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Domotex Hannover, Surfaces, Domotex Asia – Trade shows 2012

December 16, 2011 By rojon 1 Comment
Domotex

Well it is almost time for Santa to leverage his inspiring supply chain and pull off the most impressive display of logistics seen, well, since last Christmas. It also means that we are within a month of the hectic trade show season for key flooring personnel across the globe. Here are the top 3 flooring shows of Q1 2012 and a brief commentary of each. Domotex Hannover – January 14 – 17, 2012 at Convention Center in Hannover, Germany http://www.domotex.de/home This show has approx … [Read more...]

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BuildDirect Impressions At The 2011 Canton Fair

November 3, 2011 By Rob Banks 1 Comment
Canton-Fair-1

Here is a brief video of me at the 2011 Canton Fair, located in Guangzhou, China. This is a massive show with so many things - too many things! It is not a specialty show and I treat it as the fourth or fifth show I’d attend in the flooring industry. The two Domotex shows in Germany and China along with Surfaces in Vegas are far superior for flooring industry. Guangzhou is not an easy place to navigate, especially during show time. A first-time visitor needs to be prepared. I … [Read more...]

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Wood Flooring Forum 2011 in Shanghai

April 29, 2011 By Rob Banks Leave a Comment
Rob Banks handshake

Recently I was in Shanghai to speak on an international panel at ‘Wood Flooring Forum 2011’. It was a full day event in conjunction with the massive Domotex trade show held annually at the end of March in Shanghai. The Wood Flooring Forum was held March 25th at the Kerry Hotel Pudong. Organizers included China National Forest Product Industry Association, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Shanghai Building Materials Industry Association and along with various local government groups. I know … [Read more...]

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The Transparent Volkswagen Phaeton Factory

February 11, 2011 By Rob Banks 1 Comment
VW Phaeton

A friend of mine sent this Youtube video on to me. He is a car guy so he was excited about seeing this from a car-buying perspective. I got excited from a technology and supply chain perspective. Wow, this is impressive! It is a VW automobile ‘transparent’ factory located in downtown Dresden, Germany. This clip comes from the TV Show Megaworld and think it was originally aired on the Discovery channel. Check it out. These are some amazing advancements in production and supply chain management. The … [Read more...]

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Cigarettes, Smoked Salmon and CARB Compliant Flooring

January 28, 2011 By Rob Banks 2 Comments
Smoked Salmon

I had a chat with one of our new employees about CARB and what ‘CARB compliant’ means when referring to flooring products. Without going into too much detail, CARB refers to California Air Resources Board, the clean air agency in California. Interesting to note that they are the only State allowed to have its’ own clean air agency regulating the State. Federal law was passed afterwards and all other States have to follow the Federal Clear Air Act (or I think they can follow California’s … [Read more...]

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Flooring Trends 2011 Post Domotex Pre Surfaces Preview

January 25, 2011 By Rob Banks 4 Comments
domotex 2011

I really enjoyed the Domontex show this year. I'm sure I wasn't popular when I was tweeting on the Saturday that Day 1 of the show was very slow, much slower than last year. But as @theDomotex pointed out, the Sunday was very busy.  And by the end of the Sunday, it may have actually been busier than last year. Regardless, I had an awesome show. It was productive.  We closed some key business we needed to close. I saw many of my industry peers and met new ones. I have numerous friendships that … [Read more...]

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What To Expect At Domotex Hannover Flooring Show 2011

January 14, 2011 By Rob Banks Leave a Comment
Flying over Hannover Germany

As I post this, I am in transit Hannover, Germany, looking forward to a great show. Domotex is the granddaddy of European flooring shows. I've been numerous times and find it have great value each time. I will be doing a post show report with some video but wanted to get one last update in before the show. I have connected with Katherine Leon (Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events) and she has giving me some thoughts on this years show which you won't read anywhere other than my … [Read more...]

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Domotex Germany 2011 Pre-Show Preparation and Predictions

January 7, 2011 By Rob Banks Leave a Comment
Hannover Germany

Well my annual trip to Germany is just around the corner. Domotex Hannover, the largest flooring show in Europe, is the reason I go. I really enjoy this show, it really sets the tone for our supply chain department for the year going forward. A bonus is I get to see many friends I’ve made over the years in the industry ... and drink some great beer! The flooring industry trends usually start at Domotex Hannover and then they tend to make their way to North America later that year, or … [Read more...]

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Inside a Flooring Warehouse

December 3, 2010 By Rob Banks Leave a Comment
Chain

On a trip to California I took a brief video to show you what it looks like inside a warehouse of flooring products. This warehouse plays a key part in the Supply Chain. Supply Chain is defined as: "The network of retailers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities and suppliers that participate in the sale, delivery and production of a particular product". The warehouse plays a key role in the later part of the chain, too. When you buy from BuildDirect this is often the type of facility … [Read more...]

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BuildDirect Goes to Sweden

August 13, 2010 By Rob Banks Leave a Comment
Flag of Sweden

This past July, I took a trip with my family to Europe.  I stayed in Sweden for a while on a farm that dates back to the 1850s.  While I was there I saw an example of old European style long board hardwood flooring. Well it was actually pine flooring, so technically that's softwood flooring. I shot this video that explains more. I hope you enjoy the video! … [Read more...]

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