Lightweight Network

The Lightweight Network aims to highlight the importance of lightweight construction

The ‘Lightweight Network’ information platform created by the Egger, Hettich and Rehau groups is to have its own logo in the near future. The aim is to create a uniform brand, which is more accessible for interested companies, prospective customers as well as manufacturers and institutions wishing to join the network.

The Lightweight Network aims to highlight the importance of lightweight construction for the entire furniture industry and emphasise the advantages and potential applications for matching systems.

In future, the Network partners will present their design and system solutions for frameless lightweight constructions and new developments under the ‘Lightweight Network’ umbrella.  Meanwhile current matching systems, applications and processing techniques for frameless lightweight construction will be presented for the first time at the ZOW exhibition in Bad Salzuflen (26th February – 1st March 2007, Hall 23 E2) and the LIGNA+ in Hanover (14th – 18th May 2007, Hall 14 D10) with a shared exhibition concept and appearance.

The Network is a result of the intensive collaboration between Egger, Rehau, a market leader in the development and production of high-quality, innovative, polymer-based edgeband solutions and Hettich, a leading supplier of hardware solutions.  

For months, the three companies conducted intensive development work to create solutions for hardware, edging and processing techniques for frameless lightweight boards at Egger’s world-wide headquarters at St. Johann in Tyrol (Austria).
 
Just seven months ago, EGGER began the first industrial production of its new lightweight board ‘Eurolight’ and in doing so, has launched a new era in furniture construction.

Customers will benefit from the collaboration due to Egger supplying its Eurolight lightweight board alongside Rehau and Hettich providing important components for processing. With its special supporting edgeband technology, the Rehau basic edge and polymer processor offers a specially developed solution for edging frameless lightweight boards which makes industrial production possible. The hardware specialist Hettich completes the range perfectly with its two-part adhesive plugs, which make a secure joint between the hardware and the board.

Lightweight Construction in Focus at ZOW and LIGNA+
At the most important exhibitions of 2007, the Lightweight Network will provide a significant platform for the topic of lightweight construction, offering extensive information on application-oriented solutions and their processing.

Egger, Hettich and Rehau will be present at the ZOW exhibition in Bad Salzuflen and also at the LIGNA+ exhibition in Hanover with a joint exhibition stand, where the complete matching  solutions for lightweight board processing will be on show. 

The presentation topics are geared specifically towards the user and focus on the following key areas: the office, kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, interior design and exhibition and shop furnishings.

Apart from its attractive appearance, a particular benefit of Egger’s Eurolight is the fact that it weighs less and is therefore particularly easy to handle. However, these two advantages have only recently become available to furniture designers and interior architects now that industrial production is underway. 

The new material has various potential applications; in doors, cupboards, partitions, tables and worktops. Another benefit is the low consumption of materials in the production of lightweight boards – at a time of wood shortages and increasing raw material costs, this is a genuine saving for manufacturers and customers.

Shared Logo and Internet Site
The Lightweight Network information platform will be instantly recognisable to customers by way of a common logo and the collaboration will also launch its own Internet site in time for the exhibitions, through which all of the details on the topic of lightweight construction and each partners’ products can be accessed.

Background to the Lightweight Network

In the summer of 2006, the three corporate groups Egger, Hettich and Rehau founded an open development network for lightweight construction under the name ‘Lightweight Network’.

The objective was to develop a system of solutions adapted for the manufacturing process in the furniture and interior design industries to the point where they are ready for industrial production. The co-operation between the companies extends to the development of suitable solutions for hardware, edging and processing techniques, particularly for frameless lightweight boards.  In this way, the Lightweight Network forms a platform on which the three independently-operating companies can present their lightweight construction solutions.

The collaboration in this sector is intended to involve all companies participating in processes along the value chain to the benefit of users and consumers, and to take account of the growing importance of lightweight materials for interior design. Apart from the three designated companies, the network is open to further companies to supplement the overall network.

Egger
The corporate group Egger, with headquarters in St. Johann in Tyrol, was established in 1961 and is one of the leading wood-based material manufacturers in Europe. The family-owned company, with around 5,100 employees at 16 locations throughout Europe produces over five million m³ of high-quality chipboard, MDF and OSB boards along with further value added processes. The furniture industry, wood-based panel distributors, floor coverings dealers and DIY supermarkets are supplied with innovative wood-based material products from the plants in Austria, Germany, France, Great Britain and Russia, soon to be followed by Romania (construction began in 2006).
Hettich
The Hettich corporate group with the leading brand Hettich International is one of the largest manufacturers of furniture hardware in the world. In a total of seven German production companies and in its own production plants in Spain, the Czech Republic, Russia, the USA, Brazil and China, the Hettich corporate group, of Kirchlengern/Westphalia, including the international sales companies, employs around 5,000 staff, of which about 3,000 work in Germany.

Rehau
As a system manufacturer of polymer-based solutions, Rehau is an international leader in the fields of construction, automotive and industry. Since the company’s foundation in 1948, Rehau has constantly developed new areas of application to replace conventional materials with more effective polymers.

Under the motto ‘Design for Furniture’, Rehau offers functional and sophisticated surfaces and matching systems for living and working environments. As a market leader in the overall edgeband production process, Rehau constantly moves innovative product, design and process developments forwards.
More than 14,000 employees at 170 locations are now achieving growth and success for the family run company.