Thomas Baert, president of CFL Flooring, on the Future of the Industry

Domotex asia/ChinaFloor recently launched a series of interviews with key people in the flooring industry to highlight news, trends, and updates. They talked with Thomas Baert, president of CFL Flooring and co-founder and co-owner of Domotex asia/ChinaFloor. He has been active in China for more than 20 years. Having started his career as vice president of exports for Beaulieu of America, Baert has over 25 years’ experience in the flooring industry. Below, Baert answers questions about current state and future of the industry.

What are you expecting for the global economy in regards to the flooring industry for the next 5 years?
The higher end laminate flooring market which we focus on is still strong and we see our business remaining stable in that specific segment. Stone-Plastic Composite (SPC) is another story. I can see it continuing to grow by 25% per year. There is also a trend starting to go towards products with less or no PVC, with more and more innovations that will come like Tenacity, with a mineral core and no PVC.