EMBOSSED IN REGISTER

Moves from Flooring to Furniture

Hueck Rheinische, Schattdecor COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT, MARKETS

“You can absolutely feel “The trend toward authentic,

excitement in the US, and we expressive and rustic decors
want to take advantage of that.” influences the tendency toward
THOMAS NIEDERMAIER, HUECK RHEINISCHE “It´s not uncommon that realistic surfaces.”
we´re already sitting together CHRISTIAN ZAHA, SCHATTDECOR
during layout phase of a décor
with the décor printer.”
MARTIN MARXEN, HUECK RHEINISCHE

14 www.surfaceandpanel.com
 THE DECOR SELECTION WAS
DISPLAYED IN A HONEYCOMB-SHAPED
EXHIBITION STAND AT ARENA DESIGN.

E
mbossed-in-register surfaces are an important part of surfaces from the “Glossline” product line that were introduced to the
the repertoire of the big players in the wood panel indus- US market were well received. The next logical step is to focus on
try. “Natural Touch,” “Feelwood” or simply “Embossed embossed in register.
Structure” are a few of the words that describe the cus- The success of European wood panel manufacturers is not the
tom fit structures on melamine. only reason for the embossed structure trend in the US. Due to the
With the big EIR trend of late, strong communication between longer lasting economic crisis in the US, necessary investments in
décor printers and press plate manufacturers has become necessary. EIR-surface technology couldn´t be made years ago. But a change in
Market leaders in each industry, Hueck Rheinische and Schattdecor trend became visible in 2012, when manufacturers in the US invested
came together to talk about their development processes and future in new short-cycle presses with state-of-the-art technology enabling
markets. them to press contemporary synchronized structures. As these
What has long been part of the high standard in laminate floor- Schattdecor_Q2.pdf 1 5/17/2016 8:39:36 AM
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 �
ing has begun to establish itself in the furniture industry. Especially
in kitchens, the embossed structure is popular among customers
in Germany and has become an inherent part of the product range.
Besides that, the wood panel industry is able to demand higher prices
for EIR products because the end customer recognizes the added
value. Moreover, positioning these embossed surfaces in a superior
segment seems justified when looking at the development costs,
investments and challenges in production behind these surfaces.
The dialog at the headquarters of Hueck Rheinische, which
carefully examined processes and market developments, included
Thomas Niedermaier, sales director at Hueck; Martin Marxen, head of
product management for press plates at Hueck; Christian Zaha, décor
manager at Schattdecor; Evelyn Gorgos, head of corporate communi-
cations at Schattdecor; and Anette Madry, marketing at Hueck.
The composition of this roundtable wasn’t coincidence.
Schattdecor as market leader of printed décor paper and Hueck
as market leader of embossed-in-register plates have collaborated
intensely for several years. Working together on developments and
closely coordinating work processes are essential to create an
One ______ Leads to Another
authentic and realistic high-end melamine surface. The goal is to
reduce corrections so the total development time of an EIR-décor can
be kept to a minimum but still create a perfectly aligned and naturally
appearing authentic décor surface with structure.
In terms of case goods, embossed structures are only at the start-
ing blocks regarding market penetration. In this market segment, as
[see how it’s all connected]
well as in the US and South American markets, there is still a signifi-
cant potential for growth. Especially in the US, the pressure on local IWF 2016 I Atlanta, GA I August 24-27th
manufacturers is rising because of imports from European manufac-
To arrange an appointment during the fair
turers. Additionally, the trend in the US is changing from glossier sur-
please contact info@schattdecor.us
faces to high quality structured surfaces. Four years ago, high quality

surface&panel Q2 2016 15
 � CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

machines are installed and being put into operation, the demand for
these upscale products is increasing.
With this trend in such high demand, both Schattdecor and Hueck
want to utilize and show their experience and expertise. “You can
absolutely feel excitement in the US, and we want to take advantage
of that,” Thomas Niedermaier said.
The South American market is one step ahead already. The primary
reason, among others, is an investment in modern machinery in the
wood panel industry several years ago. In the US, however, the machin-
ery hadn’t been acquired yet because of the economic situation.
The EIR trend has been influencing the repurposed wood trend.
“In Europe, customers are looking for authentic, expressive and rustic
decors, with a tendency toward more realistic surfaces. Oak plays a
very prominent role there,” Christian Zaha explained.
Until recently, decors in the US have been predominantly flatter in
surface texture.
“An EIR oak décor minimizes the risk a little,” added Marxen, refer-
ring to several success stories worldwide. So it is no surprise that the
EIR introduction into the US market will likely be made with an estab-
lished décor, such as a rustic oak.
The most recent decors from Schattdecor and Hueck are oak CLAUDIA KÜCHEN, HEAD OF DESIGN AND MARKETING AT
SCHATTDECOR, PRESENTING SCHATTDECOR'S TREND CONCEPT.
decors shown with embossed surfaces at the Interzum Fair in 2015,
and they have gained a lot of popularity since.
“Because of the synchronized structures, a very intense commu- achieve a smooth synchronized structure in the production process.”
nication between the décor printer and the press plate manufacturer In the past, development times of about nine months from the
has become necessary, which wasn´t always the case for ‘all-over’ implementation of a décor idea to embossed melamine surfaces
structures previously,” said Christian Zaha, explaining the close col- were normal. With a larger team and optimal conditions, this imple-
laboration of Hueck and Schattdecor. mentation can be achieved, in the best case, within five to six months.
The press plate manufacturer is therefore involved in the develop- The existing know-how and the resulting synergies grew signifi-
ment process of a décor much earlier than in the past. cantly in the last few years, which is no surprise given that Hueck devel-
“It´s not uncommon that we´re already sitting together during the ops 50-70 synchronized structures per year and Schattdecor around
layout phase of a décor with the décor printer,” Marxen confirmed. 30 EIR decors. Customers like to come back to this competence team
Niedermaier added: “As a press plate manufacturer, we also need that emerged out of the collaboration of Hueck and Schattdecor.
to keep an eye on the technical aspects. We from Hueck are look- “But in general, it´s in the customers’ hand which press plate
ing at the machine setup of our customer to see if our presses can manufacturer they want to work with,” Niedermaier explained.
However, this technologically sophisticated product doesn´t only
need a competent collaboration between the décor printer and the
press plate manufacturer. Other steps in the manufacturing chain are
critical. The impregnation, for example, is an important step in which
the existing size tolerances should be minimized.
“For that matter, we are supporting and advising our customers
with our experts from melamine application technology,” Zaha said,
noting that is important for the customer to have experienced, reliable
and capable partners at their side.
This is also the way Schattdecor and Hueck see each other – as
partners that provide a comprehensive service surrounding all syn-
chronized surfaces.
Evelyn Gorgos added: “Schattdecor begins its consultation with
a trend analysis – so the customer really gets the full package of
services.”
Ultimately, it´s all about minimizing risk for the customer. This is
why competent alliances such as the one between Schattdecor and
Hueck, are so valuable.
“Technology and design are linked so closely together throughout
MARTIN MARXEN, HEAD OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT FOR PRESS PLATES AT the whole value chain, and this can´t be found just anywhere in this
HUECK, DISCUSSES SCHATTDECOR'S PRODUCTS AT A RECENT EVENT.
industry,” Martin Marxen said. s&p
16 surfaceandpanel.com