Välinge Innovation pioneered the concept of glue-free floorings in 1994 and changed the way people install and use floorings. The company’s worldwide-patented technology introduced a speedy and easy way of installing floorboards mechanically, without using glue. The technology base has gradually been extended and comprises now all technology fields related to floating floorings. Välinge has one of the most comprehensive patent portfolios in the flooring industry comprising 700 patents, a license base of more than 100 licensees and the most advanced R&D center in the world related to laminate and wood flooring technology.

License base and IP

Välinge’s licensees have successfully introduced a wide range of products based on the company’s technology, starting in 1996 with the revolutionary Alloc® Flooring. Since then, Välinge has focused on the work to increase the patent activities, expand the patent portfolio, develop new technologies and form strategic partnerships.

Välinge and its 100 licensees constitute one of the largest flooring groups in the world and they will vigorously protect their intellectual assets in the glue-free flooring area and in other new flooring technologies protected by patents. Välinge has one of the most comprehensive patent portfolios in the world related to wood and laminate floorings comprising more than 700 patents and about 1000 pending applications.

Ownership and key figures

Välinge Innovation is owned by Välinge Invest AB (30%), Nordstjernan AB (30%), Kronospan (20%) and Kronotex (20%). The links to the Krono group, the largest laminate producer in the world, gives Välinge outstanding resources and access to large scale flooring and board production technology.

Since the start in 1993, Välinge has been an extremely profitable company. In 2008 Välinge reached an invoicing of about 49 million euro. Accumulated expenses for patents and R&D are up to now (2008) about 80 MEUR. Present annual expenses for patents and R&D are about 12 MEUR.

Välinge activities.

Välinge has three main business units:

- Basic locking systems
- 5G Fold down systems
- Surface Technology

Almost all license income is related to these three technology fields. Välinge has also developed about 20 other product segments. The aim is that some of these product segments will eventually be organized as business units when considerable license income has been reached.

Customer support is one of the main activities. Välinge provides extensive support to its licensees such as prototype production according to customer specifications, education and special activities aiming to improve production efficiency and quality.

Välinge’s business is completely based on R&D. In spite of deep and extensive knowledge within the flooring field, the company is not involved in commercial flooring production and will not compete against its licensees. The license income is to a major extent used to develop new technology in order to further support a profitable growth of our licensees based on new innovative products and cost efficient production.

R&D resources

Nearly all of the company’s 60 employees work in R&D. In addition, Välinge uses a wide range of consultants and partners world-wide mainly in the fields of patents, litigation and production technology.

In 2001-2003 Välinge invested 10 MEUR in a very advanced 5 000 m2 R&D centre for floorings in Viken. The main goal was to develop new and improved locking systems for wood and laminate floorings and to support its licensees with prototype production.

In 2007 Välinge decided to broaden its technology base from mainly locking systems to all technology fields related to laminate and wood floorings, especially surface technology. The decision was taken to extend the R&D resources considerably by increasing the organization to more than 100 technicians and to build a new R&D centre for flooring in Viken, which when completed would become the largest and most advanced in the world.



The first step of the new R&D center was completed in 2009 and the investment amounts to about 40 MEUR. The total investment will be close to 50 MEUR when all planned new equipment will be installed during 2010-11. Office space, lab and production facilities have been extended from 5000 m2 to 22000 m2.





The new R&D centre is equipped with a full size flooring factory with a theoretical capacity of 20 Mm2 of various flooring types, especially floors with advanced 5G fold down locking systems. Among the equipment there are eight very advanced and flexible profiling machines, several with 12 motor stations on each side allowing a speed up to 200m/min. One of the production lines is the most advanced in the world.




The R&D center is equipped with the largest climate chamber in the world allowing testing of flooring surfaces up to 1000 m2, advanced digital lab equipment, chemistry laboratory, pressing capabilities and fully equipped workshops for wood and metal processing.

The new equipment will be used to develop new flooring technology and to make samples and start-up products for the licensees. The equipment is also used for advanced education and training related to production methods, tooling technology and quality control as well as for joint development projects together with Välinge’s licensees and partners.

Välinge Powder technology.

The most advanced part in the new R&D center is a full size demonstration factory for production of new "paper free" solid laminate flooring based on the unique Välinge Powder Technology. The factory comprises equipment to produce and mix powder, which is scattered on a core and pressed in a conventional 4*8 ft laminate press. Välinge is also able to produce powder which could be delivered together with specially developed scattering equipment to a production facility of our licensees in order to facilitate start up production.

Support Centers.

In 2007 Välinge took the first major step to broaden its global presence on local markets and Välinge Local Support Centers were established in Belgium, US and China.