The European Federation of the Parquet Industry (FEP), the umbrella organization of the wood flooring industry in Europe, announced that Frédéric Henry is the laureate of the 2014 FEP Award. As a prominent expert in the field of wood flooring products, more specifically of parquet, Frédéric Henry has proven to be a valuable colleague who has made a significant contribution to the expertise of the French and European parquet industry. This is the third time that the FEP Award is presented. The FEP strongly believes that the award will serve to further strengthen the already existing ties between Frédéric Henry, the BNBA and the European Parquet Industry, paving the way for improved expertise to the benefit of parquet consumers all over Europe.
Being the European representative of an industry producing innovative quality wood flooring products, the FEP created the FEP Award to recognize the dedicated efforts of an individual, organization, institute or authority having made a significant contribution to the advancement of the European Parquet Industry. Not only do their efforts help improve the industry’s products; they also contribute in their own way to an ever enhanced and accessible wood flooring experience. The process of selecting an award recipient is well considered and merges all competent ranks within and around FEP: the member parquet producers, the National associations, the associated members, the trade press and the Board. Next to receiving the FEP distinction and the enduring trophy, the winner is also rewarded a 5,000 euro grant to support his ongoing research or focused activities in the field of parquet products.
This year FEP’s members have decidedly voted in favor of Frédéric Henry, the Managing Director of the Standardization Office for Wood and Furniture (Bureau de Normalisation du Bois et de l’Ameublement, BNBA). The French normalization office BNBA is a non-profit organization based in Paris. The BNBA, which represents 49 national commissions and committees, is integrated into the FCBA and oversees and coordinates all standardization works concerning wood, its derivatives and furniture.
An architect by training, Frédéric Henry became thoroughly familiar with the parquet industry when he joined Swedish laminate flooring manufacturer Perstorp Flooring in 1990. There, he worked on French and European standardization. In 2000, as manager of the Certification and Testing department of CERIB, he gained extensive experience in the area of precast concrete products certification, and became involved with a wide range of activities relating to CE marking, quality assurance and testing procedures. He went on to serve on numerous standardization committees as an expert. In 2003, he was promoted to director of the Concrete Industry Standardization Office BNIB. Over the years, he has represented the concrete industry at multiple international meetings as well as in European standardization committees. Since 2008, he has been at the helm of the BNBA. His expertise in the area of flooring and standardization has earned him appointments to positions in numerous committees, including chairman of the French mirror committee for parquet. Recognizing Frédéric Henry’s expertise and efforts, the 2014 FEP Award underlines his contribution to our industry. The FEP believes that his work will continue to benefit both the parquet industry and the public it strives to serve with ever-improved products, backed by substantiated information.