHROZ[HU (UU\HSWYVK\J[PVU]VS\TL ZXTL[LYZ 3 Product news Off to a good start! Retail roll-out in Europe Easy-to-use floor care products make wood a practical option. Based on decades of profes- Romania: 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: Czech Republic: 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 Slovakia. “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.