T&G Line Set for Major Growth
EGGER recently opened up the doors at its Hexham plant to unveil the latest developments in its building products division and the multi-million investment in its new tongue and groove (T&G) panel processing line – one that produces over 6.5 million EGGER Advanced Structural Flooring panels every year.
EGGER UK, Europe’s leading manufacturer of wood-based panels, has announced that the first quarter of 2017 will see the commissioning of major investments totalling in excess of £10 million within its building products division at its UK headquarters. The new T&G panel processing and packaging line also includes further processing facilities with a lamination line and the development of an onsite demonstration rig and testing area for its structural flooring products.
At a cost of approximately £5 million, the new T&G line will enable EGGER to strengthen its position and commitment within the UK construction industry.
“Investment in our new T&G line means we are utilising the very latest technology to boost productivity,” said Bob Livesey, Commercial Director at EGGER UK. “This also gives us the capacity to further secure supply to the UK market for many years to come. This enables us to lead the way in a challenging marketplace and reinforces our commitment to our customers. The new T&G investment also involves the installation of a new Peel Clean surfacing facility to bring production of our EGGER Peel Clean Xtra boards in-house. This means we can continue to develop our product portfolio for UK housebuilders at a time when there is a recognised need to build more homes.”
The new investment will also bring benefits for raw board production at EGGER’s Hexham facility. The new T&G line is designed to process a larger master panel, utilising the full press width and giving added flexibility to produce additional products. The company has also invested approximately £6 million to replace one of five lamination lines. The new line is set to secure and grow production capabilities of melamine faced boards including EGGER Protect, its market-leading structural flooring product.
It replaces a production line which started life in 1986 and has served EGGER and the market well pressing over 19 million boards – around 200 million m2 in terms of production – the same as 28,500 football pitches worth of board. The new lamination line will increase output and board quality when the housebuilding market needs to grow considerably to hit government targets and public needs.
“In recent years we’ve seen a change in demand,” adds Bob. “From basic raw P5 flooring to either EGGER Peel Clean or EGGER Protect, driven by the needs of housebuilders. In 2010, the majority of our T&G structural flooring sales were traditional raw P5 boards. Since then the combined sales of EGGER Peel Clean Xtra and EGGER Protect have grown year-on-year, so much so, that our T&G boards now make up the majority of sales. There’s no doubt that this has been helped by the introduction of our Advanced Structural Flooring System and growth in the UK housebuilding industry.
“Through continued investment in new technology and the production of market-leading products we aim to give our customers confidence in the knowledge that they’re being supplied with the best quality materials which have been manufactured in the most technologically advanced facility in Europe. This also serves to reaffirm our commitment to the UK market and provides our customers and end users with security and peace of mind that we are here for the long term in all areas we supply.”
The company has also invested in a new Customer Demonstration Area & Testing Rig which has been created to replicate onsite conditions. The rig consists of a concrete base with a joist system as you would find on a typical building site. This allows EGGER to run real-time condition tests on all its structural flooring products to provide the market with confidence and security that EGGER boards are the best available for the job.
It is also used for customer visits to provide live, hands-on training, so customers can observe how easy EGGER structural flooring panels are to lay, and how they can benefit from the EGGER Advanced Structural Flooring System lifetime guarantee – another industry first. The Advanced Structural Flooring System is designed to save time, money and manpower on projects without compromising on quality. It is based on the EGGER portfolio of structural P5 grade flooring boards – EGGER P5, EGGER Peel Clean Xtra and EGGER Protect and suitable for traditional masonry, offsite modular and timber frame builds.
The boards have enhanced moisture-resistant properties with a precision T&G profile created using diamond-tipped tooling. This strong, tight fitting joint minimises air gaps preventing water entering the core of the board. Unique in the market, it provides a consistent joint on every board, giving customers the confidence that every EGGER T&G panel will fit together perfectly. This is only possible due to the high-grade formula used to make EGGER P5 core board which provides the market with the best possible structural flooring boards to meet their needs.
EGGER has also invested in a new state-of-the-art Design Forum at Hexham. The facility has been designed to enhance its customer service offering by providing visitors with an interactive display of the entire EGGER product range and matching components. Building product customers benefit from the opportunity to experience the decorative side of the business in relation to fitting out kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms.
Dan Soulsby, Category Manager for EGGER Building Products, said: “Our new investments, particularly in the value-added structural flooring boards EGGER Peel Clean Xtra and EGGER Protect, come at a time when the UK needs housebuilding to increase dramatically. It is high on the agenda of the Government as detailed in the recent Housing White Paper. Since the 1970’s the UK has averaged around 160,000 homes per year and we now need 250-275,000 annually to catch up and keep up with demand.
“The various incentives and funds set up by the Government show how serious the UK is about building more homes, and being more innovative in the ways in which we build. From traditional masonry, to increasing timber frame and offsite methods, now more than ever is the time for manufacturers of key products in the market to step up and secure the supply of these products as well as continuing to develop and be innovative to assist the builders in achieving these numbers.”
How it Works – the New T&G Line
A master panel is fed from the automated storage warehouse onto the T&G line where it is rip cut into eight flooring blanks. The blanks are then sent down the line to a profile cutter which cuts the long edge T&G profile then the short edge. Once profiled on all four edges the profiles are quality checked then sent down to ether the Peel Clean foiling line for further processing or to the packaging line to be packed and put into stock.
Once profiled the P5 boards can be diverted down the foiling line to produce EGGER Peel Clean Xtra. Two boards joined by the long edge are heated then a specially developed adhesive is applied to the entire board surface. The EGGER Peel Clean Xtra foil is then rolled onto the board surface and adhered to just the right level – meaning the foil stays down until it is peeled off upon completion of the build.
For more information visit: www.egger.co.uk
