Article Number : 2772 |
|
Article Detail |
|
 | |
| Date | 12/18/2007 8:58:33 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=2772 |
| Abstract | By Sarah Zimmerman Though everyone has felt the recent recoil in the housing market, laminate manufacturers remain not unabashedly optimistic, but rather realistically grounded... |
| Article | By Sarah Zimmerman Though everyone has felt the recent recoil in the housing market, laminate manufacturers remain not unabashedly optimistic, but rather realistically grounded. While all segments are confronted with a wilted economy and less-than-desirable markets, attitude and action are left to separate the crème de la crème from the rest of the crop say CEOs. What is your 2008 forecast? George Kelley CEO of Pergo Based on the sluggish new housing remodel markets, we are not anticipating a significant change in the market before the third or fourth quarter of 2008. That said, Pergo is anticipating increased market share and sales growth due to the strong demand for our brand and the strength of our key retail partners and distributors. We will continue to pursue our value-added product and branding strategies and introduce a variety of designs and textures, innovative click joints and installation methods and performance technologies. These will continue to be supported by an aggressive marketing program and our new ad campaign. Juan Flores President of Faus 2008 will be a transition year, where the demand in the flooring industry will be flat, but it will also be a positive opportunity to make adjustments, both in the industry and the marketplace. From a product perspective, we will continue to see new technologies and innovations. In our case, Faus will present 20 new laminate flooring products in 2008 through our premium five collections—focusing on design, bringing the best of wood grains and stone patterns to the marketplace and industry, with an accent on luxury. How are you positioning your company to grow business as we approach next year? Kelley: While no one prefers to operate in the current market conditions, we are looking at the present situation in an opportunistic manner. The recent acquisition by Pfleiderer AG is a very positive event for Pergo and Uniboard and provides an outstanding opportunity for the organization to re-evaluate both our marketing and manufacturing strategies. The combination of the two companies resulted in the creation of the largest domestic supplier of laminate flooring in North America and combined the leading consumer brand with a high-volume, vertically-integrated manufacturing system. Pergo will remain relentless in creating industry-leading product and marketing innovations and driving meaningful consumer differentiation for our products. Flores: Faus is effecting its biggest investment in the U.S. in 2008, in order to capitalize on the opportunity that the current industry situation offers. First, we will double our production capacity by adding a new product line. This increase in production capacity will bring the synergies of better service to our customers, manufacturing 100% of our product in the U.S. By manufacturing all our innovative products in America, we will offset the exchange rate fluctuations of the U.S. dollar, which are quite adverse at the present time. This investment will not only allow us to be more competitive in the market place, but also is a great plan to continue investing in our core business, which is design and technology. Additionally, we have increased our sales and marketing team nationwide to efficiently promote and market our five premium collections that will be enhanced with great new products and design innovations. |