Välinge announced it is ramping up the hardened wood floor production capacity at its facility in Viken, Sweden, in an effort to address the raw material crisis that was worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Ukraine and Russia account for about 25% of all oak top layers produced for the European market,” the company stated, “and the shortage of oak in general and parquet floors in particular starts being noticeable on the market, jeopardizing many construction projects that face the risk of major delays due to canceled deliveries of traditional wood floors.”
Russia, the largest lumber exporter in the world, invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, spurring a flurry of sanctions. Välinge announced in March it would stop all business activities and sales toward the Russian and Belarusian markets until the invasion was called off.
Välinge is also continuing to work toward the launch of its “mega factory” in Ogulin, Croatia, and to have it up and running by 2027.
“With the current situation, the flooring industry must change, or raw material will just not be enough for the demand,” Välinge Innovation CEO Niclas Håkansson said in a statement. “With this in mind, in combination with the possibility to source the oak top layer from our sister company Bjelin in Croatia, we think the timing is right to increase capacity to meet the market demand.”
