By Steven Feldman
Volume 26/Number 26; May 13/20, 2013
Miami—After a few challenging years, IndusParquet, the Brazilian hardwood manufacturer, is poised for a strong 2013 with projections of 25% to 30% growth.
Flavia Baggio, COO, told FCNews the company is starting to see a lift because the delta is changing between U.S. lumber prices and Brazilian exotics. “Brazil had its building boom over the last 10 years, which affected our lumber prices. But now this upsurge has reached a peak. For a while we were expensive compared to domestic exotics.”
Baggio noted IndusParquet’s pricing has been stable since February 2012, and she does not anticipate any increases in the near future. This trend is in sharp contrast with domestic exotics, which has undergone a series of price hikes over the last two years due to supply issues. “We have a huge opportunity to sell our products at very competitive prices compared with domestic species,” she said.
Supply is never an issue for IndusParquet, Baggio said, citing the company’s massive inventory, which allows for more than enough supply to the American market. “We reinvest a great deal of capital in rough lumber and inventory to ensure the continuation of supply. Today we have about 20 million board feet of lumber in the yard.”
And this lumber is what allows U.S. floor covering dealers to differentiate themselves. “We have new species like Pau Ferro, something other companies are unable to supply,” she said. “This species is unique to South America; it looks like a mix of tigerwood and Brazilian teak.” IndusParquet offers many other unique species, including Patagonia and Amendoim. “And there are no illegal logging issues in Brazil because of the way we harvest from managed forests.”
IndusParquet also boasts a very strong distribution network for its range of products that features 32 solid and 32 engineered SKUs along with Solidarity, an A&D line of an additional 32 SKUs. Wholesalers include J.J. Haines in the mid-Atlantic; BPI in the Southeast; Belknap White in New England; Patriot and Apollo in the New York metro area; Ohio Valley and All Tile in the Midwest, as well as Galleher on the West Coast.