Bjelin, Swedish provider of innovative floors with an international reach
If there is one man who can tell us a lot about the evolution of the flooring industry worldwide, it is Frederik Alfredsson. Fredrik is an energetic near-50-year-old with more than 25 years of flooring experience under his belt. After previous experience in the global flooring arena, he was appointed Global Head of Sales at Bjelin in October 2023.

Bjelin is part of the Pervanovo Invest AB Group and develops and produces various types of flooring, both traditional wooden floors and innovative flooring made of new materials. Development is done in collaboration with sister company Välinge Innovation AB, an innovative player known for its progressive click systems.

Bjelin has production sites in Sweden and in Croatia and is building an additional production plant in this second country. ‘Our production capacity is currently 10 million square metres. However, plans are ready that could take this theoretical capacity to 20 million square metres,’ Fredrik says.

Fredrik refers to sustainability as one of Bjelin's core values. ‘This is reflected, among other things, in the proximity of our raw materials: the production sites in Croatia are close to responsibly managed forests, which minimises transport."

Bjelin floors are sold in over 35 countries through a network of sales offices and distributors. The company has a strong push in Europe and North America, but also has distribution in markets such as New Zealand, Latin America, the Middle East, Korea and China.

Woodura hardened wood, the third generation of wood floors
The use of recycled residual materials as infill material began to take on a life of its own from 2016 and eventually led to the launch of the Woodura flooring range. Initially, this was done under the Välinge banner. ‘Woodura hardened wood floors started as a small-scale project, but quickly grew into a full-fledged range within our flooring offering. Bjelin then made the necessary investments to shape this concept." For instance, sawmills were acquired and the company installed additional sales units to make Woodura flooring known on an international level.

The floors are built according to an ingenious and balanced composition of materials and based on Wood Powder technology. ‘A Woodura floor consists of several layers: a base layer, two wood powder layers with a binder, an intermediate plate made of HDF and the top layer made of natural wood."

Fredrik speaks of the third generation of hardflooring. ‘The market evolved from solid wood floors to engineered floors like multilayered parquet. Woodura hardened wood floors is the next phase of that evolution with floors that have even greater efficiency,’ Fredrik clarifies.

Indeed, the benefits can no longer be counted on one hand. Fredrik mentions some assets: ‘First of all, there is the more efficient use of basic materials. Less wood is needed to produce a Woodura floor and the infill is made from recycled residual materials. In addition, Woodura flooring offers excellent resistance to impact as well as moisture. Some of our floors have a proven watertightness for 72 hours."

Woodura floors are commercialised under the Bjelin banner and find their way into both the residential and project sectors worldwide. There are various sizes up to 271 mm wide and planks in different colours and finishes.

Woodura hardened wood and herringbone pattern, an ambitious duo
‘The success of the herringbone pattern can no longer be denied,’ says Fredrik, “the pattern is a classic that is becoming wildly popular again, even in contemporary spaces.” So it was only a matter of time before Bjelin started combining Wood Powder technology with the herringbone pattern as well.

In 2024, Bjelin will unveil Woodura floors in a Herringbone version, a launch that was written in the stars, given the success of both herringbone pattern and Woodura floors. The production of these Woodura Herringbone 2.0 floors is done in the same way as the rest of the range. ‘These herringbone patterns are cut from planks that have already been produced using Wood Powder technology. So the customer enjoys the same technical benefits as with the rest of the Woodura flooring range. Just think about water resistance and shock resistance,’ Frederik says. The Global Head of Sales also refers to the easy installation thanks to the 5G click system for which sister company Välinge is so well known.

Bjelin is launching three colours in the Woodura Herringbone 2.0 range: Natural, Misty White and Earth Grey. The top layer is oak and the finish is always ‘Pro Matt Lacquer’. ‘Both in residential and commercial spaces, these Woodura Herringbone 2.0 floors are an excellent choice."
Bjelin therefore has high ambitions. ‘As with the rest of our Woodura floors, we want to become an international player with the Woodura Herringbone 2.0. At Bjelin, we therefore made the choice to launch this pattern immediately in just about all our markets worldwide."

A look to the future
In a complex market that is also experiencing challenging times, Bjelin is a forward-thinking player that is scoring well with its Woodura floors based on Wood Powder technology. ‘We see a lot of segments in the flooring sector struggling to keep their heads above water. Woodura flooring is making the reverse move. The market is clearly receptive to floors that capitalise on the sustainability story and have an innovative technical character,’ Fredrik says.

How does Fredrik see the flooring market evolving further? ‘Every market reacts differently to launches and innovations. For example, the Middle East is currently a favourable region for the flooring sector. As a manufacturer, the key is to make quick international moves, keep innovating and spread the risks geographically."

Website: www.bjelin.com