Matthew Spieler

Technology is an amazing thing. Here I am, in Shanghai, on the other side of the planet—it’s literally 12 hours ahead—yet I’m able to “Check In” as if typing this at my desk back in New York.

I’m writing this shortly after the final bell rang on the 9th annual Domotex asia/China-floor (DACF) exhibition here.

In just nine short years, DACF has skyrocketed to the upper echelon of flooring trade shows, ranking right up there with Surfaces and the original Domotex in Hannover, Germany. In terms of wood and laminate, DACF is clearly the world’s largest exhibition for these two product categories.

For me, one of the highlights came when Thomas Baert, co-owner of Chinafloors Timber Shanghai, hosted a gala event aboard an old British steam ship for a cruise on the Huang Pu River, which affords amazing views of the city’s growing skyline. The occasion was the worldwide launch of the mill’s Lammett brand for wood and laminate.

Chinafloors is the first company from China to make a major commitment to expand its own name instead of private labeling product for others. And, based on Baert’s track record—he is one of the founders of DACF, for example—this should be a rousing success. To bring the brand across the Pacific, former Tarkett exec. Perry Coker was named president of North America.

A strange aspect of this show is catching up with old friends, such as designer extraordinaire Elke Arora, whose husband, Rolf, is FCNews’ foreign correspondent, and Dave Spreen, who led a delegation of nearly two dozen to the show. Elke is from Germany, Dave is from Northern California and I’m from New York, so the only time we get to hook up is in China.

One disappointment was seeing the missed opportunity by U.S. companies. Thousands of Americans were there, but they were looking to source product. Only a few companies, such as Armstrong, came as an exhibitor. Considering the internal growth China is experiencing, you’d think U.S. mills would be clamoring to get their products on the floors of these projects. Germany and Belgium once again had a noticeable presence and those companies will reap the rewards. We keep hearing how trade with China is largely one way, yet here is a major opportunity for the flooring industry and it just sits on the sidelines and watches.

I will have a full report of the show in our next issue.