Our post show reaction comes from Per Nygren, Executive Vice President of Välinge Innovation Sweden AB. Mr. Nygren, who has been with Välinge since 2003, has a profound knowledge of the company. He leads us through its innovative technologies, its advanced products and the incredibly journey Välinge Innovation is making.

Exceptionally good traffic

First of all, we want to know how the company experienced Domotex. Quite a few traditional exhibitors were not present and others doubted if they had made the right choice to take part. How did Välinge Innovation approach the show?

Per Nygren: “We never had any real doubts. We did, however, expect the general number of visitors to be slightly lower since many important producers chose not to exhibit this year. In reality, we experienced how the traffic in our booth was exceptionally good, in combination with an overall top-level quality of our visitors. The interest in both our technologies and our products was very high.”

World premiere of 5G® Cross™

As stated earlier on, the new 5G® Cross™ was highlighted. It goes without saying, there was a whole lot more to discover at the stand. What interested visitors most and what was the overall gist of their reactions?

Per Nygren: “We had the pleasure to meet both existing and potential customers. On the technology side, we experienced a major interest in our technologies in general. Our 5G® floor locking portfolio with 5G® Fold Down, 5G® Dry™ and 5G® Climb™ gained a lot of support and so did our Woodura® and Liteback® technologies. It’s also fair to say that the world-premiere of our new 5G® Cross™ got some truly well-deserved attention.”

“In fact, we were overwhelmed by the positive response we got on our brand-new technology 5G Cross. We knew we already have the best floor locking system on the market with 5G Fold Down and it’s only natural for us to keep evolving this technology, based on what the market demands. Before 5G Cross, it used to be a real hustle trying to install floors in rectangle or square patterns without panels moving and shifting. But this is the perfect way to finally make straight set floor installation fast, easy and reliable. It works with all materials, is compatible with 5G Dry and in combination with Decorative Grooves, it brings the authentic look and feel of a stunning ceramic floor, without the hassle of grout. Installation is a breeze, and the specially designed cross-component assures a 100% lasting pattern.”

“All visitors with an interest in our high-performing flooring collections, integrated with technologies from Välinge, were genuinely appreciative about both existing products and our new releases. Of course, there was a large interest in getting to know more about our plans of merging Välinge Flooring and Bjelin together as one brand – Bjelin.”

Merger Välinge Flooring and Bjelin

Now you mention the merger with Bjelin later this year: is it possible to tell us a little more about this? What can we expect and what are the main reasons for this merger? How will this benefit your customers?

Per Nygren: “Both brands, Bjelin and Välinge, will remain. Going forward, Bjelin will become the united name for all industrial activities and our large – and growing – product offer. Välinge will continue to focus on its core business of innovation and licensing. Välinge’s well-known licensing model and supportive partnership will stay unchanged and through Bjelin, we gain the possibility to create worldwide attention for our revolutionary technologies.”

“The upcoming merger aims to optimize coordination in production and sales and to draw maximum synergies from the global footprint of the Välinge Bjelin Group’s joint ventures and unique innovations. Välinge will continue to be among the industry leaders regarding innovations and R&D and Bjelin will take a leading role in all parts concerning production and sales within certain categories of flooring and furniture. For all our product customers, this creates major advantages such as an even larger product offer, highly improved stock availability and an optimized capacity to faster meet market requirements. The opportunity to incorporate our own market-leading technologies in production will efficiently shorten the time to market for all new inventions and technologies and lead the way for all our licensees and partners. The licensing benefits will keep expanding and Välinge Innovation will be able to even further evolve and improve our technologies and our extensive licensee support.”

Future of Domotex

Coming back to Domotex Hannover in general: what is, according to you, the ideal future for the fair and what are the most important features you look for in a trade fair?

Per Nygren: “Domotex has for decades been the leading international flooring fair where the whole industry gathers and meets partners, customers and competitors. In the past, we have felt that Domotex, BAU and TISE/Surfaces in just a few weeks’ time was too much. A good idea would be that Domotex considers going for biannual events. This would mean that flooring companies and exhibitors that chose BAU this year will return to Domotex next. The industry needs this event, and the international visitors will come back. For us, this is a great way to meet existing and new customers, get time to present all technologies and products at the same time and meet other stakeholders in the industry.”

Several new launches in 2023

One last question: is Välinge developing spectacular new products at the moment? And are there plans to expand into new sectors of the market?

Per Nygren: “Under the Bjelin brand, we will have several interesting launches this year. New floor formats will become available and the much-appreciated selection of our Hardened Wood floors will be increased. All products will be made with Välinge’s Woodura technology and leak-proof installation system, 5G Dry.”

“Our furniture technology Threespine® makes it truly effortless to assemble furniture. This easy click solution has gained a lot of attention lately and at Interzum in May we will share some truly exciting news. You should look at it this way: in our company, we are innovators at heart. This means we will continue to improve and develop technologies for easier installation, smarter disassembly, and with waterproof features. In doing this, we will always keep a strong focus on sustainability to improve the overall environmental footprint of the flooring industry.”