NALFA To Sponsor 2004 ISO Flooring Conference

Members to Discuss Updated NALFA / ANSI Standard for Laminates

The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) was recently named a sponsor of the 2004 ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Flooring Conference to be held in Key West, Fla., on March 31 through April 2. The primary goal of this conference, which will include industry representatives from both Europe and North America, is to create harmony among the existing standards and requirements of laminate floors manufactured in member countries.

A major topic of discussion is expected to be the recent publication of an updated NALFA/ANSI LF-01-2003 standard for laminate product in the North American marketplace. In reaction to the increasingly sophisticated laminate product and technology flooding the industry, the NALFA Technical Committee diligently revised and upgraded the current standard to create a three-tiered system of performance criteria. The requirements outlined in the original NALFA standard now will apply only to laminate product used in a "residential" setting, which is the most basic of the three tiers. New performance requirements have been written to evaluate laminates in the "light commercial" and "commercial" tiers.

"The ISO Conference is a unique opportunity for us to discuss various testing methods and industry standards with our European counterparts," said Bill Dearing, president of NALFA. "The U.S. has developed standards that are on par with those of the Europeans and which superbly judge a product's ability to perform under ‘real world' conditions."

ISO approached NALFA with an invitation to sponsor the 2004 Flooring Conference, which, in addition to laminate producers, also is expected to draw carpet and resilient flooring industry representatives from approximately 50 countries.

"The invitation to sponsor this conference sends a clear message to the flooring community that NALFA has emerged from a short infancy to become a worldwide industry player," said Dearing. "We bring an impressive collection of knowledge to the global laminate industry."

Delegates from eight nations, including the U.S., Sweden, Germany, France and Norway will meet during the ISO Conference specifically to discuss laminate industry standards and testing methods. After working in separate breakout groups during the first two days of the conference, delegates will then attend a larger overview session on the final day.

Formed in 1997, the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) is comprised of US and Canadian manufacturers and importers of laminate flooring, who share a goal to encourage the establishment and maintenance of high standards in laminate flooring throughout North America. NALFA does not require that members submit their products for testing. For more information, visit www.nalfa.com

ISO is a non-governmental network comprised of the national standards institutes of 148 countries, on the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system. ISO is able to act as a bridging organization in which a consensus can be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society, such as the needs of stakeholder groups like consumers and users. For more information, visit www.iso.org.