Wood Flooring Manufacturing

Wood Flooring Manufacturing

Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter:

Companies in this industry make wood flooring products. Major companies include Armstrong Flooring, Floor Covering International, Mohawk Industries, and Shaw Industries (all based in the US), along with Anxin Floors (Shanghai), Goodfellow (Canada), and Tarkett (France).

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand for wood flooring is closely tied to residential construction and remodeling activity. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations. Large companies have economies of scale in purchasing machinery and raw materials. Small companies can compete effectively by specializing. The industry is concentrated: the top 50 companies account for about 60% of revenue.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Wood flooring is milled from hardwoods, principally oak but also maple, ash, beech, birch, pecan, walnut, hickory, and others. Oak is popular due to its hardness, low cost, appearance, and wide availability. Wood flooring comes in three main shapes: strips, planks, and parquet. Strips typically range in thickness from 3/8 inch to 3/4 inch; in width from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches; and in length from 2 to 3 feet. Planks are 3/4 inches thick and 3 to 8 inches wide. Strips, planks, and parquet are milled so that one side has a tongue, the other a groove, allowing a tight fit when installed. Wood millwork products, which include wood flooring products makes up about 40% of the industry. Other product manufacturing includes oak and maple hardwood as well as wood moldings, both accounting for about 20% each.