Jurgen Fruchtenicht, president of the European Federation of Parquet Importers (EFPI), took part in the opening session of the Wood Flooring Forum in Shanghai last month.
More than 300 delegates heard Mr Fruchtenicht speak on several issues affecting the trade, including CE marking, the forthcoming EU Illegal Timber Regulation and the German Building Product Directive introducing the U mark.
He said the continued increase in legislation would lead to consolidation in the supply chain as the strict regulations call for high quality level of operations and control of the product sourcing.
He added that exporters would increasingly need the support of an accredited importer, such as a member of the EFPI to continue to sell successfully and legally in the EU market.
The conference took place on March 21 and coincided with the Domotex Asia exhibition.
