Armstrong returns
 to show floor for Surfaces 2010
Lancaster, Pa.-For the first time in five years Armstrong will be exhibiting its products and programs on the show floor at Surfaces. At Surfaces 2009, the industry's largest hard surface manufacturer officially returned under the show's umbrella for the first time in four years when it exhibited in a private ballroom adjacent to the show floor. Armstrong is actually the second company to return to the main hall after exhibiting in an adjacent ballroom for Surfaces 2009. Earlier this year, Mannington announced it was not returning to the ballroom concept and would take a space on the show floor (FCNews, June 15/22). For the Surfaces 2010 show, Armstrong will be located toward the front of the main exhibit hall, in a 12,000-square-foot booth created 'to ensure that attendees of Surfaces 2010 experience Armstrong's full commitment to the success of its retail partners and determination to continue to earn both their trust and business." Edward Sofia, independent channel marketing manager for Armstrong Floor Products, said the .....
 Value Remains Focus During Economic Woes
With recovery for the prolonged economic doldrums being seen by most economists as a later rather than sooner proposition, most consumers remain close to the vest when it comes to their spending habits. As a result, many continue to focus on the best value for their hard earned dollar. The consumer confidence level, "just isn't as robust as it needs to be yet," said Ralph Boe, president/CEO of Beaulieu of America. "I believe people need to see what's going to be finalized regarding the healthcare issue and where their taxes are going to be before they are willing to go out and spend some money again. "Right now," he explained, 'they are trying to hold on to their funds. Flooring is a deferrable purchase at retail so until they have that confidence level back it's going to be a pretty slow recovery." According to FCNews research, the carpet industry is estimated as being down approximately 20% in both dollars and units compared to the same period last year, and most executives don't forecast any significant positive change in those numbers for the remainder of the year. As Steve Sieracki, Shaw's vice president of product category management, noted, "We were all optimistic going into 2009 that we would experience better business conditions as an industry. We felt the market would be down but no one could have predicted the level of decline the industry faced during 2009." According to its third quarter earnings report, Mohawk's carpet segment sales were down 21% for the third quarter, in line with the industry. "Much of our efforts to reduce costs and improve processes have been offset by low industry volumes and unabsorbed overhead," said Tom Lape, president of the mill's residential business. "Consumers are purchasing more value-oriented products and selling prices on commoditized products have compressed. Residential volume remains weak with commercial still in decline."
RFCI sets five-point plan to achieve industry health, wealth
Pebble Beach, Calif.-The Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) is firing on all cylinders. The organization is not only significantly growing its membership, but it is also growing in significance. That was clearly evident last month when the organization held its biannual meeting here.  Flooring industry veteran Dean Thompson, who assumed the presidency in 2007, spent his first few months working on the framework for the group's strategic direction. "I did that because when you have a wide range of people in powerful positions, you don't lack for opinions. We needed a consensus for what the organization should be doing. We got everyone engaged." The result is a group that is more focused than ever with a clear mission: to enhance the long-term growth and well being of the North American resilient flooring industry. "Well being entails everything from profitability to public perception to sustainability to safety," Thompson said. With RFCI's mission in place, the association defined five clear goals: 1. Promote the resilient industry and product category. As an example, RFCI established an ongoing public relations program. The idea is to be something of a media clearing house for the industry and get the word out about the attributes of resilient flooring. Another example is RFCI's relationship with organizations like the Vinyl Promotion Network and Vinyl Institute. Finally, RFCI is making "a huge investment" in the redesign and refocus of its Web site. 'the site will provide a significant amount of information on the resilient flooring industry," Thompson said. "We will have a sustainability center, a knowledge center and an idea gallery. This will become a portal site for the resilient industry." The goal for completion is the end of first quarter 2010. 2. Position the.....
Shaw announces 2010 winter market events
Dalton-Shaw Industries will be showcasing its new offerings during its winter markets, the locations and dates of which have just been announced. The theme of the markets will be 'sustainABLE. Strength Amidst Change." According to the mill, the theme was inspired by the launch of the inaugural Shaw  Sustainability Report. Reggie Newton, Shaw's vice president of residential marketing, said the events will introduce innovative soft and hard surface products to the market as well as new displays and competitive programs. The events will also provide a "positive relationship-building and networking forum for Shaw associates and retailers." During Shaw's winter market events, he noted, the company will unveil many new introductions within the Anso, Evertouch and ClearTouch .....
Committee formed to create carpet installation standard WFCA, CFI, INSTALL, mills, contractors all represented
Vancouver, Wash.-Getting people to voluntarily serve on committees can sometimes be like pulling teeth, except when it involves a hot topic. Such was the case for the formation of the committee assigned the task of putting together the first national standard for carpet installation as more than 100 written applications were submitted.  Under the guidance of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), the Consensus Body Standard Committee for the S600 Carpet Installation Standard and Reference Guide (FCNews, Aug. 3/10) consists of 22 people representing groups, mills, companies and everything directly and materially affected by the standard. Barry Costa, of Aspire Educational Institute and vice-chair of the Consensus Body, is "confident we have a strong committee representing all areas of the carpet chain." Co-sponsored by the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) and the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI), the ultimate goal is for S600 to become nationally accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), thus giving the carpet industry installation guidelines that represent a true national standard. For more than 2.....
Mohawk ranks among the best when it comes to green Newsweek lists top 500 U.S. companies
Hicksville, N.Y.-How important is the green movement? Just ask the editors at Newsweek magazine who spent approximately 18 months working with leading environmental research companies to rank the 500 largest U.S. companies based on their actual environmental performance, policies and reputation. Published in Newsweek's Sept. 28 edition, the 500 firms included in the ranking are the largest public U.S. companies as measured by revenue, market capitalization and number of employees. Making the list from the flooring industry was Mohawk industries, which was ranked No. 227 overall and No. 14 in the "Consumer Products, Cars" category, one of 15 sectors broken out by the magazine based on the FTSE/Dow Jones Industry Classification Benchmark. Jeff Lorberbaum, Mohawk's chairman, called the ranking a "great honor. It shows just how important green issues are to our company. I"m pleased with what we are accomplishing with our sustainability efforts." Daniel McGinn wrote in Newsweek, "Ranking companies based on sustainability is a huge challenge." When comparing environmental performance across industries 'there's an inevitable apples-and-oranges element," noting some industries are far dirtier than others, and that no uniform standard exists for reporting green. In addition, many corporations are secretive about key environmental data, if they track the numbers at all. Despite those obstacles, he stated, "we worked hard to design a ranking system that makes sense. More.....
Invista takes life cycle analysis to next level  Moves focus to product's entire first life
Kennesaw, Ga.-Calling a product green is one thing, proving it is another. The debate over what constitutes sustainable will rage well into the future as new technologies and testing methods shape scientific understanding on the topic. To help move the discussion forward, Invista is proposing a new way to measure life cycle analysis (LCA). Using the premise sustainability "begins with products that last" it commissioned third-party cradle-to-gate LCA on manufacturing processes for its Stainmaster and Antron fibers and combined them with real life performance tests. Inivsta also tested similar residential and commercial carpets made from competitive fibers to offer a "well-rounded" evaluation of how products constructed with either Stainmaster or Antron branded fibers can consume less energy and give off fewer greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the products. Cradle-to-gate is an assessment of a partial product life cycle from manufacture-cradle-to the factory gate, before it is transported to the consumer. There are two other common types of LCA-cradle-to-grave, in which a product is evaluated from manufacture to its final use such as decomposing, going to the landfill or being burned, and cradle-to-cradle, where the end-of-life disposal step for the product is recycling it back into identical new products, but cradle-to-gate is the most common for looking at a product's eco-profile. During an exclusive phone conference with FCNews, Invista officials explained the company took the cradle-to-gate concept one step further by defining it as the time period from when.....
Government spending spotlights NeoCon East market
Baltimore-The contract market may be in the midst of a downturn, but it doesn't mean there aren't any bright spots. For those involved in government work or General Services Administration (GSA) schedules, last week's NeoCon East could have been the center of the universe. To illustrate, Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI), show owner, billed it as 'the only design expo and conference for government interiors and the most efficient and effective way to see thousands of [GSA] products all under one roof." Thousands of professionals attended the two-day event to peruse the many products, resources and services, in not only government sectors, but also corporate, hospitality, healthcare, retail and education/institutional. "We"re seeing an uptick in all areas" said Mark Falanga, senior vice president of MMPI. 'this has been demonstrated here with attendance up over last year as more companies are bringing more people with them." On the exhibitor side, not only did the numbers mirror last year, but those interviewed by FCNe.....
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