In a candid conversation with us, Susanne Martin, Director and Communication of Rehau America bares her heart on product developments, market strategies, achievements and of course IWF Atlanta.
Tell us about your participation in IWF Atlanta?
Susanne Martin: We are pleased to be in the bustling machinery hall, Hall B, Booth 4735. This places our industry-leading LaserEdgeTM adhesive-free edgeband in a prominent position for those attendees who are shopping for hot-air edgebanders. We are also introducing our new line of custom cabinet doors for modern kitchens and baths.
What are the products you are mostly promoting and focusing this year?
Susanne Martin: We are launching our modern Custom Cabinet Door product line, currently in three surfaces — RAUVISIO brilliantTM high-gloss acrylic, RAUVISIO crystalTM back-painted polymer glass and FENIX NTM® super matte. During IWF, we will announce the availability of additional modern surfaces.
What are the main strengths of REHAU?
Susanne Martin: Several of our divisions, including REHAU furniture solutions, supply products to the building and remodeling segments. A stronger construction market means stronger sales for REHAU.
Brief us on the uPVC – Rehau’s oldest design solution, considering Rehau’s choice and quality of material how successful and sustainable is uPVC?
Susanne Martin: REHAU uses a wide variety of polymer materials to achieve our customer’s performance, weight reduction, surface finish, sustainability and price-point goals. We have been supplying PVC edgebanding, T-molding and rigid profiles to the North American millwork industry for almost 50 years. PVC is a durable, economical, easily recyclable and sustainable material. During the last 10 years, we brought ABS and polypropylene edgeband manufacturing to our Montreal plant and expanded in 2014 with local production of our non-PVC LaserEdgeTM that is optimized for laser, hot air and IR edgebanding machines.
What are the Rehau’s biggest achievements in the section of edgebanding? How advanced Rehau’s 3D edgebanding is?
Susanne Martin: REHAU is the global leader in laser edgebanding production. All REHAU cabinet door orders are custom cut and edgebanded using zero-joint REHAU LaserEdgeTM. The two-layer edgeband is composed of a surface and a color-matched functional layer. The edgebander (laser or hot-air) melts the functional layer on the reverse side of the edgeband and welds it to the carrier board. The resulting seam-free board offers increased aesthetic appeal with no joints to stain or discolor, superior heat and moisture resistance and an overall more efficient manufacturing process when compared to EVA glue.
Do you have any plan to extend your market in Middle East as well?
Susanne Martin: REHAU has operations in all regions of the world. As the headquarters for REHAU Americas, the scope of our operations here in Leesburg, VA is United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America.
What is the future key product of Rehau?
Susanne Martin: For the Furniture Solutions division of REHAU Americas, we see the continued expansion of our cabinet door range with new surfaces and ultimately expansion into other types of finished components.
Being the expert manufacturer of millwork and cabinetry solutions what are the primary things you are looking for while preparing a project/design?
Susanne Martin: REHAU’s goal is to bring innovation to our customers by providing them new surface products that lead the contemporary design trend. REHAU offers a complete solution by providing the decorative surface as laid up board with the matching edgeband or the service to buy a cut and banded component. We received feedback from customers that they wanted to use our surface materials in their product lines, but didn’t have the necessary equipment to process the panels and apply the REHAU LaserEdgeTM. By offering fully fabricated doors, REHAU is making it easier for cabinet makers, regardless of their volume, to take advantage of the growing demand for modern components.
How is the market faring as of now for Rehau in America?
Susanne Martin: REHAU’s goal is to bring innovation to our customers by providing them new surface products that lead the contemporary design trend. REHAU offers a complete solution by providing the decorative surface as laid up board with the matching edgeband or the service to buy a cut and banded component. We received feedback from customers that they wanted to use our surface materials in their product lines, but didn’t have the necessary equipment to process the panels and apply the REHAU LaserEdgeTM. By offering fully fabricated doors, REHAU is making it easier for cabinet makers, regardless of their volume, to take advantage of the growing demand for modern components.
