Summary
• August Moralt invented laminboard in 1926.
• James Latham is to distribute Moralt door blanks in the UK.
• Export business is being expanded.
• Product stability and strength are benefits highlighted by Moralt.

The increasing focus of German timber product manufacturers on the UK market is something which has filled many column inches in TTJ of late.

But it’s not all sawn timber, glulam and kit houses. Manufacturers of other products are also looking to these shores in a bid to woo customers.

Moralt Tischlerplatten is one of these. The panel and door blank manufacturer has the UK in its sights and will bring the spotlight on its Spruce Lamincore FD30 and FD60 door blanks, tested to BS 476 Part 22.

Moralt’s laminboard, blockboard, door blank and specialist panel products are manufactured in the Bavarian spa town of Bad Tölz, near the mountains – reflected in the company logo of soaring peaks.

Here the company, owned by Pfleiderer between 1979-2003, has an annual total output of 55,000m3, with its 68mm German external HTR door blank production running to 18,000 pieces a year.

When it started in 1900, Moralt originally made toilet seats, but it was the development of laminboard by August Moralt in 1926 which helped put the company on the road to success.

The product (see box for production details) is used for many applications such as high quality furniture, interior shopfitting, wall panelling, vehicle construction, ship interiors and theatre stage sets, as well as door blanks. Quoted benefits include improved strength, stability and a smooth surface for veneering, painting and spraying.

Moralt already has some UK business – door manufacturer Shadbolt International has been using Moralt’s Lamincore blanks for many years – and there’s more to come.

Moralt’s acquisition of the intellectual assets to British Plywood Manufacturers, which closed in 2006, allowed it to acquire the English company’s fire testing certification on FD30/60 door blanks, which had been similar to the German company’s own products.

However, Moralt decided that despite British Plywood’s success with a blockboard core, it would focus on its own laminboard core (Lamincore) for its fire-rated chipboard, MDF and ply veneer faced door blanks.

Moralt’s desire to take the product to a wider UK customer base has been shown by its securing an agreement with James Latham plc, which will take on the exclusive distribution of Moralt Lamincore door blanks, planning to stock Moralt’s products from early 2008.

The company says route to market is very important as it is not offering a cheap and cheerful product, but is looking to add value with long-term customer relationships.

Value-added product

Moralt’s northern European sales manager Steven Dennard admitted that the UK market was not an easy one to break into and the challenge was for customers to understand the benefits of the value-added Moralt product. “The UK is very price driven, and we do not intend to compete on price alone,” he said.

Lamincore door blanks with either chipboard, MDF or ply veneer faces for internal or external use have been assessed by International Fire Consultants Ltd as meeting the requirements of BS 476 Part 22 (FD30/60) in a variety of leaf configurations. Moralt’s blanks are also accredited to BM TRADA Certification Ltd’s Q-Mark scheme for fire doors.

Moralt’s full press size – up to 5200x2100mm – means several blanks can be made from a single sheet, while larger doors and greater flexibility can be also be offered.

The company is currently talking to three UK door manufacturers about its CE marking training course for external doors, in advance of the introduction of CE EN 14351-1 (external doors and windows) in February 2009.

In Europe, Moralt already has 1,000 licensees signed up to its CE marking programme.

“Even in the UK it’s an enormous amount of time and effort to test for CE marking,” said Mr Dennard. “This will offer these manufacturers a route to compliance, because CE marking will be law and has to be adhered to.

“The door manufacturers are in the business of making doors. If they’re spending time testing for CE marking then they are not doing their core business. We see it as a supplier’s responsibility to do this for the manufacturer as part of a service. “This is about taking a long-term perspective with the customer.”

Moralt can also combine its laminboard with other materials in a sandwich construction to improve thermal or acoustic performance, but currently does not offer these products in the UK.

It also makes Sandwich Lamin-Block, which features a central cross grain blockboard core for even greater strength. This product is currently purchased in Germany by a major car manufacturer for exhibition flooring.

Sales and marketing director Klaus Feile said the company had taken on a new lease of life since becoming independent from Pfleiderer nearly five years ago, when Certina Holding AG took over and the company was rebranded as Moralt Tischlerplatten.

Developments have included a flexible laminboard production line for greater customer order flexibility and the introduction of lightweight products featuring ceiba or balsa wood cores.

Moralt has been free to market itself more widely, with attendance at many of the ZOW fairs in Europe and Asia. Its first trade exhibition attendance – the German ZOW show in 2005 – yielded more than 30 new customers.

“There are now good opportunities for us to meet new customers for our products,” said Mr Feile. “We market ourselves now as a niche manufacturer. The more we specialise in niche products and fields of application, the better it is for Moralt.”

“The market for standard block- and laminboards is slowly shrinking in Germany and 35% of our business is now exports. This figure is increasing, as we find more opportunities for high quality specialist products outside our borders.”

Europe is the main export market but Moralt also sells product to the US, China and Australia.

Product differentiation

Mr Feile said the company wanted to differentiate itself from “hyper competitive” standard products. Hence the development of new specialist products, such as the lightweight range featuring a balsa core and faced with either veneer, MDF or chipboard.

The range, available up to 98mm thick, is typically aimed at applications where weight is crucial, such as yacht and vehicle interiors. Poplar ply veneer/MDF faced lightwood 16-38mm panels with balsa core have recently been classified as B1 (surface spread of flame).

Moralt believes constant product development is crucial for competitive edge and points to the German HTR door blanks as an example. The HTR’s engineered construction, Moralt says, is an inherent advantage over solid wood doors which could bend and bow in certain conditions.

The HTR external door blank range has been tested to Tolerance class 4 in German tests, the best standard for door stability, which is why Moralt offers a 10-year guarantee on the product against bowing.

During six weeks in a climate chamber, with heat and cold testing, including UV lamps heating the inside of doors to 80OC, results showed a deflection of just 2mm over a 2m-high door.

Moralt says it can supply most of its products certified to either the Forest Stewardship Council or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes.

“In the long run it will become more and more difficult to use products without certification,” added Mr Feile.