History of Funder America, Inc.

     The patriarch that established the Funder name throughout Europe was Karl Funder, an enterprising Austrian who in 1890 began to utilize his extensive properties in native Carinthia as the source of timber for the small local sawmills he was establishing. Later a pulp wood factory, a paper mill and larger installations for the production of hardboard were developed.  As the company expanded over the decades, the name Funder became a synonym to forest products and known throughout Europe from the exporting of the sawn timbers to the various European countries.

     When the [retired] General Director of Funder Inc., Adolf Funder, entered the business in 1952, he started a new program of expansion capitalizing on his vast raw material source of timber to further expand the company into more markets. Factories for the production and manufacturing of melamine panels and particle board were erected. At the same time the paper mill was transformed into a particle board plant followed by the installation of a highly versatile Conti press to increase production capacity.

     To further monitor product excellence and quality control, another company was formed to specialize in the design and construction of machinery for the production and surface finishing of all types of hardboard and particle board. This engineering company also made provisions for its capabilities to include providing customers with in—plant technical assistance throughout every planning stage and offering specialized training to the future engineering staff.  These were the carefully developed steps that allowed Funder, A.G. to achieve its current position in the European board market. Now in its ninth decade, the company is one of the largest privately owned joint stock companies in Austria.

     The stateside story of Funder America began in 1973 with a group of U.S. investors constructing a 100,000 square foot plant in Mocksville, North Carolina, devoted exclusively to the production of quality melamine panels. This independently operated firm brought the most sophisticated equipment and technical expertise from the European technical resources to make the facility the most modern and complete of its type in the industry.

     Continued achievement with technological advances throughout the 70’s has today made the Funder name a state-of-the-arts for melamine production. The burgeoning American marketplace foresees the product as a growing entity with strength in its versatile applications, contemporary design appeal, and broad range of wood grains and color offerings available. In this respect, the Funder story has just begun.