Where the grass is greener Tarkett

WHERE THE GRASS IS GREENER

Tarkett is a global brand that is as well known for its artificial grass and sports surface solutions as it is for its domestic and commercial flooring. The company continues to see strong growth thanks to its innovative, sustainable products and strategic acquisitions. Two major developments recently added significantly to its global market presence and future growth prospects, as Philip Yorke reports.

The Tarkett Group was founded in France in 1880 by two young entrepreneurs whose early success set the stage for the future growth of the company. More recently, the company has seen exponential growth and this has continued to accelerate over the last decade to make it a truly dominant global player.

For almost 140 years, Tarkett has been a market leader in the development and supply of unique flooring and sports surface solutions. It offers a broad range of products including vinyl, linoleum, carpet, rubber, wood and laminate, as well as synthetic turf and athletic track surfaces. With more than 12,500 employees and 35 industrial sites, Tarkett sells over 1.4 million square metres of flooring every day. Market applications include products for hospitals, schools, housing, offices, stores and sports fields.

Today Tarkett’s new prestige headquarters are located in the select La Defence area of Paris, and are the hub of its global operations which span over 100 countries worldwide

enhancing long-term growth

Earlier this year the Tarkett Group announced a number of strategic investments that will increase its luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) production capacity in North America and Europe, whilst at the same time enhancing its sustainable and environmentally friendly manufacturing base worldwide.

In the US, around $60 million will be invested over a three-year period to increase its production capacity at two key manufacturing facilities based in Alabama. This significant expansion addresses the increasing demand for Tarkett’s vinyl modular flooring in North America. In addition, the company will build a new distribution centre in Florence, Italy to facilitate the European market. These operations are expected to create over 60 new jobs. Furthermore, in Europe more than €20 million will also be invested over the next three years in new manufacturing facilities, mainly in Luxembourg and Poland.

“These investments will strongly optimise our equipment, increase our local luxury vinyl tiles production capacity, improve our supplychain efficiency and enhance our customer service,” said Jeff Fenwick, President, Resilient, Tarkett North America. “This is a strong signal of Tarkett’s commitment to long-term growth and sustainability in North America,” he added.

Fabrice Barthelemy, President of Tarkett EMEA, said, “These investments will further enhance our strong position in the European vinyl tiles marketplace and facilitate our customers’ access to our unique range of exclusive designs.”

Over the last few years, Tarkett has also strengthened its commercial and industrial activities in China through a number of strategic transactions. In addition, it has acquired the assets of a vinyl flooring facility located near Beijing, which is now fully operational and producing a wide range of Tarkett sustainable flooring products. These strategic acquisitions, transactions and business partnerships continue to drive the sales of Tarkett products to entirely new levels.

Synthetic turf takes off

The Tarkett Group, through its FieldTurf subsidiary, recently announced the acquisition of the assets of ‘Grassman’, a market-leading Australian synthetic turf manufacturer. This important acquisition significantly expands FieldTurf’s presence in the Australian market – in particular, in the field of hockey, tennis, landscape and utilities. This move will also add to the company’s growth in the soccer and rugby sectors.

“We are excited to expand in the growing Australian market,” said Eric Daliere, President of Tarkett Sports. “Grassman, led by its

founder Gary Waterford, has been a true pioneer and innovator in the synthetic turf industry. This acquisition will significantly strengthen our ability to provide high-quality innovative products and to deliver an exceptional overall experience to our Australian customers.”

Driving the circular economy

Earlier this year Tarkett shared its commitment to help drive the circular economy by showcasing its sustainable and creative linoleum flooring products at a major world forum at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice.

For many years Tarkett has been committed to the cause of sustainability and the circular economy. It has done this by applying cradleto-cradle principles across all of its activities. The company’s ReStart® collection and recycling programme is one of the cornerstones of its commitment to closing the material loop. A new strategic partnership with Veolia has enabled it to offer clients a better collection and recycling service, whilst increasing volumes and quality of recycled input in our flooring. It also illustrates the capacity of the private sector to offer solutions that support sustainable, economic growth.

In order to encourage discussion around these themes, Tarkett is showcasing its linoleum products made in Narni, Italy, that encompass all the qualities of modernity, naturalness and circular design at a special event in Venice. In addition to this, Tarkett EMEA creative and trends director, Beatrice Mange, gave a paper on how companies and architects can work together to create a true circular economy. n

For further details on Tarkett’s latest innovative and sustainable products and services visit: www.tarkett.com