Founded in 1959 as part of SONAE Group, Sonae Indústria quickly became one of the largest Portuguese manufacturers of wood-based panels. Headquartered in the north of Portugal, the company has undergone an expansion process through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions, and has become one of the industry leaders with business units in Europe, North America and South Africa and a wide variety of products for the furniture, construction and decoration industries aiming to improve people’s lives.
In May 2016, Sonae Indústria completed a partnership with Arauco, a company with headquarters in Chile and one of the largest producers of forest resources. As a result of this strategic partnership, Sonae Indústria holds a shareholding of 50% in Sonae Arauco.
Additionally, Sonae Indústria retained the full ownership of the wood-based panels business in North America, operated by Tafisa Canada, of the Laminates & Components business and some real estate assets in Europe. Sonae – Indústria de Revestimentos, S.A. (SIR) is part of the Laminates and Components Business.SIR created an R&D Department dedicated to HPL since May 2016.
Sonae Indústria’s laminates business goes back to 1959, the year of Sonae’s foundation. The industrial activity started with the production of high-pressure decorative laminates. Currently, Sonae Indústria has two laminates and components production facilities in Portugal, and one in Germany.
Laminates are especially designed for general use in the most demanding situations of wear and impact. They are an excellent alternative to solid wood and stone applications. The launch of the Innovus® collection in partnership with Sonae Arauco represents a unique concept under one catalogue with an updated set of decors including compacts, HPL, CPL and worktops
Members:
Filipe Azevedo
Judite Amaral