SHIPPENVILE, PA.— Tarkett and Chilian wood panel company Aconcagua Timber (ATC) restructured the ownership agreement of their wood panel and laminate joint venture, known as Clarion Industries, with a private equity group to purchase Tarkett’s equity share.

Led by the Fairbanks family, a private equity investor, along with former Tarkett and Pergo executives, the new JV includes all the assets of Clairon.

Tony Sturrus, former CEO of Pergo, has been appointed president and CEO of the new Clarion, and is also leading a new organizational structure that will be announced in the near future.

Gary Finseth, director of marketing for Tarkett Residential, said under the new JV, Tarkett will continue to make Clarion its preferred and strategic partner for the supply of laminate flooring products. “Our retail and distribution partners should see no changes in the products they carry from Tarkett.”

Sturrus confirmed the mill will continue to supply Tarkett along with Armstrong and other customers as needed. He pointed out Clarion is the only fully integrated laminate flooring operation in the U.S., with HDF panels and laminate flooring produced in one, state-of-the-art facility ( FCNews, Sept. 9/15). The two combined 660,000 square foot factories employ 172 people.

“The operation sources all its raw materials locally,” he explained, “allowing for reduced transportation costs in an environmentally friendly footprint. Customers, in turn, benefit from shorter lead times and reduced transportation costs through their logistics operation and on to the end user.”

When it comes to servicing end users, Sturrus was clear Clarion intends to remain a private label manufacturer with no plans to market products under its own brand. “Clarion does not intend to pursue its own branded product. We are a customer-focused, private branded company dedicated to quality products.”