The International Committee of the Decorative Laminates Industry held its annual conference from 28 to 30 September in Barcelona. Under the chairmanship of association president Frank Schouten, delegates from 20 member companies examined topical issues in the sector. They focused primarily on the future of the European market for laminated board, on developing new fields of application and on measures to market this versatile material. The conference was very well attended, a total of 40 people having travelled to the event. Keen interest was shown in the findings of a survey conducted by the well-known market research firm Jaakko Pöyry Consulting, which since 2003/4 has produced an annual analysis of the entire laminated board market exclusively for ICDLI members. According to this detailed analysis, European manufacturers of decorative laminates posted growth averaging 7.9% in 2004.
After conference participants had heard the expert views of the ICDLI Economic Affairs Commission, specialists from the Marketing Committee and the Technical Commission reported to members on current progress with their strategic activities for the association. In the marketing report PR Committee chairman Franz Greisinger (Pfleiderer Holzwerkstoffe Vertriebs- GmbH) outlined current and future measures to plant laminates as a material more firmly in the public consciousness. Technical Committee chairman Raffaele Bogana (Liri Industriale s.r.l.) focused mainly on the further development of European Norm EN 438 and the proposal to expand it by adding a section on designer laminates. Chris van de Vorst of the EU-CLAD Working Group then outlined the many interesting possibilities for using laminates for facades and outdoor applications.
A lively panel discussion rounded off this successful event. ICDLI members discussed current events on the world market and the demands they place on the industry. When considering possible solutions conference participants agreed unanimously that, thanks to first-class design and high quality standards, their products are well placed for the future.

ICDLI’s next annual conference will be held from 27 to 29 September 2006 in Lindau on Lake Constance.

For interesting information on all aspects of laminates and about the International Committee of the Decorative Laminates Industry visit www.icdli.com

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