India is high on the radar for expansion, introduction of new products and investments by Shaw Contract, the largest carpet maker in the world. In 2018, it invested in two exclusive Experience Centres in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

At present the domestic market is in a nascent stage, so investments will go into expanding sales and marketing offices, research and development efforts. Ninety per cent of the business is from large MNCs and global accounts and 10 per cent from leading hospitality brands, said Rakesh Lakra, India Chief of the US major.

“There are a few major American carpet and carpet tile brands in the domestic market. The market, however, is predominantly unorganised, wherein an estimate for the premium quality (category a) product is around $60-70 million and the year-on-year growth is 10-15 per cent,” he said.

“We are planning to launch new products in 2019 from Shaw Industries’ manufacturing facility in Nantong, China as well as our US-based manufacturing facilities”, said Dan Clarke, VP (Global Sales).

Shaw Contract has ambitious growth plans in Asia, specifically in India, and the company is looking at annual growth of 20-25 per cent in the next five years. It will depend on the growth of the IT/ ITeS and hospitality industries, he told BusinessLine .

Shaw Industries’ Group, which is the parent of Shaw Contract, offers a diverse portfolio of carpet, custom rugs, hardwood, laminate, resilient, tile and stone flooring products, synthetic turf and other speciality items for residential and commercial markets worldwide.

Shaw Contract is a brand of the $6-billion Shaw Industries, a Warren Buffet-owned, Berkshire Hathaway Group company. “We have put materiality at the forefront, producing, high performance and eco-friendly products as part of our priority on sustainability,” Clarke explained.

In the carpet tiles space, too, the company is a leading player. It has entered into the hard surface segment with the luxury vinyl tile, made in the US. “It’s the future and we will make it in China and export to potential markets in the Asian region,” Clarke said.

One of the interesting products that the company plans to launch in India in 2019 is a carpet made from recycled PET plastic. For every sq ft of area covered, 16 recycled bottles will be used in making the novel product. The PET resilient line of sustainable flooring is made from 40 per cent post-consumer PET plastic, says the company.

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