James Neuling, the new Vice President of Beaulieu Flooring Solutions is building on expertise and organic growth with more investments and acquisitions to support the global flooring industry.
A division of the Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G.), Beaulieu Flooring Solutions is a global operation of 3,300 employees that develops and manufactures an extensive range of flooring solutions from its 17 factory locations. With the June 2018 acquisitions of Beaulieu Australia and Beaulieu Canada, the division achieved a combined turnover of €1bn in 2017.
The company manufactures cushion vinyl, vinyl planks and tiles, parquet, laminate, carpet, artificial grass and mats. Brands include BerryAlloc, Beauflor and Juteks. The Peerless and Peerless Contract Brand have been added to Beaulieu’s portfolio with the recent acquisition.
After ten months at the helm, James is introducing a more performance-driven approach to transform the division well beyond €1bn in the next few years. To achieve this, the senior executive will draw on his significant commercial experience in upgrading the performance of major companies.
Following Beaulieu Flooring Solutions’ $100m investment in production facilities in North America in 2016, James is looking towards further investment for that region with needle felt as the next big target.
To support the worldwide trend towards more solid flooring, it recently revamped its direct pressure laminate (DPL) BerryAlloc range to bring realistic and exclusive new styles to the market.
James is also excited by the opportunities that digital printing presents for the division’s different solid flooring product lines. Two years ago, Beaulieu Flooring Solutions invested in digital printing capabilities, forming partnerships with leading players in the field. These digitally-printed products are invaluable in enabling efficient testing of product concepts and market interest, providing customers with endless design possibilities that cannot be achieved with traditional techniques.
Recent investments in its soft flooring capabilities emphasise ongoing new developments for these segments too. These include new technology for Carus XL contract carpet, state-of-the-art technology/machinery for needle felt carpet, and full extrusion lines for the artificial grass business.
