Junckers flooring has a comparatively low moisture content of 8-12%, making it most suitable for regions across India that experience varied climatic conditions.
Which regions and segments is Junckers catering to currently?
We are doing projects in India, Mauritius, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. We supervised the flooring installation at the office of a government official in Pakistan from our India office. We have recently started work on a sports stadium in Mauritius for which we have sent our Denmark-trained installers; the project will take about two months to complete. China, also a huge market for Junckers, is being catered to directly by the company in Denmark.Please name some of the landmark projects undertaken by Junckers in India.
We are honoured to be assigned some landmark projects, namely, the Central Vista Project, the PM’s House, the President’s House, the Vice President’s House, the Parliament House, and the Supreme Court of India, all of which are in Delhi, where our flooring solutions have added an undeniable aesthetic value to the interior spaces.In the sports segment. Junckers has provided flooring solutions to the Haryana Sports Auditorium in Faridabad and the Kerala Sports Club in Cochin. We have done flooring of Infosys in Bangalore, the Global Genesis School in Noida, and for the IAS Academy in Dehradun. In the hospitality industry, our clients include major players like J W Marriott, Taj Hotels, ITC, Hyatt, and Leela. We have also done numerous private villas and farmhouses for HNIs.
What value-added services does Junckers India offer its clients?
At Junckers India, we have a wide range of products in various wood species, veins, textures, and colours to meet the varying demands of our customers. We are importing Oak, which has become increasingly popular now in India.We are continually evaluating our flooring options and offering solutions as per the interior look that the clients desire, and the region’s climatic conditions. For instance, in coastal regions like Mumbai and Chennai, Junckers flooring with its low moisture content compared to other brands would be most suitable as our floors do not undergo swelling, warping or contractions, during the changing seasons.
We have observed that the South India market prefers pale coloured wood with knots, while North India prefers coloured wood, also with the knots visible, but in China, knots are considered inauspicious, so we supply them plain hardwood.
Our services include guidance on flooring selection, installation, and post care and maintenance. Installation simply requires cleaning of the base floor, following which, the hardwood plants are placed on top, and are held by clips on their underside. For cleaning the floors, we suggest dry mopping. In fact, Junckers provides complete flooring solutions including maintenance and renovation of floors. It also produces cleaning materials, polishes and oils, which anyone can buy and use once in three months on their wooden floors. The company offers personalized technical services and also specializes in underfloor heating. Junckers floors are environmentally friendly, easy to clean, and don’t trap dust or allergens.
What sets the Junckers brand apart from its competitors?
While we have competing brands from Malaysia and other European countries, buyers need to be aware of the difference in Junckers products. If the moisture content in other brands is over 20% or even 13-14%, then the flooring will not survive India’s climatic conditions. On the other hand, Junckers flooring has a comparatively low moisture content of 8-12%, making it most suitable for regions across India that experience varied climatic conditions throughout the year.Please tell us about Junckers Industries of Denmark.
Junckers Industrier A/S is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of solid hardwood floors and Denmark’s largest timber industry employing more than 450 people worldwide. The company has its own forest reserves from where the wood is sourced to make the floors. For every tree that is cut, we replant another 6 trees, so it is a continuous sustained process.And the second most important thing is that we use every bit of waste produced at our factory. We cut the waste into small pallets, and use them to produce power for our factory, and one-third of the power produced is given to the Denmark grid. In this way, we make money from our waste. Since the company’s establishment in 1930, it has supplied over 100 million sq.ft of solid wood flooring across the world and the brand is currently present in more than 30 countries.
The company’s primary goal is to produce top quality products based on feedback and suggestions of architects, builders, contractors, and project owners. The company’s manufacturing techniques, refined over decades, is enabling production of well-crafted hardwood floors of various wood types, colours and textures. Our unique floors offer both comfort and functionality, besides aesthetic value to the spaces they are installed in. The superior quality of our tech-based products ensures that the floors last for generations. I am personally aware of a 100-year-old building with Junckers flooring in Denmark, which is still going strong.
Junckers India recently launched its new Oak flooring at an event held in New Delhi, graced by H.E. Freddy Svane, Ambassador of Denmark and his wife, in the presence of architects, interior designers, and clients from various fields.
What is the company’s marketing strategy in India?
The Indian market, with its sales comprising about 3% of the Junckers Group’s overall sales, is an important market, as it is seeing people’s aspirations for a better lifestyle increasing. There is a growing segment of discerning clientele who are aware of the value and status that our hardwood floors would bring to their projects, be it homes, offices, or hotels.Our office in Delhi is where we meet architects, project owners, and potential clients. Here, they can see firsthand our installed hardwood flooring and wall cladding, and some furniture pieces, though we do not make furniture for sale.
The company sells directly through its distributors: 3 in Delhi, and one each in South India, Mumbai, Kolkata, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius. Our government projects have been awarded to us through tenders. We did consider the feasibility of making the hardwood floors in India, but it was not viable considering the logistics, storage, and the guarantee which would be difficult to ensure.
How has the Junckers brand grown in India’s market for flooring products?
The Junckers brand completes 25 years in India this year. With a humble start of seven Architects in 1999 specifying Junckers, today, the company has more than 2000 architects specifying our brand in retail, government, and in private sector projects.In the hospitality sector, Le Meridian Delhi was the first 5-Star Hotel to place an order with us for all its 360 rooms, followed by the Taj Group, Radisson, ITC, Oberoi, JW Marriott, and many others.
We were keen to cater to prestigious government projects as well. Through a tender, we were awarded the newly built NDMC building on Parliament Street, followed by BSNL Office. Thereafter, there was no looking back, Junckers has been installed at the Prime Minister’s house and his office, the Rashtrapati Bhawan, National Intelligence Agency, the Supreme Court of India, Parliament House, and the prestigious Central Vista.
Junckers International has a partnership with FIBA and is also supplying and installing Sports Floors for the Paris 2024 Olympics. We have tied up with Government of Mauritius for supply and installation of all the multi-activity auditoriums in Mauritius.
We use every bit of waste produced at our factory; we cut the waste into small pallets, and use them to produce power for our factory, and one-third of the power produced is given to the Denmark grid. In this way, we make money from waste.
Please tell us about Junckers latest Oak Nature plank flooring.
Our recently introduced Oak Nature plank flooring is inspired by the beauty of Nature, as seen in its colors and vibrant vein patterns. Factory-treated for a high-quality finish, Oak Nature offers a more uniform appearance and greater durability compared to site-applied treatments.The product comes in two variants: Oak and Oak Nordic. The Oak variant features a floorboard with a warm, golden glow and an interesting grain structure. Its natural aging process gives the wood an authentic appearance. This floorboard measures 20.5 mm in thickness and 140 mm in width, and it is available with an ultra-matt or silk-matt lacquer surface.
The Oak Nordic variant has a white-toned surface, adding a light, Scandinavian touch to the floor. It measures 20.5 mm in thickness and 140 mm in width, and it is finished with an ultra-matt lacquer surface.
