FUNCTIONAL DESIGN
“When design goes up the walls!”, FN Neuhofer is ahead of the competition. The Austrian family-run company proved this with its new wall design products, which were presented for the first time at DOMOTEX in Hanover. The range of acoustic panels and wall cladding, which has already established itself on the market in a very short space of time, has now been supplemented by waterproof and paintable acoustic panels. FN ACUSTICO in solid wood such as pine, larch and above all Swiss stone pine, the “queen of the forests”, also promises to be a market success.
“DOMOTEX has been a highlight among trade fairs for decades and provides a great start to the year. It offers the opportunity for inspiring conversations with existing and potential clients, partners and suppliers,” explains CEO Franz Neuhofer, who was present in Hanover with his sales and product development team. “It is especially gratifying when we get to experience the positive response to our new ideas and innovations. This always makes the fair a success for us. And it was the same this year!”
The numbers of international visitors to the stand of FN Neuhofer and their interest
were both extensive, ensuring FN Neuhofer, the innovative and traditional company, the perfect start in the 374th year since its foundation.
NEW PRODUCTS
FN ACUSTICOWaterproof
FN ACUSTICO is now ready to take on bathrooms, wet rooms and even external walls. With slats made of waterproof plastic and a film coating on the slats, these tried-and-tested panels can now be used externally and in interior wet areas.
FN ACUSTICOPaint on
The established range of acoustic panels has been expanded to include a variant with a white, paintable film. Elegant and minimalist, it fits into any room or you can get creative yourself. The slats can be painted with commercially available solvent-free wall paints. Plain or with completely individual works of art.
FN ACUSTICOSolid
FN ACUSTICO Solid combines excellent sound absorption properties with attractive design and the positive impact of solid wood. The woods currently available in this range are the appealing pine, the resilient larch (which can also be used in protected external areas) and the so-called ‘queen of the Alps’, the Swiss pine. It is claimed that the latter even has positive effects on the cardiovascular system. This new range will bring the benefits of nature into every living room and bedroom. Not only do the panels look great but they are easy to mount and good for the health.
PRODUCTS FOR A HEALTHY HOME AND SUSTAINABILITY AS ROUTINE
The emphasis in the case of all FN Neuhofer products is on quality – but also on creating healthy living spaces and sustainability. In fact, sustainability is a concept that is deeply rooted in the corporate history.
The family business has always considered sustainability to require the parallel and concurrent implementation of environment-related, social and commercial targets. This also involves eco-friendly, resource-saving production and the development of products and solutions associated with minimal emissions, thus ensuring effective and cost-conscious products along the whole value creation chain.
FN Neuhofer holds the following certifications:
- ISO 9001 (quality management)
- ISO 14001 (environmental management)
- eco-Institut-Label (for low emission products)
- FSC (Forest Stewardship Council for sustainable forestry)
- PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification; sustainable forestry)
- Leitbetriebe Österreich (outstanding Austrian companies)
Investments:
- Investment in a solar panel system (1 MW) has resulted in a reduction in our CO₂ emissions of 482,870 kg per year. Almost all the generated electricity is used in-house (86.2% self-consumption).
- Electricity is also generated by two own hydroelectric power stations that is also used within the company.
- For heating purposes, we also employ our own wood chips and the shavings created during production.
- A new and, energy-efficient biofuel heating plant has reduced our NOx emissions by some 50% in comparison with those produced by our former plant.
- The investment in a new filtration system has reduced particulate emissions from 150 mg/Nm³ to 10 mg/Nm³.
- We have acquired rapid and AC charging stations.
- Our new radar-controlled car park illumination has led to an 80% fall in power consumption, equivalent to 5,300 kg CO₂ per year.
- Optimised pressurised air processing means CO₂ emissions have been reduced by 36,258 kg per year.
- An extraction system for plastic shavings allows us to recycle them.
“We consider it self-evident that it is necessary to act responsibly when it comes to the resources offered by our world. This starts with our procurement; we make sure that all the MDF and various other woods we buy are of certified origin (PEFC, FSC) and continuously explore ways in which we can use the cradle to cradle principle in our production. In addition, we only use recyclable packaging materials (PE, paper/cardboard) and our aluminium and PVC products can be fully recycled.
Anyone with concerns for the future must have an ethos centred on conserving resources and acting in a socially responsible manner. High-performance solutions that have no relevance to sustainability or genuine benefits for our customers are simply not part of our way of thinking,” points out CEO and owner Franz Neuhofer.
A successful BUSINESS YEAR 2023 and the OUTLOOK for 2024
CEO and owner Franz Neuhofer is both delighted and highly motivated when he looks back at the past year: “We are particularly satisfied with our achievements in 2023 even after a series of very successful business years. Together with the whole team, we can celebrate an increase in turnover of 15% in comparison with that of the previous year! At least part of this growth can be attributed to our ‘FN ACUSTICO’ design range of functional acoustic panels and their augmentation! This product range appeals not only to our existing customers but also to many new international clients – in December this year, we were able to acquire an additional key account.”
In 2024, the extensive FN product range for floors, walls and ceilings will be exhibited at many international fairs in order to safeguard the future growth of this successful family-run business.
With this objective in view, we have recruited additional personnel to our office-based and field
force sales teams.