DARLINGTON, Pa., October 2007. Vinterio’s new product line "Stratus Superior" further expands the design applications of Danzer Group’s high-value wooden surface. Narrower strips give "Stratus Superior" a more homogeneous look. Vinterio has received the 2007 Materialica Design and Technology Award for its exceptional application and design potential. The international award honors innovative material applications and creative material combinations. Vinterio is also strengthening its team in order to successfully present the company on the market. Ralf Bußmann was named the new head of European sales at Vinterio AG on Oct. 1, 2007.
"’Stratus Superior’ is our response to customer demand for new design potential for genuine wooden surfaces," said Michael Engel, Vinterio Europe CEO, during the presentation of the new product line. "The new look gives ‘Stratus Superior’ a unique appearance."
Vinterio, a subsidiary of Danzer Group, offers a genuine wooden surface that meets market demands for a more modern wooden surface. The product line "Stratus Superior" is available in component widths from 8 to 13 mm.
To achieve this, Danzer Group has made further technical refinements to the Vinterio manufacturing process developed by the company. "Stratus Superior," like "Stratus Classic," is available as European Oak, Red Oak, Black Cherry, American Walnut and Sapelli.
Award for outstanding innovative and creative performance The Materialica Design & Technology Award 2007 was presented by MunichExpo and the renowned Design Zentrum München. It recognizes a product for the successful combination of innovative materials, technological precision and challenging design specifications.
"The Materialica Award confirms that our newly developed wooden surface, Vinterio, offers extraordinary application and design potential," said Peter Spitaler, Vinterio Product Manager.
A jury, led and presided over by Christian Labonte, head of Design Strategy at Audi AG, named Vinterio winner in the Surface category. A total of 81 products and processes applied for the Materialica Award in four categories.
This is the fifth year that International Materialica Award has been presented for new solutions involving the combination of materials and design. The awards were presented for outstanding innovative, design and engineering accomplishments in the categories of Material, Product, Surface and Student.
New head of European sales The new head of European sales, Ralf Bußmann, 48, is in charge of sales to industrial clients. His duties also include acquiring additional product and trading partners for Vinterio. Bußmann previously served as head of sales for H. Heitz Furnierkantenwerk for 16 years.
"With his excellent knowledge of markets and customers, Ralf Bußmann is a welcome addition to the Vinterio team," said Michael Engel, Vinterio Europe CEO.
"In view of his many years of international experience in the veneer industry, he is the right sales manager to successfully establish Vinterio in the market." Bußmann worked in the furniture industry for several years before joining Heitz in 1985.
A whole new world of decorative applications Danzer Group’s new wooden surface Vinterio is based on many years of intensive research and development. It has numerous advantages over conventional wooden surfaces and delivers many benefits to designers and users.
"Vinterio opens up a whole new world of decorative applications as it creates fine wooden surfaces with brand new looks that have not been seen before," said Spitaler.
The number of individual, exclusive surface designs that can be created with Vinterio borders on the infinite. At the same time, this high-quality wooden surface can be repeated with the same look at any time.
Vinterio is manufactured exclusively from select fine wood species with consistent high quality. Strict quality demands on Vinterio’s raw material ensure a balanced and high-quality appearance. Vinterio is user-friendly and easy to process.
"Standard dimensions provide a reliable calculation basis," said Spitaler. "Yield and material costs can be calculated accurately, which means the product lines are very cost-efficient to run."
Vinterio also offers reliability with respect to the environment. The glue joints in the wooden surface contain no formaldehyde. Each Vinterio production facility complies with extensive environmental and safety standards certified in accordance with the internationally recognized ISO standard 14001:2004.
The plants are chain-of-custody certified in accordance with FSC, PEFC and SFI. Thus Vinterio is able to manufacture certified products on customer request.
About Danzer Group Danzer Group operates six veneer factories and five sawmills in Europe, North America and Africa, making it the world’s largest manufacturer of hardwood veneers. These facilities primarily process regional timber to produce high-quality veneers and lumber. A total of 30 sales outlets worldwide take care of customer needs. Danzer Group employs a workforce of some 4,800 staff and posted a turnover of approximately 410 million euros in 2006.
