Page 15 - Parquet International luglio 2014

Total Fep consumption percentages for 2013
SE 7,62%
AT 7,86%
BE 2,61%
CH 7,76%
CZ 1,23%
DE 23,91%
DK/FIN/NO 9,03% RO 3,10%
PL 4,95% NL 1,20%
IT 9,39%
HU 0,55%
FR 14,03%
ES 6,77%
land came out first with 0.79 m2 ahead of Austria (0.77 m2) and Sweden (0.65 m2). In 2013 parquet purchases per person dropped by one point in the FEP area to 0.21 m2.
Oak is king
The Fep Report showed that in 2013 the use of Oak rose to over 70% for the first time to 70.9%. Sales of tropical woods continued their decline before stopping at 5,8%. Ash and Birch remain the other two most pop- ular species with 5.1% and 4.6% of the sales respectively.
Focus on Italy
By Fep forecasts, Italy will continue its neg- ative trend. Italian solid wood parquet pro- duction in 2013 fell to 155.000 m2 from the 174.000 m2 produced in 2012, and likewise for multilayer parquet, which dropped from the 3,122,000 m2 produced in 2012 to the 2,795,000 m2 produced last year. The total amount of parquet produced amounted to 2,950,000 m2. As regards consumption in Italy, solid wood parquet sales declined from 1,700,000 m2 to 1,615,000 m2, while multi- layer sales decreased from 6.460.000 m2 to 6,145,000 m2. The total amount of parquet laid was therefore 7,760,000 m2.
The projections for 2014 that envision a pro- duction of 2.650,000 m2 and a consumption of 7,450,000 m2 represent the continuation of the trend. R
AN OPINION: Wood-effect ceramic
Carlo Comani, Italian Sales Manager for Gazzotti, a Fep affiliate and Board Member, addressed the fifty-eighth Edition of FEP General Assembly and provided a panorama on the general situation and the recent success of wood-effect ceramic.
Can you summarize what you had to say about wood-effect ceramic?
Today we spoke about wood-effect ceramic – one of the most important innovations in the market in recent years. There has been
an improvement in the quality and more importantly, the aesthetic
of these products, and they are now, in fact, an alternative to parquet. Parquet, of course, has at least one incomparable advantage: it’s wood, a material that everyone has tried to copy (unsuccessfully however)
in all sorts of material from PVC to ceramic because wood is a gift from nature that no one can imitate or steal. That being said, it’s clear that these are products that must be watched closely: they offer attractive solutions and for this reason the concern that there might
be an exodus in this direction should not be dismissed.
What can we do to convince people of the superior quality of wood compared
to wood-effect ceramic?
I think there are just two simple things to do: first of all, eliminate confusion. We need
to speak frankly. The market asks us for accurate information that helps consumers make informed choices. We need to explain and ensure that the communication provided – whether by Italian or European associations – is exact, because wherever timely and correct information is present, parquet can only emerge victorious.
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