Nguyen Lan Anh (right), flooring sales manager for Polytech Co. Ltd., with the company’s production manager.
Polytech Flooring, Vietnam – “Art For Wooden Flooring"
Saigon–The global financial crisis has had many far-reaching effects in the wood industry in Asia, and not least in Vietnam where some companies have simply changed their whole focus. Polytech Flooring, a Vietnamese-owned manufacturer in District 12 on the edge of Saigon, has completely changed its marketing strategy.
Polytech Co. Ltd. was established in 1993, making it one of the oldest and most well-known manufacturers of real wooden flooring in Vietnam, now producing solid and engineered products. There are not so many companies in Vietnam’s modern wood processing industry that go back that far. By current international standards it is small, but in Vietnam, Polytech is one of the larger flooring producers. The company produces interior flooring and decking as well as exterior decking tiles, offering local markets and now exporting only specialized types of wood flooring, in just a few key species – American Oak and Walnut, Pyinkado (local ‘Rosewood’), Acacia and Rubberwood. The choice of these species is largely driven by the markets served by Polytech and that has seen real changes since the economic crisis. In effect, it has meant a shift from 90 percent export to 70 percent domestic sales – perhaps also in reflection of the recent development of Vietnam’s home market for residential and hospitality real estate. With a population of 90 million, Vietnam is developing a stronger domestic consumption of wood products as its standard of living increases and as tourism grows.
Polytech has been manufacturing real wooden floors since 1993 and has built its reputation on hands-on attention to detail by its employees.
In past years the company was focused almost entirely on export for the European and other markets with American Oak and Walnut. But now exports are restricted to specialized products for the Spanish, Japanese and a few other markets, whereas the local market looks for a different range of species with Pyinkado and White Oak preferred. Solid flooring is restricted to imported American Oak and Walnut, and African Doussie, as well as local Pyinkado, Teak and Rubberwood from Vietnam and neighboring Indochinese countries. Vietnamese-grown Rubberwood and Acacia are also used for decking products. The company prides itself on procuring only legally harvested timber. Engineered flooring products are based on sustainable tropical hardwood plywood from Malaysia and Birch from Russia, with face material in American Ash, Cherry and Maple and African Makore in the standard range. Engineered flooring is all produced with WBP adhesive plywood and finished in UV coating for high durability and scratch resistance, or natural oil/wax, according to customer requirements.
“All our materials are supplied by reliable sellers and we are committed to the safety and health for our customers for wood floors,” promises Sales Manager, Nguyen Lan Anh. The company uses about 50 M3 per month of American hardwood material, mainly sourced through local Vietnamese importers, and while it depends on Laos for supplies of Pyinkado, all its Rubberwood and Acacia is bought from plantations in Vietnam itself.
Polytech products are manufactured on a mass production synchronized line, equipped with modern automatic woodworking machines from Japan and other Asian suppliers. The automatic UV coating line gives the finished product a harder, less scratchable and waterproof finish.
Polytech’s 50 employees produce interior flooring and decking, as well as exterior decking tiles, offering local markets and now exporting only specialized types of wood flooring, in just a few key species – American Oak and Walnut, Pyinkado (local ‘Rosewood’), Acacia and Rubberwood.
“Polytech’s quality attains EU standards with strict production and quality control procedures and combined with the professional skill of its workforce. The ‘Polytechfloor’ brand always has been a high reputation brand in both domestic and overseas markets, such as France, UK, Belgium, Greece, America, Korea and Japan,” says Nguyen.
Solid flooring is offered in standard thicknesses from 14mm to 24mm, whereas engineered flooring is produced from 12mm up to 21mm only. Widths of solid flooring range from 70mm to 150mm, whereas engineered widths start at 120mm up to 220mm. The company will also consider customized specifications. Engineered flooring is produced in different constructions from two-layer to multi-layer, with faces from 3mm to 6mm depending on total thickness and customer requirements. Mosaic flooring is produced in standard 7.5mm x 305mm x 305mm squares in several species, including White Oak. Square deck tiles in Acacia or Teak are produced in standard thicknesses of 12mm, 15mm and 18mm including a PE plastic base of 10mm in a full range of sizes. Flooring accessories such as skirting, T-moulding, reducers and stair noses are also offered in matching species.
Pictured is North American Walnut flooring for the Japanese market.
Within Vietnam there are plenty of project references where Polytech flooring is installed. The Sofitel hotel in Saigon, the Novotel in Da Nang, and prestige apartments in Hanoi are just some that the company quotes. Much of its local sales are secured through working with developers such as the huge VINGROUP real estate operator – one of Vietnam’s leading construction and real estate companies, as can be seen in the Vincom Centre in Saigon. Also created in 1993, VINGROUP now owns and controls almost 30 large-scale real estate and tourism properties in prime locations across the country and at the same time possesses the largest charter capital in Vietnam’s stock market of nearly $USD3 billion. It is recognized as one of the most powerful, dynamic and sustainable private enterprises in Vietnam with high potential for international integration and is yet another example of where Vietnam may be heading as an economy. So it is small wonder that Polytech (www.polytechfloor.com) has turned its attention to local demand.
An employee measures material input of North American wood.
North American Black Walnut engineered flooring with Malaysian Plywood core.
