Bjelin to Construct World's Largest Wood Flooring Factory with €200 Million Investment
Bjelin, leveraging the successful Woodura flooring technology by Välinge Innovation, is expanding its manufacturing capabilities with a significant investment. Pervanovo Invest AB, the owner of Bjelin and Välinge Innovation, is investing €200 million in a state-of-the-art facility in Croatia, set to become the world's largest wood flooring factory.
In October 2020, the decision was made to build a highly integrated and automated production facility in Ogulin, Croatia. This facility, named Ogulin 2, will be adjacent to the existing parquet flooring factory, Ogulin 1. Starting from 2023, the production volume at Ogulin 2 will gradually increase, reaching its peak in 2027 with a capacity of over 20 million square meters of flooring per year. This expansion will raise the total annual production volume of the Viken and Ogulin 2 sites to 30 million square meters.
The new factory is situated on a 330,000 square meter site along the Zagreb-Split motorway, with a total floor area of 100,000 square meters. The investment covers land, buildings, installations, and machinery.
At Ogulin 2, flooring will be produced using wood powder, surface treatments, and core materials, primarily from wood waste from Bjelin's other Croatian factories in Ogulin, Bjelovar, and Otok. The production process, developed by Välinge Innovation, includes pressing, profiling, surface preparation, and packaging, all automated.
To complement the production expansion, strategic investments in sales and marketing across Europe, the USA, and Asia are planned to strengthen the group's global brand presence.
Darko Pervan, CEO of Pervanovo Invest AB, expressed satisfaction with scaling up wood powder-based production and introducing an environmentally friendly cured wood product. The market's enthusiastic response mirrors the historic success of the three-layer parquet floor launched in 1945.
Niclas Håkansson, CEO of Välinge Innovation, is hopeful that Bjelin's success with Woodura technology will inspire more licensing agreements.
Stjepan Vojnic, CEO of Bjelin Croatia, noted that this investment will position Bjelin as a global leader in the industry, resulting in a workforce increase from 800 to 1,400 in Croatia. It will also create new jobs in Bjelovar and Otok.
Zoran Mihajlovic, CEO of Bjelin Sweden AB, praised the floors for their durability, aesthetics, and environmental compliance.
Välinge Innovation, established in 1993, revolutionized the flooring industry with its patented glue-less click flooring technology. Its R&D activities, based in Viken, Sweden, are at the forefront of flooring technology development. With 250 employees, 3,200 patents, and a global license base of 250 companies, Välinge remains a key innovator in the flooring industry.
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