Who we are
Formica Group is a worldwide leading provider of branded, design coordinated surfacing solutions for commercial and residential customers. As the largest manufacturer of High Pressure Laminate (HPL) our worldwide network of manufacturing, distribution and sales operations maintains the recognition of Formica® as a global brand.
The heritage and brand reputation of Formica Group of companies is founded on quality, service and strong, innovative product ranges. We have developed an unrivalled expertise that ensures products are fit for purpose and meet market demands. Working closely with architects, designers and specifiers, the company is ideally placed to offer new products and decors which complement current design trends, and has an ongoing product design and development process.
In May 2007, Formica Group of companies were acquired by Fletcher Building, one of Australia’s and New Zealand’s largest building companies. The acquisition resulted in the creation of the world’s largest manufacturer of decorative surfaces and high pressure laminate.
Formica Group is a global group of companies consisting of Formica Canada, Inc., Formica Corporation, Formica de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Formica IKI Oy, Formica Skandinavien, Formica Limited, Formica S.A., Formica S.A.S., Formica Taiwan Corporation, Formica (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and Formica (Asia) Ltd., among others.
What we do
Formica Group globally leads the industry in the design, manufacture and distribution of innovative surfacing products for commercial and residential applications.
Our innovative and complementary products include High Pressure Laminate (HPL) in a wide selection of colours, designs and textures. HPL can be used flat on vertical and horizontal surfaces and can be heated and formed to hold a curve. A colour palette of over 150 plain colours is offered in HPL, with NCS and RAL colour references provided to aid colour matching on specification projects. HPL is robust, hygienic, and offers countless design and application opportunities for a wide variety of environments.
Visit our Case Study section to see some of our most exciting projects.
Formica® laminate has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, becoming the surfacing material of choice in many interior environments.
Working closely with the whole surfacing industry, new designs and new textures are constantly being introduced, in response to customer demands, combined with contemporary and future interior design trends.
Other surfacing materials include structural Formica® Compact with its solid laminate core, ColorCore® with the same colour throughout, DecoMetal® incorporating real metal foils and a specialist Formica® Bespoke digital and screen print service. Also the Formica® - Unilin MFC range provides a ready to use and cost effective material available in 80 designs.
Our latest exciting introduction to the Formica Group portfolio is VIVIX®, a solid phenolic, ventilated rainscreen façade application.
What we stand for
Formica Group has a proud heritage, supported by a strong brand.
Formica Group’s vision is to be the leading decorative laminate company worldwide. This vision is supported by core values which will help us to continue to lead the market both through innovation and with a design-focused approach.
We aim to be the customer’s first choice to do business with and to build close and mutually beneficial relationships with our customers, suppliers and partners. Ensuring marketplace and customer satisfaction are the driving forces behind all we do, we understand that listening to our customers is important.
We have regular communication with design leaders and consumers, which helps us to produce products that are fit for purpose and meet market demands.
As a global manufacturer, the environment is an important factor in our daily manufacturing and distribution decisions. Formica Group is committed to safeguarding the Earth’s natural resources, by using paper from recycled sources and sustainable softwood forests.
Paper accounts for approximately 70% of the makeup of a sheet of laminate and therefore our procurement policy is one of sourcing raw materials from responsible vendors using managed renewable sources. We have been awarded Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification for all our manufacturing sites and distribution centres in Europe.
GREENGUARD® certification has been achieved worldwide for all of our manufacturing plants. Formica® products are therefore entitled to carry the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® label, which signifies that products contribute minimally to chemical emissions and help create healthier indoor environments.
This achievement ensures that architects, designers, specifiers and other purchasers, wherever they are located, are assured that Formica products are healthy options for workplace or domestic environments.
We recognise that in today’s world, things do not stand still and we strive to continually develop and evolve to provide the products and service that our customers need.
Our history
Formica® is an iconic brand, which is intrinsically linked with the material High Pressure Laminate (HPL). Continuing to offer HPL of the highest quality, the company now also offers the latest innovations in laminate in a range of complementary interior and exterior grade surfacing materials.
High Pressure Laminate was invented in the USA in 1913 by two electrical engineers, Herbert A Faber and Daniel J O’Conor, who were searching for a substitute ‘for’ an insulation material ‘mica’. In 1927 the company began lithographing decorative images onto the sheets of laminate, introducing a new product and one that would change the future of the company. By the 1930s world-renowned artists and architects also began to recognise the design potential of the material, specifying it for modernist and art deco interiors.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the baby boom in the USA and the rebuilding in Europe, as well as rising social expectations created a need for modern, cost-effective interior design materials. Formica® laminate with its new variety of colours and patterns was an ideal material and as they say the rest is history.
Formica® products first entered the European market in 1946. Formica Group is a global group of companies consisting of Formica Canada, Inc., Formica Corporation, Formica de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Formica IKI Oy, Formica Skandinavien AB, Formica Limited, Formica S.A., Formica S.A.S., Formica Taiwan Corporation, Formica (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and Formica (Asia) Ltd., among others. The company has a network of more than 10 worldwide manufacturing facilities. With a history of product innovation in both technology and design the company stays on top of design trends through regular communication with design leaders and consumers.
Formica products are specified by architects, designers, contractors, shop-fitters, home-builders and manufacturers of finished products. Used principally for interior surface applications they are valued for their high quality, durability, design features, versatility and ease of maintenance. Throughout the world you will find Formica® surfacing materials adding quality and attractiveness to civic buildings, leisure facilities, libraries, offices, schools, hospitals, laboratories, hotels, restaurants, shopping centres, shop interiors, airports, railway stations, ships, buses, trains, domestic interiors…the list is endless.
