Zell am Moos, 02 August 2024 - At a festive reception, the international family business FN Neuhofer honoured two outstanding employees for their decades of service to the company and their tireless commitment.

Johann Pöckl (Hitzl) - 45 years with the company
Johann Pöckl, known as Hitzl, has been an integral part of the FN Neuhofer team for an impressive 45 years. At the age of 15, on 1 August 1979, he was one of the first three employees to join the company's last production department. Over the course of his career, he has worked in various areas: from cutting and planing to packing and shipping the mouldings. His expertise and passion for forklift driving earned him the title of ‘Master Forklift Driver’ and ‘Loading Master’. Even though he used to work as a warehouse manager, he favoured working as a forklift driver and still plays a key role in this role today. His skills and commitment make him an indispensable pillar of the company.

Johann Pöckl - 40 years with the company
Johann Pöckl began his career at FN Neuhofer on 16 July 1984 at the age of 16. He was also one of the first employees in moulding production and took on tasks such as cutting, planing, packing and shipping the mouldings. Today, Johann Pöckl works as a warehouse manager in logistics and is responsible for warehouses covering the entire DACH region as well as all customer warehouses. With responsibility for a large team of pickers, packers and leasing staff, he ensures that everything runs smoothly every day. His knowledge and commitment are irreplaceable and play a key role in shaping the logistics department at FN Neuhofer.

Honouring by the Neuhofer family and management
The Neuhofer family and the company's management used the festive setting of the reception to honour the exceptional achievements and many years of loyalty of Johann Pöckl (Hitzl) and Johann Pöckl.

‘Both gentlemen are important pillars of the company and have contributed significantly to our success. Their dedication, many years of experience and tireless commitment are exemplary and deserve the highest respect and recognition. We are proud to have such committed and loyal employees in our ranks and look forward to many more years of working together,’ says owner Franz Neuhofer.

‘With this honour, we would like to thank not only the two jubilarians, but also the entire workforce. It is the people behind the scenes who lay the foundation for the success of our company through their daily work and commitment,’ Neuhofer continues.

Ed Bass becomes CEO of the joint venture "NSP PANELS AND MORE LLC" (Commerce, Georgia, USA). The founding members, Franz Neuhofer, Owner and Managing Director of FN Neuhofer, Marco Seitner, Owner and Director of the Board of SELIT North America Inc., and David Pritchard, Owner and President of Pak-Lite Inc., are pleased to announce this appointment.

Mr. Bass took up his new position on 1 July 2024. With his central role in the current build-up phase of the joint venture and his commitment to future developments, he will be instrumental in shaping and growing the company.

"With his extensive sales experience and technical expertise, we are delighted to have Ed Bass on board. His strategic vision and ability to drive operational excellence will be instrumental in taking "NSP PANELS AND MORE LLC" to the next level. We are confident that he will lead the company to sustained success and further expansion," said Franz Neuhofer, Marco Seitner and David Pritchard.

www.nsp-panels.com

Franz Neuhofer owner and managing director of the Austrian family business FN Neuhofer from Zell am Moos/Austria, founds a joint venture called "NSP PANELS AND MORE LLC" with Marco Seitner, owner and Director of the Board of SELIT North America Inc. and David Pritchard, owner and President of Pak-Lite Inc. (PLI), based in Commerce, Georgia/USA.

"NSP PANELS AND MORE LLC" stands for premium acoustic panels and more. The company name is a combination of the names Neuhofer, SELIT North America Inc. and Pak-Lite Inc (PLI). This promising joint venture was founded with the aim of establishing functional design in the form of acoustic panels, wall elements and accessories for floors, walls and ceilings on the American market.

"I am very pleased to announce the founding of "NSP PANELS AND MORE LLC". Marco, David and I have a strong partnership and with our combined expertise in product and production know-how as well as our knowledge of the American market, we can look forward to a promising future," says Franz Neuhofer.

At the Surfaces (TISE) and IBS 2024 trade fairs in Las Vegas/USA, "NSP PANELS AND MORE LLC" already made a successful appearance as a company. The interest in the acoustic panels was outstanding and promising discussions were held.

Further information on the products can be found at www.nsp-panels.com

"When design goes up the walls!”, FN Neuhofer is ahead of the competition. The Austrian family-run company proved this with its new wall design products, which were presented for the first time at DOMOTEX in Hanover. The range of acoustic panels and wall cladding, which has already established itself on the market in a very short space of time, has now been supplemented by waterproof and paintable acoustic panels. FN ACUSTICO in solid wood such as pine, larch and above all Swiss stone pine, the "queen of the forests", also promises to be a market success.

“DOMOTEX has been a highlight among trade fairs for decades and provides a great start to the year. It offers the opportunity for inspiring conversations with existing and potential clients, partners and suppliers,” explains CEO Franz Neuhofer, who was present in Hanover with his sales and product development team. “It is especially gratifying when we get to experience the positive response to our new ideas and innovations. This always makes the fair a success for us. And it was the same this year!”
The numbers of international visitors to the stand of FN Neuhofer and their interest
were both extensive, ensuring FN Neuhofer, the innovative and traditional company, the perfect start in the 374th year since its foundation.


NEW PRODUCTS:

FN ACUSTICO Waterproof
FN ACUSTICO is now ready to take on bathrooms, wet rooms and even external walls. With slats made of waterproof plastic and a film coating on the slats, these tried-and-tested panels can now be used externally and in interior wet areas.

FN ACUSTICO Paint on
The established range of acoustic panels has been expanded to include a variant with a white, paintable film. Elegant and minimalist, it fits into any room or you can get creative yourself. The slats can be painted with commercially available solvent-free wall paints. Plain or with completely individual works of art.

FN ACUSTICO Solid
FN ACUSTICO Solid combines excellent sound absorption properties with attractive design and the positive impact of solid wood. The woods currently available in this range are the appealing pine, the resilient larch (which can also be used in protected external areas) and the so-called ‘queen of the Alps’, the Swiss pine. It is claimed that the latter even has positive effects on the cardiovascular system. This new range will bring the benefits of nature into every living room and bedroom. Not only do the panels look great but they are easy to mount and good for the health.


PRODUCTS FOR A HEALTHY HOME AND SUSTAINABILITY AS ROUTINE
The emphasis in the case of all FN Neuhofer products is on quality - but also on creating healthy living spaces and sustainability. In fact, sustainability is a concept that is deeply rooted in the corporate history.
The family business has always considered sustainability to require the parallel and concurrent implementation of environment-related, social and commercial targets. This also involves eco-friendly, resource-saving production and the development of products and solutions associated with minimal emissions, thus ensuring effective and cost-conscious products along the whole value creation chain.

FN Neuhofer holds the following certifications:

• ISO 9001 (quality management)
• ISO 14001 (environmental management)
• eco-Institut-Label (for low emission products)
• FSC (Forest Stewardship Council for sustainable forestry)
• PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification; sustainable forestry)
• Leitbetriebe Österreich (outstanding Austrian companies)

Investments:

• Investment in a solar panel system (1 MW) has resulted in a reduction in our CO₂ emissions of 482,870 kg per year. Almost all the generated electricity is used in-house (86.2% self-consumption).
• Electricity is also generated by two own hydroelectric power stations that is also used within the company.
• For heating purposes, we also employ our own wood chips and the shavings created during production.
• A new and, energy-efficient biofuel heating plant has reduced our NOx emissions by some 50% in comparison with those produced by our former plant.
• The investment in a new filtration system has reduced particulate emissions from 150 mg/Nm³ to 10 mg/Nm³.
• We have acquired rapid and AC charging stations.
• Our new radar-controlled car park illumination has led to an 80% fall in power consumption, equivalent to 5,300 kg CO₂ per year.
• Optimised pressurised air processing means CO₂ emissions have been reduced by 36,258 kg per year.
• An extraction system for plastic shavings allows us to recycle them.

“We consider it self-evident that it is necessary to act responsibly when it comes to the resources offered by our world. This starts with our procurement; we make sure that all the MDF and various other woods we buy are of certified origin (PEFC, FSC) and continuously explore ways in which we can use the cradle to cradle principle in our production. In addition, we only use recyclable packaging materials (PE, paper/cardboard) and our aluminium and PVC products can be fully recycled.
Anyone with concerns for the future must have an ethos centred on conserving resources and acting in a socially responsible manner. High-performance solutions that have no relevance to sustainability or genuine benefits for our customers are simply not part of our way of thinking,” points out CEO and owner Franz Neuhofer.



A successful BUSINESS YEAR 2023 and the OUTLOOK for 2024

CEO and owner Franz Neuhofer is both delighted and highly motivated when he looks back at the past year: “We are particularly satisfied with our achievements in 2023 even after a series of very successful business years. Together with the whole team, we can celebrate an increase in turnover of 15% in comparison with that of the previous year! At least part of this growth can be attributed to our ‘FN ACUSTICO’ design range of functional acoustic panels and their augmentation! This product range appeals not only to our existing customers but also to many new international clients - in December this year, we were able to acquire an additional key account.”

In 2024, the extensive FN product range for floors, walls and ceilings will be exhibited at many international fairs in order to safeguard the future growth of this successful family-run business.
With this objective in view, we have recruited additional personnel to our office-based and field
force sales teams.

FN Acustico HEXAGO - hexagonal acoustic elements
With this unusual wall decoration, you can bring the walls to life and create an individual atmosphere in any room in just a few simple steps. Less or more, symmetrical or asymmetrical, tightly or loosely arranged. Unpack, stick on, done.

It's wonderful to be able to create oases of calm in your own home or other places. Reverberation-reducing, sound-absorbing elements, deliberately placed on the walls, can work wonders. One way to do this is to use the “FN Acustico HEXAGO” hexagonal acoustic elements.

Design: The hexagonal shape of these reverberation-reducing elements provides scope for an almost infinite number of possibilities for arranging the elements in relation to each other on the wall and thus for an individual design of the room. Numerous decors and colours of the surfaces additionally extend the possibility of individualisation by combining different decors on the wall.

Structure: The product consists of approx. 9 mm thick polyester felt. The beautiful look is created with MDF slats, which are in turn covered with decorative foils or real wood veneers.

Function: This product has two functions. One is to beautify the room and is purely decorative.
The second function is to reduce reverberation. Sound waves emitted by noise sources hit the product. The PET felt in particular absorbs these waves and deflects them through its construction
as a tangled fibre network, so that some of them get lost in the felt and cannot be reflected again. This reduces the room reverberation and makes the room seem quieter.

Assembly: The hexagonal elements are simply glued or screwed to the wall with assembly adhesive in the arrangement that suits personal design preferences.



FN Wally ZEBRA - decorative wall cladding
Set beautiful accents or cover entire walls: FN Wally ZEBRA made of the derived timber product MDF convinces with its elegant-modern lamella look and the simple and quick installation.
What's more, FN Wally ZEBRA is an inexpensive alternative to acoustic panels.

Product: The innovative wall cladding made of black MDF is available with different surfaces - trendy with haptic or decorative foil, classically elegant with real wood veneer.
By milling out strips from the decor surface, the black MDF underneath appears and the slatted look is created.

Mounting: For a clean and visually flawless result, it is essential to carefully set up the first slat with the spirit level. The profile is simply fixed to the wall with mounting adhesive. A slight overhang on
one side on the long side of the profile ensures overlapping and therefore a clean joint on the subsequent profile.

Decorative wall design is thus quickly and easily possible for everyone. With FN Wally Zebra, walls become pieces of jewellery!

"Be there and experience innovation, expertise, inspiration, joy of life and - if you like - your best game!" was the motto of the FN Neuhofer autumn event in Zell am Moos, Austria.

The "FN Innovation Expo" at FN Neuhofer's headquarters in Zell am Moos, took place from 12-14 October 2023. In the course of an innovative interpretation of an in-house exhibition, an
FN golf tournament was also held at the "Leading Golf Course GC am Mondsee". Here, the guests could not only enjoy playing golf, but also network in the best possible way.

"We were delighted with the large number of visitors, interesting discussions and lively interest," said owner and managing director Franz Neuhofer about the successful event.

The programme of the "FN Innovation Expo" was varied and was heralded with the opening of the new "FN Innovation and Science Centre".
Here, four test stations with robot applications were demonstrated to illustrate the load-bearing capacity and high quality of FN products, three-dimensional representations of profile structures including explanations as well as general information on wood and its functions with interesting facts also on the demand for responsible sustainability.

Afterwards, the visitors went on a guided tour of the company with a special feature. Visitors could bring a picture of their choice, which was then printed live, either on Alu-Dibond, OSB or FN Acustico, using the new digital printing machine on site. In this way, the guests could experience how a work of art on 60x60 cm was created from their desired picture and, of course, take it home with them.

Another highlight was the expert dialogue with international keynote speaker Christoph Holz on "Artificial Intelligence and its impact on production, trade and the future of us all". Customers, partners, employees and even applicants were invited to learn exciting facts, ask questions and discuss with the expert. Conclusion: Fascination and a bit of caution.

Between the programme items, there was of course time to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere over coffee, rolls and desserts at the FN Café. "All in all, it was a more than successful event with many interesting encounters and promising business deals," says Franz Neuhofer.




FN innovations at more than 20 trade fairs worldwide this year
The family business from Zell am Moos has already exhibited over 20 trade fairs/congresses this year. FN Neuhofer was thus able to present and make accessible its wide range of products, from accessories for floors, walls and ceilings, to many international visitors. The family-owned company's new mainstay - the FN acoustic panels, which are offered in the further development of shapely variants to hexagonal acoustic elements - met with particular interest.

Two trade fairs are still outstanding. In November, the Branchentag Holz in Cologne (Hall 8, Stand B21) will follow and in December, the Big 5 Global in Dubai will conclude the successful trade fair marathon 2023.

The Austrian family business was pleased to take part in Domotex in Hanover and present its innovations for 2023 to existing and potential customers in person. In addition to the functional design acoustic panels, the company presented an innovative fastening system as well as its new, state-of-the-art digital printing system.

“We are very pleased to take part in trade fairs in person again and meet customers ‘live’,” said Managing Director Franz Neuhofer, who was on site in Hanover with his sales and product development team.
FN Neuhofer presented the FN Acustico, its functional acoustic panels in various designs, as well as the new, screwless fastening system “FN Clipholder CH25”.
This clip is a true innovation – without tools or drilling, it quickly and easily clamps into the expansion joint between the floor and the wall. The skirting board is held in place by the compressive force of the floor.

Another highlight was the presentation of the incredible potential of the state-of-the-art digital printing system for panels that has already been installed and activated at the Zell am Moos site. With this system, FN Neuhofer can produce panels made of MDF, metal (e.g. Alcan-Dibond/alu-composite), rigid foam (e.g. Forex, Sintra), soft foam (e.g. Kapa), three-layer panels made of spruce, pressboard panels as well as folding carton/corrugated cardboard, and glass.
It is able to print FN Acustico panels up to a width of 250 cm in the highest resolution. The potential applications are wide-ranging and the system perfectly complements the FN standard range.

The enthusiasm of the many international visitors at the FN Neuhofer booth was very high, making the trade fair an incredible start to the new business year.

FN Neuhofer, the innovative supplier of accessories for floors, walls and ceilings, has installed its third printing system on site – a state-of-the-art, digital surface printing machine for panels.

“A high-tech system like this complements our existing digital printing competence centre in many ways,” says owner and CEO Franz Neuhofer. With this system, FN Neuhofer can now also print on panels made from MDF, metal (e.g. Alcan-Dibond/alu-composite), plastic hard foam (e.g. Forex, Sintra), soft foam (e.g. Kapa), three-layer spruce, pressboard as well as folding cardboard/corrugated cardboard and glass up to a width of 250 cm.

Customisation as a USP
This means that the innovative family company can not only custom print its recently launched
“FN Acustico” acoustic panels, but also profile boards, floorboards, wall coverings and kitchen splashbacks.
“This gives us another USP for our customers and partners when it comes to creativity, problem-solving and trends.”

Technologically ahead of the game
The system has 120 individual print heads and achieves an impressive resolution of 1000 dpi.
This means that there are hardly any limits to the imagination when it comes to choosing a picture and design.
The system can apply any photo or logo to the base. In addition to its own products, FN Neuhofer
can also produce, for example, POS materials for the shelves in hardware stores.

The digital printing line for plates was already commissioned in December 2022.

Key figures of the system:

• UV flatbed printing with 120 individual print heads
• Single and multi-web printing possible
• Max. print width 250 cm
• Resolution: 1,000 dpi
• Annual capacity: 3.3 million m²
• Low ink consumption
• Very large colour space
• GREENGUARD GOLD certified

True innovation for DIY and professional: the new Clipholder CH25 from FN Neuhofer. Installation is extremely easy and quick – no tools, no drilling and no mess. This metal clip, made from spring steel, clamps into position in the expansion joint between the floor and the wall using our patented system. Then you simply install the skirting board and you’re done. You can also use the clip on all existing skirting boards with the tried-and-true groove for the CH23 clip.

Product advantages:

• For clamping in the floor expansion joint
• Installs quickly and easily without tools
• No drilling, no mess during assembly
• Plug-in skirting clip for quick, clean and invisible installation of the skirting board
• Repeated assembly and disassembly possible
• For skirting with a height up to 90 mm
• For floor thicknesses of 7 mm and up
• Patented

Wall panelling is in! This is also shown by the trend towards FN acoustic panels as a beautiful and functional design element.
If the sound-absorbing effect is not so important, "FN Wally" is the ideal product. This is manufactured in MDF with digitally printed decorative foil. A wide variety of profile shapes are possible. And for the perfect finish, there are matching end trims - as usual also with the same decor as the wall panelling.

Product advantages:

• Wall panelling made of MDF with decorative foil
• A wide variety of decors possible using digital printing
• Matching end trims for the beginning and end
• Decorative wall cladding

Relaunch of the homepage and new product catalogue in 2023
The company's new website will be modern and user-friendly. Customers, partners and interested parties can find information about FN products and applications quickly and easily on www.fnprofile.com, as well as a wide variety of videos from all areas, folders and the new product catalogue for download, or useful information and direct application options via the careers sub-page. We are also creating individual microsites for product highlights. The homepage and the microsites are available in German, English, French and Spanish.

B2B shop for customers
A B2B shop for our customers is currently under construction. A complete PIM/DAM system will be connected to the shop, so that media assets and product attributes can be transmitted to our customers quickly and easily. The shop will optimise the ordering process and also display the complete order history for our customers. The concept will enable the customer to place an order quickly and with few obstacles.

From technical assembly videos to the “FN DIY Show” – our FN YouTube channel
The FN YouTube channel will be an entertaining self-help resource. With a variety of practical installation clips and – new in 2023 – the FN DIY Show. The diverse and fun videos will show real-life applications for our products with explanations and helpful tips from professionals.
By the way: in the catalogue you will find a QR code on the respective product pages – scan this to access the installation video directly.
https://www.youtube.com/@neuhoferholz

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www.fnprofile.com/socialmedia