With its 14 ordinary and 13 associate members from 9 different European countries, The Multilayer Modular Flooring Association (MMFA) advocates clear rules and standards for the innovative product category of multilayer modular flooring.
Founded in October 2012, the young association MMFA continues to attract industry-wide interest with now having 27 members in total. MMFA chairman Matthias Windmöller has a straightforward explanation for the rapid expansion of the new association: “There are considerable product developments in the field of multilayer modular flooring, and so there is a great deal of market activity at the moment. Therefore, it is only logical that various major players in this market are joining the MMFA, a key special interest group.”
Under the convenorship of Volker Kettler (Meisterwerke, Rüthen, Germany) and Edwin Lingg (Li&Co, Müstair, Switzerland), the MMFA’s technical committee is actively involved in the development of the European standard entitled prEN 16511. In future product standards, they hope to include specific tests and requirements depending on the product’s composition. In addition, for floating flooring systems, underlay materials with various levels of quality are to be considered. For the MMFA, it is essential that its technical work schedule looks at flooring as the overall system of different components. The right combination of underflooring, underlay material and multilayer modular flooring must be used to protect the flooring system as a whole and extend its lifetime. A special MMFA working group deals with these system conditions. Furthermore, topics such as laying, cleaning and care are also on the agenda. In the long run, the MMFA hopes to publish specific recommendations for underlay materials.
The general public shall be swiftly made aware of the products of this young industry. Comprehensive information and advice are vital in order to successfully establish the new flooring products as an independent “category” on the market. The second key activity is the regular collection of MMFA sales statistics in three product categories. In order to gain significance and ensure comparability, the members of the MMFA have agreed to record sales volumes from the production sites of their European plants in three product categories. In simplified terms, Class 1 covers floating, modular floorings such as those with HDF base material, while Class 2 includes solid plastic flooring with click technology, among others. Class 3 comprises special products with mixed compositions. From 2014, quarterly sales figures are to be collected for each region and country.