LOC Composites

Competitors

The main competitors of the new building panel are manufacturers of compressed fibre cement sheet and timber floor panels such as particle board and plywood.

Competing Products

1. Compressed Fibre Cement
Compressed fibre cement sheet is a dense compressed cement based flooring substrate which has a flat and smooth surface. It is a very durable product that can be used for decking, verandas and typical wet areas.

Advantages
Tough and durable substrate for all forms of finishes.
Reasonable performance in wet areas and flooring applications.
Will not warp, rot or combust.

Disadvantages
Very heavy.
Expensive.
Comes in limited sizes (thickness).
Has a tendency to break when nailed close to the edge.
Suffers from a degree of shrinkage when drying out.

2. Particle Board
Particle board, commonly known as chipboard, is a building panel composed of wood flakes and particles of varying size bonded together under pressure. Particle board is widely used in internal cladding and domestic flooring.

Advantages
Light weight.
Cost effective.

Disadvantages
Low quality product.
Not very strong.
Not recommended for structural applications.
Not water proof, very sensitive to moisture variations, swells and shrinks easily.
Not fire resistant.
Susceptible to mould.

3. Plywood
Plywood is an assembled product made of layers of veneer held together by an adhesive. It generally consists of three or more layers of veneer firmly glued together. Plywood is universally used in a variety of structural and decorative ways, including flooring.

Advantages
High strength and stiffness.
Light weight.
Less in plane shrinking, swelling and warping then particle board.
Does not split easily.

Disadvantages
Significant swelling through the thickness.
Not fire resistant.
Susceptible to mould.

Difference Between New Panel and its Competitors

The main disadvantage of traditional floor panels is that they change size with varying moisture levels. Even compressed fibre cement absorbs moisture and suffers from shrinkage when it dries out. This swelling and shrinking often leads to failure of the water proofing membrane resulting in moisture damage to the substrate, in particular in wet areas. This shrinking and swelling has also shown to be the main cause of squeaky floors. Furthermore, when traditional materials get wet (rain) during construction builders generally have to wait for several days for the material to dry out before they can continue with their work.

When particle board and plywood gets wet, they can show evidence of mould. Scientists have confirmed the presence of stachybotrys in water-damaged homes around New Zealand . This toxin-producing fungus that thrives in damp conditions is claimed to be associated with rashes, respiratory problems and chest infections. In recent years there has been an explosion of large insurance claims in the US for mould related health problems.

The new building panel eliminates these problems because of its unique combination of properties, in particular its resistance to moisture and its dimensional stability. The following table compares the properties of the new panel with its competitors.

Table 2: Comparison of new panel with its competitors

	Particle Board	Plywood	Compressed Fibro Cement	Loklite Panel
Moisture proof	1	2	3	5
Mould growth	2	2	4	5
Dimensionally stable	1	2	3	5
Strength/stiffness	2	4	4	4
Light weight	4	4	1	4
Fire resistant	2	2	5	4
Thermal insulation	3	3	2	5
Cost	4	4	3	3

(1 = very poor, 2 = poor, 3 = moderate, 4= good and 5 = excellent)