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About us

Who are we ?

Finaspan's origins lie in the Marien group, founded towards the end of the 19th century by the Marien family. Five generations later, this family and emotional bond still ensures the management within the group.

Based in Belgium, Finaspan is one of the largest independent producers of wood veneer boards in Europe with an annual production of over 150,000 boards. Much of the production is exported to various European countries such as Great Britain, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, those constituting their dominant market.

In recent years, the veneer world has undergone a huge evolution: from a commodity product used in all kinds of applications, veneer has evolved into a niche product found in high end projects. This prompted us to change our ways of working: each order is considered as a unique project and special attention is paid to the cohesion between technical possibilities and atmosphere. Finaspan has an experience that is based on generations of knowledge in the wood sector and passing on its knowledge to its team, Finaspan brings a reassuring feeling to her customers.

Mission

For millions of years the love of wood has been written in our genes: men come from the forest, they have developed in symbiosis with it over the millennia and, for generations, it is from the forest and nature that the human being took his wealth.

Even today, the human being still feels the need to find his roots by immersing himself in the world of wood, this symphony of textures and colors that reminds him who he is and where he comes from.

Our mission: To unite man with nature and vice versa.

With wood, nature has indeed offered us the most beautiful of materials. It's up to us to make the best use of it but above all to preserve it for future generations.

Values

The values of Finaspan have always been ancred in the genes of the Marien family. It is with passion that the Marien family passes on these values to her team and and gives a real purpose to the company. These values reflect our commitment towards our customers, our suppliers, our partners and our employees.

Love for wood

The love for wood and for a work well-done underline our professional and emotional commitment : we live for wood, a product coming from the Nature that always has the last word.

Enthusiasm

We are always up for new challenges keeping a positive attitude even if we fail: learning lessons from failures is key to be able to overcome future obstacles. Nothing is impossible, the only limits are the ones we are imposing ourselves.

Respect and Honesty

Respect for the others is a key element: Respect for our business partners and respect for our employees. It is through relationships based on honesty and transparancy that we want to evolve with our partners.

Professionalism

We adopt a professional approach at all levels : from price inquiry to on-time delivery, product preparation and high quality production.

Always with a smile

A friendly team always ready to go out of their way to help you with a smile.

History

Four generations of resourcefulness

The history of the Marien group goes back to the end of the 19th century. Already four generations of the Marien family have been active in wood and building
Construction.

Louis Marien, the founder of the company in 1890 was already ahead of the market when he expanded his original building business to saw-milling timber
for his own needs. Through the years he and his son were able to build 40.000 green-houses in the area of Hoeilaart, famous throughout all of Europe for its
wonderful grapes. Additionally, he produced up to 15.000 grape boxes each day.

His son, Charles, a renown architect, succeeded him after the First World War. He expanded the business to include the design and construction of the typical "grape-farmer house" with their peaked roofs surmounted by a little terrace which can still be seen
today in the grape country.

Charles’s son, Albert, took up another challenge after the Second World War. He decided to leave this market, which was more and more under pressure from imported grapes, and to specialise in a promising product: peeled and sliced veneer
for plywood and furniture. An enlightened decision as the furniture industry was just discovering the many advantages of peeled veneer in achieving curved shapes and sliced veneer for its appearance and surface finishing.

In the Sixties followed another development: the company started its own production of plywood and blockboard, either veneered or film faced. Then another breakthrough: chipboard! Surfaced with real wood veneer it was proclaiming lower prices… and a new fashion. In the following decade, under the direction of Charles Marien, and a market progressing away from veneered plywood and blockboard to veneered chipboard. And, more
recently, to veneered MDF, a contemporary speciality where the company, under the current Direction, has become a market leader in Europe through its flagship company Finaspan.

The last revolution is placed under the flag of innovation: the veneer world, under the threat of plastic, cheaper but also easier to implement, demands better worked out products. This means the start of de new product ranges of lacquered boards, ready for use, and of the tactile products where the wooden structure is emphasized in its whole beauty.

With the years, veneer evolved toward a luxury product where structure, colour and pattern are of utter importance. Contact with fitters, architects and end-customers lays now at the basis of our job. Everything is produced in total transparancy: from the selection of the veneer to the jointing of the layons. The result are magnificent projects where wood is put on its deserved spot.

The history of Finaspan, through the one of Marien group, illustrates three characteristics which form an integral part of the company and its family: anticipation of market changes, adaptation, and fidelity to craftsmanship accumulated through many generations. Love for wood runs indeed as an aphorism through the story of the company for 125 years and keeps the promise for the future.