The Contract Industry at the heart of the fair

The last edition of the Eurobois fair, which took place in Lyon last February, confirmed that this event normally dedicated to woodworking tools and machineries, has now become a benchmark trade fair for the contract industry. The sector was represented by many stakeholders, trade unions and companies.  Amongst the 29100 visitors, 25% more than in the previous edition of the fair, there were experts from the contract and wood industries. Coming from the Rhone-Alpes region and all over France. The next Eurobois fair will be held in February 2022. 

SFL, the wow factor at the 2020 Eurobois fair

With a 42m² stand in the heart of the contractors space of Eurobois, SFL lighting and socket solutions for kitchens, bathrooms and furniture since 1998, received a lot of success.

“We received the visit of about 360 contract firms during the 4 days at the fair. It’s the second time that we exhibit at Eurobois and it’s definitely worth the effort” says Stéphane Veron, CEO of SFL. With a booth twice the size as the previous year there is no doubt that SFL has been able to make the most out of the space by offering a great variety of products, best-sellers, new developments and prototypes to the attendants.

 “We are located at the heart of the contract market area, in front of renowned companies like Blum or Rehau. Visitors can’t miss us!” The fact is the booth was never empty during the entire duration of the fair and a great deal of interest was shown by the attendants: “Every two years I come here with my R&D team to discover new trends in the furniture, contract and manufacturing machines industries. I never miss SFL’s booth as I always find ideal products for my needs, especially LED lighting and socket solutions” says Pierre Romeyer, CEO of Rondy Forrestier. His company is specialised in the production of customised furniture for local entities, nurseries, student housings etc.

Contract industry tailored product

Amongst the solutions presented by SFL, their socket range received a particular interest this year. “Our visitors are interested in different products, depending on their company focus. Undoubtedly this year the sockets had a mesmerising effect on the attendants, especially our Automatick and Eight models together with the suspended socket Mercury.

“These products come from the kitchen environment and the contractors discover thanks to us” tells Joël Goyer, design at SFL. Product development from user experience is at the heart of SFL’s design process. The Eight socket that received the ‘Janus de l’Industrie’ in 2016 can be discreetly installed without taking space in a worktop or desktop. Its cover is ergonomic and very aesthetic thanks to its rounded shapes. On the other hand the Automatick has two sockets and an induction charger that pops up by a simple press of a button. It reduces the need for cables which makes it an ideal product for the layout of workspaces. Finally the Mercury is a suspended socket with a peripheral lighting. It’s perfect to bring more light in a room and a socket to plug electrical appliances at the same time. “This is a triple solution or even a quadruple solution that we offer. This helps gain time when installed by a professional and save space for the user.” explains Joël Goyer.

Discreet LED lighting, shelf supports, everything for the contractor

You can also see in the SFL booth intelligent LED lightings that are easy to install without the need to pull new cables. Invisible shelf supports particularly interesting for glass shelves and supports capable of withstanding up to 400 kg. And also prototypes in development at SFL. “We always ask our customers to give their feedback on products we develop and we listen to them. Research and development is constant. Sometimes we work on solutions that are irrelevant and are then cancelled. It’s thanks to constant thinking that we can point out important things when developing a product.” Joël Goyer remarked. At Eurobois a spot light for the back of a book shelf was presented. It is placed without any new installations in the niche. The spot was very well received and so should soon be seen on the market for contractors needs in the upcoming months.

Alice Heras