April 29/May 6, 2019: Volume 34, Issue 24
By Lindsay Baillie
Mohawk Flooring started producing multilayer flooring products domestically in 2015. A year later, Shaw Floors officially opened its Plant RP in Ringgold, Ga., for the domestic production of rigid products. In June 2019, Lico plans to begin production of its Hydro Fix Comfort Core—a Swiss quality product—in the U.S.
As WPC and SPC continue to take the flooring industry by storm, more manufacturers are looking into cost-effective ways of bringing their production of rigid products to the U.S. Armstrong Flooring, for example, is currently evaluating the possibility of repurposing an existing domestic facility for the production of rigid core. However, the company does not have a specific timetable as to when this will be completed.
Armstrong Flooring is not alone. Congoleum is currently reinvesting in its tile plant in Trenton, N.J., to allow for rigid production in the future. While Congoleum does not have a specific date for rigid production, the company stressed that as a domestic manufacturer for over 130 years its priority is to continue growing its resilient production in the U.S.
While domestic rigid production is certain to grow, sup- pliers agree there will always be a need for imports—specifically to meet the growing demand for WPC and SPC flooring. In fact, some flooring suppliers say they will continue to exclusively import rigid products. For example, CFL—which recently established new manufacturing facilities in Taiwan and Vietnam—currently has no immediate plans to bring its rigid production to the U.S.