Waregem, Belgium—Unilin Technologies has unveiled The Unizip locking system, a solution for herringbone installations with one type of panel. The Unzip can be used for a wide range of base boards, such as laminate and SPC, the company said.
“With easy production, supply chain and installation, Unizip is the way to go for herringbone flooring,” said Floris Koopmans, sales director, Unilin Technologies. “It has very valuable advantages for each stakeholder of flooring.”
According to Unilin, Novalis Innovative Flooring was the first adopter of the new technology for SPC, with enormous success. The company launched products with Unizip locking in multiple collections for the American and European market.
“The reception of this product has been amazing,” said John Wu, CEO of Novalis. “To keep up with the rising demand, recently we have invested in more production lines for Unizip products. We are excited to lead the trend for herringbone SPC.”
With increasing demand, six more manufacturers are following in Novalis’ footsteps and have invested in the jumper tool, Unilin said. One of these producers is Jiangsu Shengchang, a Chinese manufacturer that also produces laminate.
“As the first manufacturer in China for laminate Unizip, this profile has been game changing,” said YH Tao, general manager from Jiangsu Shengchang. “Since there is only one type of panel, we do not have any turnover time. The engineers at Unilin Technologies helped us with the configuration of the jumper machine into our online continuous production, without sacrificing quality or efficiency.”
The Unizip technology is said to solve many of the logistical and installation issues associated with a traditional herringbone floor. Manufacturers no longer need to manufacture two different types of panels and, as a result, manufacturers, distributors and retailers will not need to stock a second type of panel. On top of that, installation is much easier because installers do not need to factor in which panel to use and can simply work with one pile of panels.