Egger, pioneer and progressive flooring manufacturer
Egger was founded in 1961 in Austria as a local sawmill and subsequently grew into one of the references in wood-based flooring as well as water-resistant laminate. The figures speak for themselves: 21 product locations worldwide, around 11,200 employees, an annual turnover of 4.45 billion euros...
Anno 2024, Egger's operations can be divided into the categories Furniture, Building Materials and Flooring. "Thanks to our passionate expertise in the wood sector, we are the partner of choice for the production of semi-finished products such as sheet material for kitchen cabinets or kitchen worktops," Robert clarifies the largest category 'Furniture'. "As a matter of fact, the categories intertwine, as we notice that customers are increasingly opting for a match between kitchen cabinets and flooring, for example."

Egger also adheres to a number of strict sustainability factors such as local operation through factories worldwide, minimising the distance between production, distribution and consumers. "Despite our international reach, we maintain a strong local character with a lot of proximity to our customers." Whether Egger is thereby keeping up with the general trend of sustainability blowing around the world? "No, the Egger company has been working on sustainable themes since time immemorial. Sustainability is really ingrained in our DNA," clarifies Robert, who points out that over 60% of the materials used are recycled raw materials. "In addition, we invariably choose wood from the region, and we also continuously focus on training and welfare policies for our employees. An example? Our goal is to bring the number of accidents at production sites to zero. So for Egger, sustainability is not only a story of products, but also of the whole context surrounding our company."

Water-resistant laminate collections
Egger has long been involved with wood-based flooring and has built a strong reputation in the laminate segment. In 2015, the company launched its first water-resistant laminate collection, Aqua+. "When we started with water-resistant laminate, the market frowned. Water-resistant was initially reserved for the PVC players. Meanwhile, the market has proved us right and there is an increasing demand for water-resistant laminate as an alternative to tiles and PVC flooring, for example," says Robert.
Aqua+ laminate floors are water-resistant for 72 hours (Nalfa Waterproof Test) and this is thanks to a special adhesive that prevents swelling caused by moisture. "Egger has innovated by making the board itself water-resistant while other manufacturers often only address the click joints," says Robert.
Besides Aqua+, Egger also offers the Aqua Clic It! collection, laminate flooring where the click joints have been made water-resistant. According to the ISO Waterproof test, the Aqua Clic It! laminate floors can count on a water resistance of 24 hours.

Market evolution: smarter consumers
As Sales Manager at Egger Benelux, Robert Siewes is ideally placed to take a look at the market in general. "We notice that consumers have become both more critical and smarter. Some 20 years ago, the end customer relied on the advice of the installer or supplier to choose a floor. Now consumers first look up information themselves and then go to the supplier." Egger Benelux's sales manager also points to the desire of more and more customers to install laminate flooring that has the appearance of real wood.
In addition, Robert notes that suppliers are increasingly thinking in terms of 'solutions' and not sticking to a single material type. "Suppliers are rebranding themselves and are no longer resellers and installers of a flooring type. It is no longer important 'what' it is, but rather 'what it does'. Suppliers offer water-resistant laminate from Egger, for example, not because it is laminate, but because the floor contains properties that solve a problem in the end customer." In this context, Robert stresses the growing importance of official standards such as the European ISO standards in terms of water resistance.

Looking ahead to the near future
What else will 2024 bring for Egger? Robert cannot suppress his enthusiasm: "We are in the process of developing an extension within our water-resistant product range. If everything goes according to plan, we will come up with new categories and new formats within our water-resistant laminate collection in September." Clearly, the last word has not yet been said about water-resistant laminate and this solution is increasingly finding its way into homes and offices.
Many thanks to Robert Siewes, Sales Manager at Egger Benelux for the inspiring conversation.

Website: www.egger.com