Wood Flooring Manufacturing

Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter:

The US wood flooring manufacturing industry includes about 100 companies with combined annual revenue of about $2 billion. Major companies include Armstrong World Industries (AWI), Mohawk Industries, Shaw Industries, and Wood Flooring International (WFI).

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand for wood flooring is closely tied to residential real estate construction, both new and remodeling. The industry is highly competitive because the product is largely a commodity. Small manufacturers typically sell their product within a local region. Competition comes from other manufacturers and competing flooring products like carpeting, linoleum, tiles, etc.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Wood flooring is milled from hardwoods, principally oak (which accounts for about 85 percent of the market) but also maple, ash, beech, birch, pecan, walnut, hickory, and others. Most flooring is used in residential and commercial buildings, but about 10 percent of production (mainly glued, laminated material) is used in truck trailers and railroad cars. Wood flooring comes in three main shapes: strips, planks, and parquet. Strips typically range in thickness from 3/8 inch to 3/4 inch; in width from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches; and in length from 2 to 3 feet. Planks are 3/4 inches thick and 3 to 8 inches wide. Strips, planks, and parquet are milled so that one side has a tongue, the other a groove, allowing a tight fit when installed.

The production process involves drying boards of wood in kilns until the wood's moisture content (MC) is reduced to a...