embossed in register

EMBOSSED IN REGISTER
Moves from Flooring to Furniture
Hueck Rheinische, Schattdecor COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT, MARKETS
“You can absolutely feel
excitement in the US, and we
want to take advantage of that.”
THOMAS NIEDERMAIER, HUECK RHEINISCHE
“It´s not uncommon that
we´re already sitting together
during layout phase of a décor
with the décor printer.”
MARTIN MARXEN, HUECK RHEINISCHE
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www.surfaceandpanel.com
“The trend toward authentic,
expressive and rustic decors
influences the tendency toward
realistic surfaces.”
CHRISTIAN ZAHA, SCHATTDECOR
THE DECOR SELECTION WAS
DISPLAYED IN A HONEYCOMB-SHAPED
EXHIBITION STAND AT ARENA DESIGN.
E
mbossed-in-register surfaces are an important part of
the repertoire of the big players in the wood panel industry. “Natural Touch,” “Feelwood” or simply “Embossed
Structure” are a few of the words that describe the custom fit structures on melamine.
With the big EIR trend of late, strong communication between
décor printers and press plate manufacturers has become necessary.
Market leaders in each industry, Hueck Rheinische and Schattdecor
came together to talk about their development processes and future
markets.
What has long been part of the high standard in laminate flooring has begun to establish itself in the furniture industry. Especially
in kitchens, the embossed structure is popular among customers
in Germany and has become an inherent part of the product range.
Besides that, the wood panel industry is able to demand higher prices
for EIR products because the end customer recognizes the added
value. Moreover, positioning these embossed surfaces in a superior
segment seems justified when looking at the development costs,
investments and challenges in production behind these surfaces.
The dialog at the headquarters of Hueck Rheinische, which
carefully examined processes and market developments, included
Thomas Niedermaier, sales director at Hueck; Martin Marxen, head of
product management for press plates at Hueck; Christian Zaha, décor
manager at Schattdecor; Evelyn Gorgos, head of corporate communications at Schattdecor; and Anette Madry, marketing at Hueck.
The composition of this roundtable wasn’t coincidence.
Schattdecor as market leader of printed décor paper and Hueck
as market leader of embossed-in-register plates have collaborated
intensely for several years. Working together on developments and
closely coordinating work processes are essential to create an
authentic and realistic high-end melamine surface. The goal is to
reduce corrections so the total development time of an EIR-décor can
be kept to a minimum but still create a perfectly aligned and naturally
appearing authentic décor surface with structure.
In terms of case goods, embossed structures are only at the starting blocks regarding market penetration. In this market segment, as
well as in the US and South American markets, there is still a significant potential for growth. Especially in the US, the pressure on local
manufacturers is rising because of imports from European manufacturers. Additionally, the trend in the US is changing from glossier surfaces to high quality structured surfaces. Four years ago, high quality
surfaces from the “Glossline” product line that were introduced to the
US market were well received. The next logical step is to focus on
embossed in register.
The success of European wood panel manufacturers is not the
only reason for the embossed structure trend in the US. Due to the
longer lasting economic crisis in the US, necessary investments in
EIR-surface technology couldn´t be made years ago. But a change in
trend became visible in 2012, when manufacturers in the US invested
in new short-cycle presses with state-of-the-art technology enabling
them to press contemporary synchronized structures. As these
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Q2 2016
15
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machines are installed and being put into operation, the demand for
these upscale products is increasing.
With this trend in such high demand, both Schattdecor and Hueck
want to utilize and show their experience and expertise. “You can
absolutely feel excitement in the US, and we want to take advantage
of that,” Thomas Niedermaier said.
The South American market is one step ahead already. The primary
reason, among others, is an investment in modern machinery in the
wood panel industry several years ago. In the US, however, the machinery hadn’t been acquired yet because of the economic situation.
The EIR trend has been influencing the repurposed wood trend.
“In Europe, customers are looking for authentic, expressive and rustic
decors, with a tendency toward more realistic surfaces. Oak plays a
very prominent role there,” Christian Zaha explained.
Until recently, decors in the US have been predominantly flatter in
surface texture.
“An EIR oak décor minimizes the risk a little,” added Marxen, referring to several success stories worldwide. So it is no surprise that the
EIR introduction into the US market will likely be made with an established décor, such as a rustic oak.
The most recent decors from Schattdecor and Hueck are oak
decors shown with embossed surfaces at the Interzum Fair in 2015,
and they have gained a lot of popularity since.
“Because of the synchronized structures, a very intense communication between the décor printer and the press plate manufacturer
has become necessary, which wasn´t always the case for ‘all-over’
structures previously,” said Christian Zaha, explaining the close collaboration of Hueck and Schattdecor.
The press plate manufacturer is therefore involved in the development process of a décor much earlier than in the past.
“It´s not uncommon that we´re already sitting together during the
layout phase of a décor with the décor printer,” Marxen confirmed.
Niedermaier added: “As a press plate manufacturer, we also need
to keep an eye on the technical aspects. We from Hueck are looking at the machine setup of our customer to see if our presses can
MARTIN MARXEN, HEAD OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT FOR PRESS PLATES AT
HUECK, DISCUSSES SCHATTDECOR'S PRODUCTS AT A RECENT EVENT.
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surfaceandpanel.com
CLAUDIA KÜCHEN, HEAD OF DESIGN AND MARKETING AT
SCHATTDECOR, PRESENTING SCHATTDECOR'S TREND CONCEPT.
achieve a smooth synchronized structure in the production process.”
In the past, development times of about nine months from the
implementation of a décor idea to embossed melamine surfaces
were normal. With a larger team and optimal conditions, this implementation can be achieved, in the best case, within five to six months.
The existing know-how and the resulting synergies grew significantly in the last few years, which is no surprise given that Hueck develops 50-70 synchronized structures per year and Schattdecor around
30 EIR decors. Customers like to come back to this competence team
that emerged out of the collaboration of Hueck and Schattdecor.
“But in general, it´s in the customers’ hand which press plate
manufacturer they want to work with,” Niedermaier explained.
However, this technologically sophisticated product doesn´t only
need a competent collaboration between the décor printer and the
press plate manufacturer. Other steps in the manufacturing chain are
critical. The impregnation, for example, is an important step in which
the existing size tolerances should be minimized.
“For that matter, we are supporting and advising our customers
with our experts from melamine application technology,” Zaha said,
noting that is important for the customer to have experienced, reliable
and capable partners at their side.
This is also the way Schattdecor and Hueck see each other – as
partners that provide a comprehensive service surrounding all synchronized surfaces.
Evelyn Gorgos added: “Schattdecor begins its consultation with
a trend analysis – so the customer really gets the full package of
services.”
Ultimately, it´s all about minimizing risk for the customer. This is
why competent alliances such as the one between Schattdecor and
Hueck, are so valuable.
“Technology and design are linked so closely together throughout
the whole value chain, and this can´t be found just anywhere in this
industry,” Martin Marxen said. s&p