ATLANTA -- Cefla Finishing North America is reporting that the number of visitors to their booth at  IWF 2016  in Atlanta greatly exceeded their attendance expectations.

“The tremendous turnout and level of interest we saw points toward market potential that continues to grow,” says Cefla national sales manager Brent Warren. “The conversations we had indicated that companies liked what they saw and are ready to make investments.”

A review of the company’s leads showed focused interests and needs, with more than half of leads coming specifically from cabinetry, home furnishings, flooring and custom and architectural woodworking. Many companies told Cefla representatives that their businesses are growing, and they want to invest in automated equipment or upgrade existing equipment.  

Potential buyers were especially keen to see newer technologies like digital printing and the Inert process Cefla demonstrated. This new process, perfected earlier this year, combines inert coating technology by Sorbini with Henkel’s Technomelt CHS UV fusion coating technology, an innovative adhesive that offers the advantage of an immediate cure with ultraviolet light. Together, the two companies created a cost-saving, high-gloss finishing system for melamine panels that opens other possibilities for matte finishing.  

Cefla also demonstrated its Pixart Plot large-size, high-definition digital printer and showed visitors how the CFS compact flooring system enables sanding on four sides of a profile. Two spraying machines, Mito and Easy, and the PF/VL curing oven were also up and running in the booth to great reviews.

Alberto Maestri provided trade press representatives with an overview of Cefla’s worldwide business.  The United States accounts for about 20 to 25 percent of Cefla’s global market. The overall goal of the company, he said, is to be a leader in decoration.

General Manager Massimo Di Russo said Cefla welcomed new customers to its exhibit at IWF, as well as productivity-driven buyers who have enhanced their operations with his company’s machines in the past. “We talked with people from all over the U.S. and Canada, as well as quite a few international companies. They really appreciated the opportunity to see so many of our innovative products applying coatings or printing in one easy-to-access setting.”

Cefla was also a sponsor of the Finishing Symposium, the day before IWF, which had a strong speaker lineup and drew a large crowd. See www.ceflafinishing.com.