Article Number: 3682
Tarkett Residential connects with 'everyday lives' - North American mill meets needs of U.S. and Canadian consumers
CLARION, PA.—As part of its focus on building brand awareness as the manufacturer that “makes floors for everyday people with everyday lives,” Tarkett Residential introduced its first laminate products to be manufactured at the company’s new state-of- the-art North American facility, here. And, FCNews was recently treated to an exclusive tour of the site.
The expansion allows Tarkett to better meet consumer needs in the U.S. and Canada— creating designs that reflect North American style, while at the same time curbing potential overseas issues such as service, transportation and currency, explained Gary Finseth, marketing director.
“Because we’re able to now control the entire process— from manufacturing to delivery— we can provide our distributors and retailers with the most dependable manufacturing and servicing on high-quality, competitively priced products, which translates to value for the consumer,” he explained.
Touring Tarkett
After purchasing the relatively new Clarion board plant in early 2007, Tarkett invested $120 million into the site, which included building its brand new laminate facility to have complementary production and distribution synergies of both mills by late last year.
“We now have the fastest and most-productive plant in the world,” said Jeff Katz, director of laminates for North America. “This facility enables our products to have the best overall performance and designs, but also superior service to our distributors and retailers.”
Aside from being efficient, the innovative facility is also technologically advanced and environmentally conscious. For example, it sources oak and cherry scraps from within a 200-mile radius, which are then dumped via a machine capable of lifting an entire tractor-trailer 90-degrees—faster, cleaner and more effective, Katz explained.
The mill also utilizes all scrap for fuel and/or in other projects, though waste is already scarce due to the almost fully machine-run mill—leaving little room for human error.
New blood, new brand
With the expansion, recent management reorganization has introduced a new leadership team to Tarkett Residential’s brand platform, including Finseth, and has a long-term marketing addition already being built. “Every brand has focus, a point of view and is differentiated,” he said. “Within the next few years, Tarkett will be known as the best-performing flooring brand in North America. We’ve already built our foundation this year, and now the walls are going up.”
He explained that while most companies are focused on appearance and cost, Tarkett is more performance based. “Flooring must perform against both emotional— pride, worry-free— and rational— design, color, durability, affordability, cleanability and value— needs.”
To prove it stands up to all of the above, Tarkett’s marketing message features the ways in which its products enrich customers’ everyday lives—like Joanna, who symbolizes the “everyday consumer.” And, two lines have been updated to meet these needs.
Performance Products
Products in the Tarkett Laminate North American Collection featured in a new display—New Frontiers, Journeys and Cross Country— offer benefits such as advanced wear protection, an AC 4 commercial-rated wear layer, an IC 3 commercial-grade indentation rating and feature the only 100% hardwood core in the industry— AmeriCore.
On the resilient side, Tarkett’s FiberFloor also just unrolled an innovative display featuring its more than 100 designs and attributes—five resistant layers to stand up to everyday wear, foam density for added warmth and comfort, resistant to mold and mildew and FloorScore certified.
For more on Tarkett Residential, please call 450.293.3173.
The expansion allows Tarkett to better meet consumer needs in the U.S. and Canada— creating designs that reflect North American style, while at the same time curbing potential overseas issues such as service, transportation and currency, explained Gary Finseth, marketing director.
“Because we’re able to now control the entire process— from manufacturing to delivery— we can provide our distributors and retailers with the most dependable manufacturing and servicing on high-quality, competitively priced products, which translates to value for the consumer,” he explained.
Touring Tarkett
After purchasing the relatively new Clarion board plant in early 2007, Tarkett invested $120 million into the site, which included building its brand new laminate facility to have complementary production and distribution synergies of both mills by late last year.
“We now have the fastest and most-productive plant in the world,” said Jeff Katz, director of laminates for North America. “This facility enables our products to have the best overall performance and designs, but also superior service to our distributors and retailers.”
Aside from being efficient, the innovative facility is also technologically advanced and environmentally conscious. For example, it sources oak and cherry scraps from within a 200-mile radius, which are then dumped via a machine capable of lifting an entire tractor-trailer 90-degrees—faster, cleaner and more effective, Katz explained.
The mill also utilizes all scrap for fuel and/or in other projects, though waste is already scarce due to the almost fully machine-run mill—leaving little room for human error.
New blood, new brand
With the expansion, recent management reorganization has introduced a new leadership team to Tarkett Residential’s brand platform, including Finseth, and has a long-term marketing addition already being built. “Every brand has focus, a point of view and is differentiated,” he said. “Within the next few years, Tarkett will be known as the best-performing flooring brand in North America. We’ve already built our foundation this year, and now the walls are going up.”
He explained that while most companies are focused on appearance and cost, Tarkett is more performance based. “Flooring must perform against both emotional— pride, worry-free— and rational— design, color, durability, affordability, cleanability and value— needs.”
To prove it stands up to all of the above, Tarkett’s marketing message features the ways in which its products enrich customers’ everyday lives—like Joanna, who symbolizes the “everyday consumer.” And, two lines have been updated to meet these needs.
Performance Products
Products in the Tarkett Laminate North American Collection featured in a new display—New Frontiers, Journeys and Cross Country— offer benefits such as advanced wear protection, an AC 4 commercial-rated wear layer, an IC 3 commercial-grade indentation rating and feature the only 100% hardwood core in the industry— AmeriCore.
On the resilient side, Tarkett’s FiberFloor also just unrolled an innovative display featuring its more than 100 designs and attributes—five resistant layers to stand up to everyday wear, foam density for added warmth and comfort, resistant to mold and mildew and FloorScore certified.
For more on Tarkett Residential, please call 450.293.3173.
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