Thomasville, N.C.—Three months after announcing plans to build a laminate manufacturing plant here, executives from Unilin Flooring and its U.S. subsidiary, Quick-Step, were on hand to partake in the official ground-breaking ceremonies. “The success of our Quick-Step brand is what has driven the need for this manufacturing facility,” said Tim Tipton, the division’s director of marketing. Piet Huyghe, Quick-Step’s president, affirmed this by noting, “Because of our success in the U.S., Unilin decided to build a state-of-the-art facility here. This plant shows not only that we are optimistic about the future success of the Quick-Step brand but committed to being a major, long-term player in the category.”

This is actually the first phase of a five-year construction project, and is expected to be complete by next spring. The $80 million investment will result in a 600,000 square foot manufacturing facility featuring an impregnation line, a pressing line, a cutting line, and warehouse, packaging and distribution space. “Phase one covers everything needed to be a fully functional producer of laminate flooring,” Tipton explained. The first phase will add about 100 jobs; when construction is complete, Quick-Step anticipates the whole facility will employ approximately 330 people. Once phase one is up and running, it will become the third facility in the U.S. owned by Unilin and allow it to realize its goal of becoming the first completely vertically integrated laminate flooring manufacturer in America.

In 2001, the company acquired the Columbia Flooring plant here and a year later relocated its sales and marketing functions from St. Louis to Thomasville, to establish its current North American headquarters. Last year, it purchased the MDF plant in Mt. Gilead, N.C., from Homanit. Tipton said Quick-Step will have “complete control of every aspect of production—from the melamine underlayer to the floor’s top layer. Each component will be designed, manufactured and assembled in-house, working perfectly together as one system.” The second phase of the construction project will take place over the next three or so years and will afford Quick-Step additional capacity.

Plans call for the building of two structures—280,000- and 220,000-sq.-ft., respectively. When complete, the compound will house 1.1 million square feet of manufacturing, warehouse and distribution space. Executives said the U.S. plant is being molded after Unilin’s Belgium facilities, except it will house the most up-to-date machinery and technology. “Our new production facility will utilize the most technologically advanced equipment available today,” Tipton noted. “The construction of such a facility will provide us the control we need to successfully maintain a competitive edge in the industry.” In other news, officials noted that Quick-Step’s Elegance line has been such a success since its introduction, the company has added the Red Oak collection to it as well as upping the colors of the original line to five.

Like the original Elegance, Red Oak brings a host of innovations including random length planks, four-sided micro-beveled edges, and Authentic, Quick-Step’s exclusive wood-grain textured finish that provides a true pattern for a more realistic visual. “From a visual standpoint,” said Tipton, “the new finish is unparalleled in the industry.” The look is achieved, he added, by finishing the entire surface in a rich gloss and using a matte finish in the registered embossing, creating increased depth of texture and realism. Red Oak is available in three colors: Natural, Honey and Dark. The five colors to the original Elegance are White Varnished Oak, Dark Varnished Cherry, Natural Varnished Maple, Natural Oak and Dark Oak. As with other products in the Elegance line, Red Oak carries a 25-year warranty against water, wear, staining and fading, and features the company’s patented Uniclic mechanical locking system for glue-free installations. For more information on Quick-Step, call 336/472-1066.