Alsaflooring, an ambitious manufacturer
Alsaflooring grew out of Alsapan, a family joinery that went industrial in 1972. The company launched its first laminate flooring in 1995, followed by vinyl in 2018 and parquet in 2019. Production of floor coverings will continue under the name Alsaflooring from 2021. The company currently employs 250 people. Annual sales exceed €100 million.
The growth of the company, based in Marlenheim, Alsace, is reflected in its figures. "Our production capacity is 14 million square metres of flooring, divided between our core business, laminate, and parquet, vinyl flooring and also wood veneer", explains Emmanuel Vautrin, who has been at the helm of the company since 2022.
Alsaflooring's floors appeal beyond national borders. "Around 30% of production is exported, to Poland, Canada and Belgium, as a standard-bearer for expertise appreciated by aesthetic and demanding consumers. Alsaflooring's ambition is to continue developing foreign markets.
What are Alsaflooring's strengths? "We produce high-quality floors with a high decorative content. We offer a very wide range with the emphasis on ease of installation," says Emmanuel. "This positioning is the result of a strategic overhaul developed in 2018 with the green light from the Group's CEO, Cécile Cantrelle. As the founder's granddaughter, she has placed her trust in me."
Herringbone installation: an exclusive universal click system
Emmanuel Vautrin is categorical: "Our herringbone parquet, which we have been offering since 2014, is particularly popular outside France. Why is that? Our foreign customers find in the herringbone pattern the emblem of French refinement, typical of Haussmann-style flats, châteaux or mansions. In this sense, we are not only promoting our floors, but also a genuine French culture, as expected in distant countries such as China and Canada."
Herringbone patterns form an important part of Alsaflooring's extensive flooring range and continue to grow in popularity. In laminate alone, Alsaflooring has around sixty references, the widest range on the market; in parquet, around twenty. In the vinyl sector, Emmanuel predicts that there will be around ten decors on offer by 2025.
Until now, traditional herringbone parquet has had the disadvantage of requiring two types of planks, A and B. The consequence is a certain difficulty in laying them. "At the Carrefour International du Bois trade show in Nantes, we unveiled our big innovation: our own universal click system that no longer requires A and B planks," explains Emmanuel. Just one board left!
And the little extra? Alsaflooring offers a service where the starter triangle is delivered already prepared. For the installer, this means considerable time savings, and for the homeowner, less risk of error.
Another new product from Alsaflooring: "Under the trade name Alsawood, we recently launched a range of chic, highly resistant wood veneer floors that form a hybrid segment between parquet and laminate. We also have 15 herringbone products in this family.
Many thanks to Emmanuel Vautrin for this inspiring conversation.
Website: www.alsaflooring.com
Link to the installation system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNp3RDAw4yM