Belgian veneer processing manufacturer Decospan’s mission is to get wood veneer into every interior, and to achieve that it has big plans.
In September last year, at its headquarters in Menen, it opened the Treehouse, an “experience centre” where Decospan’s distributors, as well as architects and specifiers, and their clients, can view more than 150 species and the company’s full range of products at any time of the day.
Veneers are displayed on movement sensitive ‘trees’ and there are also board-sized samples contrasting the unfinished and finished veneer, samples of Decospan’s branded products, and a meeting room. The veneered birch plywood treads on the stairs leading up to the first-floor space showcase different wood species – among them ash, elm, afromosia and bamboo – and stretching horizontally around walls in the Treehouse are veneered boards – laminboard, blockboard, chipboard, plywood and MDF – with the edge exposed. This allows architects to see the edge of the board, which is often used as a design feature.
The furniture illustrates the various veneer jointing techniques and also appeals to the trend for a range of finishes rather than perfectly uniform interiors. The veneer on the table, where clients can be entertained over lunch, is bookmatched and mirror matched, and the kitchen doors are mismatched.
The Treehouse also provides a flexible working space for architects and somebody uses the space nearly every day, said sales and marketing director Pieterjan Desmet. The facility helps Decospan to offer a personalised service. Architects and their clients can make their veneer decision from the vast range of samples and then go down to the warehouse and choose their own veneer.
“Design is now very much a part of our company,” said Mr Desmet.
And now, with the concept a proven success, Decospan is opening Treehouses in the design districts of the world’s leading design capitals – London and New York, with one also planned for Paris.
Decospan’s products will get a further boost in the UK from next month when James Latham plc, which distributes Decospan products and accounts for around 40% of UK sales, opens a showroom in London’s Business Design Centre. Decospan has come a long way since it was founded in 1978 as a manufacturer of veneered panels and veneered furniture components, partitions and doors. Custommade veneered products are still the bulk of Decospan’s business, but now, as part of its strategy to engage with and inspire the design community, it is putting a strong emphasis on its brand products.
It’s a development that James Latham says is paying off. “Designers and architects are now phoning us saying they want something different, and that’s what we like to hear,” said Miles Kember, depot director at James Latham.
Mr Kember also credits Decospan with successfully reviving interest in veneered board.
“Ten years ago the veneered board sector was dying because of competition from melamine. Now, thanks to Decospan, architects and specifiers are asking for it again,” he said.
Mr Desmet points out that the success can be attributed not only to Decospan’s marketing, but to the product quality as well. “Everyone who buys veneer from us knows we have very high quality. We always know the origin of the wood,” he said.
That quality is maintained through the production process from the grading of the book of veneer, to checking every glued veneer and the final product. Each finished board is stamped with the date the veneer was pressed and a photograph is kept on record.
In addition to its brand collections, Decospan also offers a bespoke service where customers can choose their species, the slicing and jointing techniques, the backing and the finish.
As well as expanding its Treehouse concept around the world, Decospan is also currently building a new warehouse, part of a €30m investment which will take its warehousing to a total of 100,000m2. It will also improve efficiency so the existing warehouse, built in 2008, and production, currently separated by 500m of road, will be on one site. The existing production site, which houses three pressing and lacquering lines, will be dedicated to flooring and finishing.
At present the €17m of veneer stock – said to be the biggest in the world – is stored according to species (there are 174), but once the new 25m-high warehouse is built, storage will be by log, and fully-automated picking will be used.
The new warehouse will provide more capacity and flexibility, and probably more product development too.
“It will make it easier to do small runs,” said Mr Desmet. “Also, at the moment we can create new technology but we can’t implement it because of lack of room.”
One new technology that will be introduced in the new factory is the scanning of every book of veneers to create a digital catalogue and make it easier for the design community to make their choice. “An architect in London will be able to look on their computer and choose stock from Belgium,” said Mr Desmet.
The new facility will also allow Decospan to extend its sustainability programme. It already has a wind turbine and around 30% of its energy is produced from PV panels. Wood offcuts power a biomass boiler that heats the presses, while larger pieces are used in the cabinets made in the company’s factory in France. Now Decospan is considering developing a small pellet energy plant, in conjunction with other companies, to supply Menen.
“We’re looking to become CO2 neutral,” said Mr Desmet.
In addition to using FSC or PEFC-certified veneers, Decospan asks its suppliers to sign its Pure Wood-charter. This includes commitments not to use wood that has originated from forests with high conservation values or from conversion forests.
The new warehouse and plant are unlikely to be Decospan’s last development. It also has an eye on some neighbouring land to set up a “wood university” where architects and specifiers could learn more about the company’s products and wood in general.
