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Melamine-faced laminate flooring is made in Wismar, while in Brilon a new direct printing line has been installed for printed laminate flooring. „The wide-ranging investments over the past few months represent a strategic strengthening of EGGER Retail Products“, explains Ulrich Bühler, Head of Sales and Marketing for the EGGER Group. "With the optimisation and refurbishment of our production lines in Wismar and Brilon, we are enhancing our status as an innovation leader, increasing our market share and looking forward to a secure future in a competitive market." Bühler estimates a medium-term expansion in total production to 80 million square metres.
„The market in general is characterised at present by slow growth“, according to Bühler, and is expecting some consolidation in the sector. Due to the continued increase in market pressure, the trend is clearly towards cheaper market areas. EGGER is responding to these pressures with the production of the new DPR (direct print) flooring, which is positioned in the price category that offers the most growth potential.
Innovative and high quality
EGGER is embarking in a completely new direction in floor production with Direct Print technology. Venturing into this new technology was made possible thanks to the experience that EGGER has gained over the years at its Marienmünster plant in the use of water-based and UV-based direct printing. Initially, the system manufacturer didn't have enough knowledge in this area, but in 2005 the first workable machine solutions and line designs for the direct print process began to appear. A directly printed floor made in the quality expected of EGGER became a reality in autumn last year. The new generation of laminate flooring has been manufactured in Brilon since 2006.
A liquid coating machine has been installed in a purpose-built hall on the site that was opened in Brilon, North Rhine-Westphalia in 1990. This will allow environmentally friendly direct printing onto the core board. Printing the decor directly onto the HDF means that decorative papers and melamine resin are no longer required, simplifying both production and logistic processes. The production process, known as DPR by EGGER, offers reproducibility and excellent print quality. The products created in this way conform to the stringent demands laid down in the laminate flooring standards. The revolutionary process of applying colour directly to both the board and the UV-hardened top layers makes the decors astonishingly effective. The final production phase of the floor boards is carried out on high-performance profiling lines. Using the most up-to-date technology also guarantees the highest processing precision at these performance levels. DPR flooring is as similar to the original in look, feel and sound as melamine-faced laminate flooring. They combine a resource-saving production process with a high quality product appearance.
Cost-effective thanks to the latest technology
Laminate flooring is a frequently used material for living and office accommodation. Efficient manufacturing processes are required in order to produce this product economically in large quantities. Only then the desired level of competitiveness can be achieved. With the production of DPR flooring, EGGER is looking to expand its position in the middle to lower price segment. The construction of the new line resulted in an increase in capacity of 30 million square metres per year. For EGGER, this means a medium-term increase of its market share in Europe to just about 20 percent. EGGER is gradually expanding its overall production capacity at Wismar and Brilon to 80 million square metres per year.
High-performance with outstanding supply chain optimisation
The production of laminate flooring within the EGGER Group has been concentrated at the Brilon and Wismar sites. These flooring investments have seen an upgrading of both plants, to further improve productivity. Wismar and Brilon enjoy integrated operations thanks to their onsite saw mill and MDF lines. This means that the entire production process, from raw material to packaging, is done at one location. As a result, efficiency and economy are optimised. In Wismar, EGGER produces classic melamine-faced laminate flooring. The raw material is supplied by the neighbouring saw mill, which is not part of the EGGER Group. In Brilon, everything is focussed on the production of the new DPR laminate flooring. For the first time, EGGER is going to have its own saw mill next to the wood-based production line. In general, the Brilon site offers outstanding logistics: it's not just the long-term flooring expertise, the infrastructure of the site is also perfect. All kinds of loading are possible - HGV, rail or container. There is also some empty space that will enable the plant to be expanded when required.
Both the Brilon and Wismar plants are highly efficient pillars of laminate flooring production within the EGGER Group.
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EGGER plant in St. Johann in Tyrol (AUT))
EGGER plant in Brilon (DE)
Aerial photography EGGER plant in Brilon (DE)
EGGER plant in Wismar (DE) |
