Tarkett: Making Moves

Normally it’s a pretty routine deal when one arrives at a company headquarters – signing in at the reception desk, chatting with the receptionist while awaiting one’s host. But my recent arrival at the Tarkett North America HQ in Solon, OH, was anything but routine.

As I walked through the entrance doors, what appeared to be a path of flowers led up to a giant 10-foot high screen with “Welcome Robert Beck” on it, and I was greeted by what must have been every person in the building, cheering and clapping. It was fantastic, discombobulating, embarrassing yet extraordinarily fun. In a few seconds it was over and the crowd was gone – back to work, but I was left there feeling most welcome and musing on how the tradition of such a welcome could have arisen in a busy company headquarters, wondering if it made the employees who greeted me as happy as it seemed to; as happy as it made me.

There’s a lot going on at Tarkett these days, and the pace of my visit was perfectly in sync with a company on the move. In just 26 hours from the time my host, Steve Vosburgh, VP, Commercial Resilient Sales, picked me up at the Cleveland airport until he dropped me off on my way home, I toured the North American headquarters, met Jeff Fenwick, President & COO of the Resilient group, reviewed new products and spent time in the design studio with Janette Murray, Senior Design Manager, attended a Tarkett sponsored design event in Downtown Cleveland featuring a CEU accredited presentation by Chris Stulpin, Tarkett’s Chief Creative Officer, enjoyed in-depth tours of three factories and even found time for a most excellent lunch at an Amish restaurant.

Tarkett’s Chief Creative Officer Chris Stulpin presenting a CEU lecture to members of the Cleveland design community.

Tarkett is a 130 year old global flooring company headquartered in Paris, France. With 2017 net sales of about $3.3 Bn (€ 2.8 Bn), it is clearly one of the largest flooring companies in the world. Last year about 27% of its volume came from North America. Perhaps a better way of describing the scope of the company is that it ships approximately 14 million square feet of flooring every day.

Tarkett’s growth strategy has been based on a healthy combination of organic growth and acquiring brands that fill gaps in its product offering. As a result we know Tarkett in the North American workplace market as Johnsonitefor a whole range of “resilient” and “flooring accessory” products and Tandus Centivafor “soft surface” and LVT products. Manufacturing of the resilient products is centered in the longtime Ohio home of Johnsonite – the plants I toured; while soft surface manufacturing is based in Dalton, GA.

Three weeks ago the company announced it had acquired Lexmark, an approximately $100 million high quality carpet manufacturer well known in the hospitality market. “The acquisition of Lexmark will position Tarkett as one of the leaders in the hospitality segment for carpets in North America. We will be able to further strengthen Lexmark’s offering in this segment as they will have access to Tarkett’s broader product portfolio”, explains Glen Morrison, CEO of Tarkett. “We will also leverage Tarkett’s global presence to enhance Lexmark’s positioning with key accounts worldwide.”

In the meantime, the team charged with the organic growth part of the equation wasn’t resting on its laurels. My hosts at Johnsonite were very excited about the launch of TechtonicTM, a new proprietary “wear layer” of advanced polyurethane for LVT. They say it’s a big advance in protection against scratches, scuffs, stains and abrasion that will give them a durability advantage and thus, over time, a selling advantage. Manufactured in North America, Techtonic debuts on the Contour and Venue collections of luxury vinyl tiles and planks from Tandus Centiva, and on the ID Freedom line from Johnsonite.

The launch of Techtonic was enhanced by the simultaneous introduction of four new LVT products developed as part of the Contour Collection and featuring Techtonic as added protection.

Outliners designed by Jane Hallinan. Photo courtesy of Tarkett

Outliners, designed for Tandus Centiva by Jane Hallinan takes inspiration from flowing water. Hallinan says, “There is uncharted territory around water. It’s both a source of life and a powerful force. Where other materials can be stopped, water finds a way. Biophilia is in everything from fabric to flooring. It’s usually translated as leaves, trees, flowers or weathered stone. There is uncharted territory around water and how you take a liquid and turn it into a solid, without creating an uneasy feeling of not having firm ground beneath your feet.”

Illusion designed by Jhane Barnes. Photo Courtesy of Tarkett

While Jane Hallinan is a relative newcomer to big time product design, Jhane Barnes is definitely not. Concomitant with the launch of Outliners, Tandus Centiva announced the launch of Illusion, a new LVT product designed by Ms. Barnes. Using what is usually animation software, she chooses patterns from still images or key frames that are created by mathematical functions. In the launch release Barnes is quoted as saying, “The transition from one pattern to another can often be more exciting than the original static images. It’s another great example of just letting the creative process lead you.” Leveraging technology as a tool of invention, Barnes develops designs that mesh old and new in ways that are recognizable as signature Jhane Barnes patterns.

Broadcloth designed by Suzanne Tick. Photo Courtesy of Tarkett

Broadclothis a new LVT product designed by Suzanne Tick. Inspired by industrial textile manufacturing, Broadcloth imitates the way materials are cut to size and combined. Each of three new colors features a different depth of neutral ground with non-directional, multi-colored accents that highlight the mechanical marks of the perceived texture. “The beauty of Broadcloth is the non-directional natural texture imparted by the textile manufacturing process. The human element and textile remnants that are embedded in this design are transformational. It feels new and old at the same time. Years of use as a cutting board, the artwork was comprised of digital photography and layering of pattern. A beautiful background coordinate,” explains Ms. Tick.

Color Play based on color research by the Tarkett design studio

Color Play is based on Tarkett’s latest design research in education and healthcare spaces. The palette includes 24 hues in each of three pattern options, for a total of 72 product solutions that support the specific needs of every age group and space. “As the LVT category matures, customers expect beauty, value and high performance,” said Jon Gittrich, vice president of product management for Tarkett North America. “Color Play + Techtonic is our promise to our customer that we won’t compromise on anything that brings value to the customer.”

So within the short span of three weeks Tarkett has announced a major acquisition, the launch of what it sees a major advance in the durability of its LVT products and 4 new product lines that incorporate that advance. That’s all pretty amazing. But on my tour I found a manufacturing system that is pretty amazing too. I was told that starting in 2009 the company began a major initiative it calls “World Class Manufacturing” (WCM). Benefits of WCM contribute both directly and indirectly to the bottom line by improving efficiency and reducing waste. I was struck by the joint impacts WCM has on both cost reduction and sustainability in the plants I toured.

Company literature states that, “Tarkett is committed to the transition from a linear to a circular economy model, which consists of recycling resources in a loop from the design and production phases to later use and recovery stages.” Everything I saw on my visit to the Ohio manufacturing facilities supports that statement. Tarkett seems to me to be “on the move” and decidedly moving in the right direction.

One of many capital-intensive extruding machines in the Johnsonite factory. Note the spotless conditions typical of those plants. Photo courtesy of Tarkett.