Rehau – for craftsmen

Scott Williams unveils Rehau’s five-year diversification plan as the company rolls out new services to suit the needs of smaller manufacturers.

The name Rehau is well known, especially among large-scale manufacturers where its reputation for high quality edgebanding has resulted in the German brand taking a sizeable slice of the UK market. But in more recent times, Rehau UK’s acquisition of DecorEdge marked the beginning of a new era that is enabling smaller furniture making businesses to access Rehau’s market-leading products in quantities, and on lead times, that work for them.

Scott Williams, National Sales Manager with responsibility for spearheading Rehau’s five-year diversification plan into the smaller manufacturer sector, freely admits the company wasn’t previously set up to accommodate the needs of smaller producers. “It’s been quite a journey for us,” he says, “While we still cater for the needs of larger manufacturers, a new focus has been applied to servicing the smaller producers and distribution market “The changes we’ve made ensure we have much more space for our standard collections alongside our large-scale production rolls. We’ve doubled our headcount internally to enable additional support, along with national coverage externally with four regional sales reps focusing solely on smaller manufacturers. We’ve reformatted the warehouse and brought in new machinery, including new forklifts and a cutting machine, meaning we can offer any length from one metre. We hold around £2m-worth of edgeband in Manchester in the main sizes, matching all the major board producers.

“We are also looking to support our distributors, and one of the ways we are doing this is by offering our warehouse as an extension of theirs. Where there’s a known demand, we’re happy to encourage them to use our space, so the value sits with us and they can draw it off as when they need, releasing space and equity for them.”

The acquisition of DecorEdge about a year ago resulted in Rehau UK broadening its portfolio and taking on new products to better service the smaller end of the market – products like cover caps, waxes, etc., and, of course, Raubond, Rehau’s branded adhesive range. All are held in the Manchester warehouse for next day delivery, either in a Rehau van if you’re within striking distance of the M60, or via courier if you’re further afield. But the influence of DecorEdge on the future direction of Rehau has also resulted in a sea change in its modus operandi “DecorEdge mirrored the main board distributors with late ordering for next day delivery. We felt it was crucial to continue that. Local customers who order by 5pm will get a next day delivery, where previously we were set up to deliver direct from Germany in up to 48 hours. We still offer our core skills like colour matching, whilst holding a broader Edgeband range than the majority of distributors, but at the same time we’ve adapted to the needs of smaller producers and become more flexible, more accessible and faster.”

Smaller workshops can now avail themselves of all the latest Rehau introductions, including the Pro (laser), Pure (primed) and Plus (TPU) edgeband ranges. Even the latest innovations, which larger manufacturers would normally have access to first, are being made available – and that includes Raukantex Pigmento. Flecks and grain effects in the core of Pigmento edgebands reveal themselves during chamfering or milling, disguising the framing effect normally seen close up on a woodgrain décor. Pigmento gives a very convincing impression of a solid or veneered edge.

While Rehau’s Eco (50% recycled) and Evo (no fossil fuel) edgeband ranges might be better suited to larger manufacturers who increasingly demand the eco credentials such products help them provide, even these and halogen-free, self-extinguishing Fire Protect edgebands (for fire doors, in the marine industry, or where a fire rating is a key element) are now available.

About 10 years ago, Rehau introduced its own board collection called Rauvisio. “The expertise we gained from extruding edgeband, positioned us well for manufacturing our own surfaces. All of our products are high on quality and offer a technical performance and our surfaces are no different,” explains Scott. “We have two acrylic ranges called Rauvisio Brilliant and Rauvisio Crystal, as well as a HPL product called Rauvisio Noir. This enables us to offer vertical and horizontal surfaces across a vibrant collection that’s 60 décors strong, ideal for those looking to differentiate. All three ranges are held in stock and can be sourced through our partner, Decorative Panels Laminations, where it’s possible to order quantities large or small direct from them.We are also able to offer these ranges as cut and edged products, a service angled towards the smaller customer. It’s all part of our more flexible, more accessible UK business model.”

Through our subsidiary – Waivis – producers of all sizes can now access custom-made tambours, a product with multiple uses. “We have a standard collection, which is available direct from ourselves in set sizes, or, through Waivis, we can offer bespoke made to-measure units, even matching our surfaces.

“Tambours were often traditionally used in the office sector but with the world moving to digital storage and away from paper, there’s less filing to be done. By repurposing the design in the latest on-trend colours and décors, we’re evolving new ways to use tambours.We have a healthy supply into the office and medical sector, as well as shopfitting and caravans, but such is the versatility of the product, we are now looking at how we can add design to inspire other uses. One innovation is to produce the slats in a soft touch, super matt finish to match our Rauvisio Noble Matt range, so it’s possible to create a matching surface, tambour and edgeband from one source.We will show this under our Waivis brand at the Caravan Camping and Motorhome Exhibition at the NEC in February. We’ve got six finishes in the tambours to match the Noir range. We’re now starting to make inroads into the architect and specifier sectors, too.We see real potential in these areas, which is why we’ve just taken out a permanent display in the Material Source Studio in Manchester. It’s a destination for interior designers, architects and property professionals that explores a wealth of materials, products and finished projects, and that’s an area we would like more exposure.

“For the third year in a row, we’re also at the Surface Design Show in London, and we have a current finalist in the Mix Awards in Manchester for our Passion for Colours range, which is specifically for the commercial and interior design market.

“What we hope we can gain from this insight, is to raise awareness of the new nationwide edgeband service we’re now able to offer and highlight our surfaces to producers and decision makers in design, manufacturing and the commercial sector. We’d like to think we’ve got something for everyone with products that help enable exceptional design.”

Specialists from all sectors will be pleased to note that in the course of 2025, Rehau UK will look to open a showroom in its Manchester sales office where full range of edgebands, surfaces and tambours will be available. For more information on Rehau products, or to place and order, call 0161 777 7400 or visit interior.rehau.uk