Unilin stories

At the start of this year, both Veronique Hoflack and Bert Vandenkendelaere took on key roles within Unilin. Veronique oversees the Unilin Flooring division and Bert heads Unilin Panels. Both climbed the ranks within the organisation and know our values, our people and the market inside out. High time to get to know them a bit better. How do they view their new role and the future?

What happens to your old laminate floor? At Unilin, the answer is clear: collect and recycle. Through the Recover programme, we collect old floors, which are then recycled into new MDF and HDF panels using a technological world first. “For years, recycling the panels seemed impossible,” says Geert Coudenys, R&D Director at Unilin Panels.

What started as a clever technical solution to make the installation of laminate floors easier grew into a gamechanger for the entire flooring industry. It also laid the foundations for the success of Unilin Technologies, the IP and licencing division of Unilin.

What began in the 1980s as an innovative flooring solution is still one of the most popular and versatile flooring types: laminate. Thanks to continuous innovation, smart product development and a strong focus on design and sustainability, laminate has remained a true favourite for more than 40 decades. How is that possible? We talked to Rogier Verkarre, General Manager Laminate at Unilin.

Laminate flooring has been around for almost fifty years. From day one, laminate was a sustainable product. Over the next half-century, it has not only become more attractive and high-performing; it has also grown into a paragon of innovation and circularity. “Unilin’s technologies set the standard in the sector today,” says CEO Wim Messiaen.