History

The Kaczkan company was established in 1987, in a small village of Kiełkuty in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie province. The company, co-founded by a father and his son (Henryk and Józef Kaczkan), initially manufactured only sawn timber products, but gradually extended its range of products and offer. The barn which housed the company's first manufacturing plant stands to this day, not far from the sawmill, and plans are afoot to set up a museum of the Kaczkan brand in the building.

Initial personnel

In the beginning, the company was staffed exclusively by its founders, Henryk Kaczkan and Józef Kaczkan. As time passed, additional employees joined the team, forming the nucleus of today's management and rank-and-file staff. Many of them have been with the company for over 20 years, and some have been working for us practically since the beginning of the Kaczkan brand, i.e. for more than 30 years. We want to highlight this fact, because the Kaczkan company is made up of people who create an exceptional history.

First edger

In the beginning, wood was worked on in the plant operated by Henryk and Józef Kaczkan using a table saw and circular saws that were brought into the company by its founders. It was only after some time had passed that additional machines and tools began to see use in the company, allowing Kaczkan to produce solid floorings and floorboards.

First sawmill

Initially, slats and other simple lumber products such as sidings were manufactured in Józef Kaczkan's wooden shed located in Kiełkuty. Despite the bare-bones conditions, the company gradually developed its operations and the first sawmill operated continuously for 24 years - until the new sawmill was commissioned in 2010.

At the beginning of the company's activity, the crew  consisted only of its founders - Henryk Kaczkan and Józef Kaczkan. In the following years, other employees joined the team, creating the nucleus of today's managerial and employee staff. Many of them have been associated with the company for over 20 years, and some have been with us since the beginning of the Kaczkan brand, i.e. for over 30 years. We emphasize this fact, because the Kaczkan company is its people, who create a unique history.

At the very beginning, wood processing at the plant of Henryk and Józef Kaczkan was performed with the use of a table circular saw and circular chainsaws brought to the company by its founders. It was only after some time, that the machine park was expanded with new machines and tools, thanks to which the Kaczkan company could undertake the production of solid parquet and floor boards.

Initially, the production of wooden laths and other simple sawmill products, such as shuttering boards, took place in a wooden shed in Kiełkuty, which belonged to Józef Kaczkan. Despite the spartan conditions, the company gradually expanded its operations, and the first sawmill operated continuously for 24 years - until the launch of a new sawmill in 2010.

In 2002, the owner of the company, Józef Kaczkan, bought the former buildings of a bankrupt grain dryer in Klonowy Dwór. Each building was remodelled and adapted to specific functions, which laid the foundation for the infrastructure that today forms the main seat of the Kaczkan company.

As part of the adaptation of the newly acquired industrial facilities in Klonowy Dwór to the needs of the growing company, production of floorings and mosaics was gradually launched in one of the halls. Since 2004, small-size solid floorings and industrial floorings have also been produced in the building, with monthly production reaching up to 6,000 square metres per month.

New manufacturing plant in Klonowy Dwór

Construction of a modern production plant also allowed the company to increase employment, which in turn translated into a further increase in production capacity. In 2006, over 25,000 square metres of flooring was produced in Kaczkan plants, while demand for the company's products was constantly growing due to the market being extremely receptive and the excellent quality of Kaczkan floors.

Every rapidly growing company needs office space, and Kaczkan set up its offices in one of the buildings in Klonowy Dwór. It was a small structure that had formerly been used as accommodation for workers in the grain drying facility.

First double-layer flooring manufacturing line

Thanks to receiving EU funding, in 2006 Kaczkan invested in setting up an innovative technological line for the production of modern double-layered flooring. The line was equipped with a hot press, two bandsawing machines for sawing lumber and a varnishing line capable of laying down 6 layers of UV-cured varnish with intermediate sanding.

 

In 2009, the company commenced construction of a new production hall with an area of 3000 square metres, equipped with an innovative technological line for the production of double-layer flooring. The new line went online in February 2012 and has a capacity of 50,000 square metres per month in a two-shift rotation pattern. It consists of a press, a large-format multi-saw for cutting plywood, a milling and tenoning machine and a painting line with 40 painting units. The investment was financed entirely from Kaczkan's own resources.

Our second sawmill in Kiełkuty was constructed in 2010 in order to increase the precision of wood processing, improve work efficiency and thus increase the company's manufacturing output. This sawmill is the only one in Poland with an enclosed production line, which enables us to guarantee the highest quality of products, perfect precision and exceptional workmanship. In addition, the sawmill hall is equipped with a number of installations that improve occupational health and safety and employee comfort, including central heating and an extraction system with filtering stations for air purification.

Thanks to continuous development and investment in modern tools and technical solutions, Kaczkan is today one of the leading domestic and European players in terms of production of top-class solid and double-layer wooden flooring. Thanks to sourcing wood only from reliable and sustainable sources and locating the entire production process in Poland, Kaczkan experts are able to closely supervise every stage of production, which translates into exceptional quality and timeless elegance of the floors sold by the company.

Continuous development of the company, growing production output and constantly expanding range of products sold both on the domestic and foreign markets meant that available warehouse space proved to be insufficient. As a result, Kaczkan invested in the construction of a new warehouse with suitable logistical facilities, improving the fluidity of supply of Kaczkan products to end customers.

In 2015, an exceptional two-layer flooring was added to Kaczkan's offer - French herringbone (also known as chevron), i.e. tiles cut at an angle 45°, which create a very interesting and expressive pattern when laid. When the Chevron 45 series was placed on the market, Kaczkan was the only producer on the Polish flooring market to sell two-layer French herringbone wood flooring. The Chevron 45 range of flooring instantly gained huge popularity and recognition, as confirmed by the top prize awarded to the company at the Good Design 2019 competition.

In 2017, Kaczkan celebrated its 30th anniversary on the market. Celebrations were inaugurated with the opening of a new office building, with Józef Kaczkan repeatedly emphasizing that the company would not have been able to build such a strong brand position on the domestic and European market without the commitment of employees and management staff who have been continuously working for the Kaczkan brand for many years. The occasion was also marked by honoring many employees and associates of the company with commemorative statuettes and awards.

In 2015, a decision was made to build a modern office and retail building with a separate 330 square metre showroom. Construction began in 2016 and the building was commissioned a year later, on the 30th anniversary of the company's existence. The new office building boasts spacious meeting rooms and product presentation rooms, allowing the company to exhibit all flooring collections currently produced by Kaczkan to its customers and business partners.

The Kaczkan Premium brand was created to provide customers with exclusive, exceptional wood flooring, manufactured with attention to every detail and with commitment and love. Kaczkan Premium two-layer floors are more than a world-class product - they are also a tribute to the values nurtured and passed down from generation to generation at Kaczkan: reliability, passion and the traditional, family way of doing business.

Thanks to the support under the Polska Strefa Inwestycyjna, we have received a unique opportunity to increase and further modernize production, thanks to which we will not only improve efficiency, but also save valuable raw material as pedunculate oak.

Polska Strefa Inwestycyjna will allow us not only to open a new factory, but also to equip the sawmill in Kiełkuty to further develop our potential. Our products have gained recognition in Western Europe, the USA and even Australia. We occupy a leading position among polish producers, first in the production of double-layer floors. Thanks to the consistent quality and interesting colors, our floors are extremely unique.