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FlexFormPlus - a very flexible HPL solution from Resopal.
Resopal's SpaStyle product is 100 percent waterproof, thanks to its Symalite core.
These two innovations are pretty impressive, but Resopal didn’t stop there. They’re making use of press plates with distinct designs using variations in the matte and gloss textures, which add another dimension to solid color and printed decors. They’re also using glass (instead of steel) press plates to create some of their laminates, which Schaefer says impart finer textures for a new tactile experience.
And in collaboration with Nolte Holzwerkstoff GmbH & Co. KG in Germersheim, Resopal supplies components for doors, exhibitions, store fixtures and interior design, furniture and kitchen worktops in a special lightweight version for all projects in which the focus is on cost savings, easy handling and environmental or health aspects. “Rheinspan AirMaxx” is characterized by up to 30 percent lower weight than normal particleboard, achieved by filling the board’s core layer with tiny polystyrene balls in place of some of the wood chip. Processing and durability are identical with those of conventional chipboard.
So, what’s the bottom line … what has this kind of thinking meant for Resopal’s business?
“The new products we’ve introduced in the last few years are now responsible for 26 percent of our annual turnover, but almost 40 percent of our margins,” Schaefer told me. “Yes, we’ve made some mistakes along the way, but that’s okay.”
Putting it all together, Resopal is an enviable example of a company that is broadening its markets, taking the risks necessary to develop new products and applications, and refusing to succumb to the impulse to slash its marketing — a move that can permanently hobble a brand’s image in trying times like these.
Ed. note: Kenn Busch is a journalist and architectural photographer. He has been covering furniture and interior design since 1990, as an editor with Wood Digest, Laminating Design & Technology, and Surface & Panel magazines. His website, www.materialintelligence.com, is a resource on decorative surfaces and their applications for architects, interior designers and fabricators.
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