Feltex Carpets

Infobox_Company
company_name = Feltex Carpets Ltd

company_
company_type = Public company {NZX:FTX}
foundation = Sydney, Australia, AUS (1921)
location = flagicon|AUS Tottenham, Melbourne, AUS
industry = Carpet Manufacturing
NZ Auckland Sales
NZ Wellington Sales
NZ Christchurch Woven Manufacturing Plant
NZ Foxton Tufted Manufacturing Plant
NZ Lower Hutt Yarn Plant
NZ Feilding Yarn Plant
NZ Dannevirke Yarn Plant
NZ Marton Wook Scour
Australia TBA
key_people =
products = Brand1
brand 2
num_employees = 820 New Zealand
500 Australian (October 2006)
homepage = [http://www.feltex.com/ www.feltex.com]

Feltex Carpets is an Australasian carpet manufacturer, originally established in the 1920s. The company has production plants in Melbourne, Australia and many locations in New Zealand. It also has offices in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. It produces more than 25 percent of all carpet in New Zealand and Australia. [ [http://www.feltex.com/feltex_corporate/world.asp Feltex Around the World] ]

Feltex also exports to customers throughout Southeast Asia, Japan, the USA, the Middle East and other key world markets. Feltex has built a reputation for being one of the world's leading manufacturers of carpet, producing a range of residential and commercial carpets with an emphasis on quality, technical expertise and craftsmanship.

The company's custom design facility allows Feltex to produce carpet of any specification using virtually any colour combination and design. "If you can imagine it, we can create it" is the motto.

Feltex floated on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2004, but ran into financial difficulties in April 2005 after a slowdown in the Australian market. It went into receivership on September 22 2006, after a rescue bid by Sleepyhead owners Graeme and Craig Turner failed. [ [http://subs.nzherald.co.nz/organisation/story.cfm?o_id=61&ObjectID=10402487 Workers struggle to come to terms with Feltex receivership] ] , It was acquired as a going concern by Australian carpet manufacturer Godfrey Hirst on 3 October 2006. [ [http://subs.nzherald.co.nz/organisation/story.cfm?o_id=61&ObjectID=10404111 Godfrey Hirst acquires Feltex] ]

Background - The Story of Feltex Carpets

Formation, 1921

Sydney Felt and Textiles Ltd was established in 1921 to manufacture crude felts used to make blankets for shearers. It performed profitably, but was not notably successful. In 1924 the financer of the blanket venture, Mr J K Heydon, brought in a very colourful and energetic European wool buyer, Henri van de Velde. He was given the reins of the company (as Managing Director) and told to "make something of it". The company also saw a name change - it was now Felt and Textiles Australia Ltd.

The company became a successful manufacturer of simple felts, and in time, production was extended and the company began specialising in slipper felts. This was the first established footwear trade in Australia, and by 1929 van de Velde was ready to expand slipper manufacturing to New Zealand. Exports of slippers to New Zealand had already been established (all slippers were imported and regarded as luxury items) but van de Velde wanted to have better security on the slipper market.

Expansion to New Zealand, 1929

In early 1929 the first felt slippers began rolling off the production line of a small Courtney Place factory and New Zealand Slippers Ltd was born. With seven employees the company manufactured a product that at the time was considered a high priced, high value product. New Zealand Slippers brought an affordable alternative to the New Zealand consumer. At that time another new company was trying to establish a name in the retail segment and New Zealand Slippers clinched its first contract order for 10,000 units from Woolworths (New Zealand) Ltd. By 1937 the New Zealand Slipper factory had relocated to Lower Hutt and on the back of strong market growth was planning to expand its footwear offerings.Successive acquisitions by Felt and Textiles Australia in New Zealand during the 1930s created greater demand for its Australian produced felt piece goods. This increased demand was also driven by a business that Felt and Textiles Australia had established in 1935, called John Grant & Co Ltd based in Auckland.

John Grant & Co Ltd had been established to supply flock and padding for the upholstering trade under the trade name Feltex. These operations were later extended to include underfelt manufacture. With the introduction of import controls limiting the level of material imports from Australia, van de Velde further expanded the operations of John Grant and Co to include the production of the felt piece products that had previously been imported.

Major expansion into felt production was undertaken in 1939 and continued through the war years until by the mid 1940’s the Felt and Textile operations were producing all types of felt as well as Wilton carpets.

In 1941 a newly formed company was incorporated in preparation to take over the administration of New Zealand Slippers and John Grant and Co. The new company was called Felt and Textiles of New Zealand Ltd By 1948 Felt and Textiles Australia Ltd operated manufacturing units in New Zealand and South Africa with the core business being the production and processing of felt and wool products. In New Zealand alone these activities translated to 17 branches, 21 manufacturing sites and 4 warehouses.

The name New Zealand Slippers had gone but the new company of Buchanan and Edwards continued with strong market growth. The new name was reportedly christened during an exchange between van de Velde and Mr Jake Edwards (the division’s manager). Enjoying a glass of Buchanans whiskey van de Velde remarked “Buchanans is damn good whiskey and Edwards is a damn good footwear man, and therefore Buchanan and Edwards will be the new name”.

At this time Felt and Textiles Australia Ltd was the eighth largest manufacturer in Australia employing 6,000 people. It operated 65 factories in Australia and was the largest individual consumer of wool in the commonwealth. The combined turnover for the company including its subsidiaries in New Zealand and Australia was 1 million pounds per month. The combined company processed 55 million pounds (25,000 t) weight of wool per year with the New Zealand operation accounting one-third of New Zealand wool production alone. The company was barely 30 years old.

The New Zealand company employed 1,400 people and produced 20% of all products derived from wool in New Zealand. New developments predicted in 1949 by then New Zealand Managing Director Mr H Rowden, was the establishment of a new company in Christchurch to be called The Carpet Manufacturing Co. (NZ) Ltd to produce Wilton and Axminster carpets. The business was a joint venture with The Carpet Manufacturing Company Limited of Kidderminster brokered by Henry van de Velde to establish Axminster production in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. “This new plant in Riccarton will be furnished with 38 new Axminster looms”. In fact, at the time of his statements the first Axminster carpet produced in New Zealand was already being completed. “The new Riccarton factory is a very fine industrial set-up. The factory site comprises 10 acres of land in ideal surroundings and the buildings at present erected cover an area of approximately convert|115000|sqft|m2|abbr=on. When the factory is in full production, it will employ approximately 300 hands…”

Another development was also underway during this period and this related to the wool scouring plant being established at Kakariki. The concerns of 1940s industrialists it seems did not extend to the environment. “There is ample water available from wells sunk on the banks of the Rangitiki River and drainage into the Rangitiki River basin is assured for the disposal of industrial effluents. These two factors are particularly important ones in the wool processing industry.”

Another interesting comment relates to the employee conditions. “It has always been part of the company’s policy to provide the best practicable facilities for employees, particularly in regard to cafeteria service.”

During the 1950s a new technology had evolved in carpet manufacture and in 1955 Felt and Textiles of New Zealand Limited signed an agreement with Cabin Craft U.S.A and purchased the first two tufted carpet looms in New Zealand.

Over the next 20 years Felt and Textiles of NZ Ltd continued its acquisition-based expansion that stood firmly on the initial business principles set down by H Rowden in 1948. “One, A young organisation in a young country – young and virile. Two, the company is built on the utilisation of primary products. Three, the organisation caters to the primary needs of the community, primary in the sense that they relate principally to housing and clothing”.

During the 1960s the company added the Tattersfield company to its family augmenting its already substantial product offering to include bedding, mattresses, commercial contract furniture as well as further carpet manufacturing capacity. The carpet business was further augmented with the purchase of Kensington Carpets in 1976. The future takeover of the Stevens Bremner carpet group in 1980 and purchase of the woven (Marlin) operations from UEB in 1988 were to give strength to the future floor covering group.Perhaps one of the most significant changes for the company came in 1969 when Felt and Textiles of New Zealand Ltd changed its name to Feltex New Zealand Ltd and listed as a public company on the New Zealand stock exchange. This was the break away from the parent in Australia that led to even greater expansion.

In 1970 after a prolonged battle with B F Goodrich, Feltex acquired its first major rubber business in Reidrubber. This signaled an entry into the second of the three pillars that carried the new Feltex chevron. The Feltex rubber group penetrated a number of commercial and domestic market segments with the rubber group eventually contributing 8,000 different product categories including car tyres, milking equipment and rubber components for industry.

Further diversification during this time was achieved with acquisitions in the plastics industry. Feltex had maintained interests in plastics since the purchase of New Zealand’s first injection moulding machine in 19XX.

One of the more glamorous brands that have been part of the Feltex family included Gollins Sports that in the 1970s held the franchise for Spalding, a world recognised sports goods manufacturer. Gollins Sports produced tennis balls, golf clubs and skiing equipment; further evidence that Feltex, under its different guises touched the lives of every New Zealander.

One of the main drivers of growth for the company was the acquisition of a 60% interest in the Smith and Brown Maple Furnishing Ltd department stores in 1973. This company became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1980 and provided an outlet for the huge number of the household items that were produced by Feltex Industries.As the company entered the 1980s Feltex New Zealand Limited was standing tall among Australasian manufacturers leveraging expertise in textiles, rubber and plastics. The eighties ushered in a new era of competition for New Zealand companies as the erosion of import barriers, the floating New Zealand dollar and increased competition from overseas forced many businesses to re-think their strategies. These factors placed a heavy burden on the previously sheltered New Zealand manufacturers forcing many companies to restructure.As a manufacturing powerhouse with a highly diversified portfolio of business interests Feltex was vulnerable to an equity takeover. In 1985 Equiticorp Investments Ltd obtained a 47% controlling interest in Feltex (later expanding that shareholding to 77% in 1988) and set about restructuring the company selling assets to finance its investment interests offshore.

The manufacturing base of Feltex was leveraged to provide the necessary capital to allow Equiticorp to increase its levels of off-shore investment. This strategy ultimately resulted in the sale and closure of many of the Feltex subsidiary enterprises. Following the collapse of equity markets in 1987, many corporate restructuring and investment holding companies such as Equiticorp found that the financial strength of their core manufacturing businesses could not alleviate the debt burdens that had been run up during the investment frenzies of the mid-80s. Many of these holding companies were forced into receivership and Feltrax International Ltd as it had become known in 1988 was put up for sale.

This opened the door to offshore investment and BTR Nylex an Australian industrial conglomerate through its wholly owned subsidiary Australian Consolidated Industries Ltd stepped in and took ownership of the remaining core businesses of Feltrax. BTR installed new management to re-position the core business units of Feltrax within the corporate structure of the BTR Nylex family of companies. The Feltrax International name still remains today as a BTR Operations holding company however, during the BTR period the Feltex name remained with respect to the carpet business allowing the company to leverage the strong brand recognition it enjoyed in the New Zealand and Australian carpet market. During 1996 BTR Nylex Limited declared a restructuring of its global business interests and announced that it was to sell $4 Billion worth of assets around the world. Part of that restructure included the sale of the Feltex Carpets.

Two members of the senior management team Mr Chris Davis and Mr Allan Steedman signed a management buyout of the carpet operations in December 1996. The ANZ, the company’s bankers and a substantial investor in the form of C S First Boston Private Equities Ltd supported the buyout and the new company Feltex Carpets Limited was duly incorporated in January 1997.

From 1997 through to 2000 Feltex concentrated on improving its profitability by increasing operating efficiency while striving to re-build its export markets. Substantial investment was received from C S First Boston and as the company approached the 21st century the Feltex Chevron remained one of the most recognisable brands symbols in New Zealand.

Today, Feltex is New Zealand’s largest carpet manufacturer and has established an international reputation for the supply of woven and tufted floor-coverings. In addition to its home markets of New Zealand and Australia, Feltex also exports woven carpet for large commercial contracts to South East Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.Overseas contracts include the supply of specialty carpets to the airline industry as well as being an approved supplier to some of the most famous hotel chains in the world including the Ritz Carlton Group and Four Seasons Hotels.

In June 2000 Feltex announced the purchase of Shaw Carpets Australia one of the largest tufted carpet manufacturers in Australasia. The combined company will have a turnover in excess of 400 million dollars and is thought to be the second largest producer of woollen carpet in the World.

Feltex Sites - New Zealand

Kakariki Wool Scour

The Kakariki Wool Scour was located close to the village of Halcombe, approximately 17 km from Feilding, in the Manawatu region. It was built in 1917 as a Farmer's Cooperative Freezing Works but only ran for two years before closure. It basically stood idle until 1948 when the site was bought by Feltex on the proposal of the then Managing Director who owned a farm in the area and thought that it would make an ideal wool scouring plant. A scouring train was relocated from Melbourne and scouring has continued since.

The wool arrived in from the sheep farms to the plant for wool scouring. The wool scour used only readily biodegradable detergents for processing.

The site was responsible for the purchase and scouring of all Feltex Wool for Australia and New Zealand, spending approximately $30 million per year.

Approximately half of Kakariki's production was for Feltex's own requirement, the balance being used to provide a commission scouring service to NZ wool exporters with the product being shipped directly from the scour to the ships' side for delivery world wide.

Kakariki had a staff of 49 and was one of the smallest plants. It ran 24 hours per day, seven days per week using two twelve hour shifts.

In 2006 Godfrey Hirst closed the plant.

Dannevirke Dyehouse and Spinning Plant

The semi worsted yarn plant at Dannevirke had its beginnings as New Zealand Wool Spinners Ltd and was commissioned for commercial production on 29 October 1975 by the Hon. Warren Freer.

The plant employs 185 staff, runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week and is one of the main employers in the Southern Hawkes Bay town that services a large farming community.

The Dyehouse at Dannevirke also supplies the yarn plants at Feilding, Bell Road and Christchurch with dyed fibre.

Lower Hutt Spinning Plant

Feltex Bell Road (Lower Hutt) has a history on this site in excess of 50 years. It was totally vertical plant at one time. Now it is a Woollen Spinning yarn plant employing 160 staff. The plant is focussed on producing top quality woollen carpet yarn, which is predominantly sent to Foxton for conversion into carpet. Some production is also undertaken for the Feltex Carpets operation in Australian.

Christchurch Woven Plant

The main building of the Feltex Carpets Woven plant was established in 1947 on the present 3.85hectare site. At that time the site was surrounded by farm land and market gardens. The original site was 10,680 square metres upon which were developed extensive lawns and gardens together with sporting areas.

Over time the plant has expanded, the sporting areas gave way to buildings and car parks. The garden and lawn areas however, have been retained keeping the grounds attractive and in step with the suburban neighbours now surrounding the plant.

In the almost 60 years of its history the plant has always specialised in the production of quality woven carpet supplying top of the line domestic and commercial carpets for local and export markets.Woven Plant employs 185 staff working five 24 hour days on three shifts. This number includes the design team and the New Zealand residential and commercial sales team.

The Woven Plant site incorporates a yarn manufacturing plant supplying yarn to Feltex and for export.

Godfrey Hirst closed the plant in November 2006

Foxton Tufting Plant

The Foxton tufting plant has been on the present site since 1973.

Foxton is a farming community approximately 100 km north of Wellington on State Highway one. Feltex employs 130 people on this site engaged in operations, distribution and administration,they closed down at 1st of august 2008

Wellington Sales Office

Five staff work in the Wellington sales office - two residential and two commercial reps as well as the showroom/office administrator.

Feltex have been in the current building since the 1960s. The building was built especially for Feltex and has always been called 'Feltex House'. The Wellington showroom is well patronised with both clients and public using it to view the Feltex range, discuss product and loan supplies.

Being centrally located in Wellington the showroom is readily assessable to architects, retailers and the public. A main reception area is located in the showroom and there is one large area which contains the Classic and Reserve stands.

The two smaller contract rooms leading off from this area have the commercial product display as well as facilities to hold meetings with architects, retailers, etc. in private. The residential and commercial reps offices are located close to the main showroom area.

Feltex Sites - Australia

Tottenham Plant

Before the acquisition by Feltex the Australian side of the company has been through a number of different business names and owners including Redbook, Invicta, Pacific Carpets, Shaggy Rugs and Shaw Industries.

The production site is located in Tottenham, Victoria, and is now the location of the Feltex Head Office, but was originally a blanket and straw hat manufacturer. In 1955, 'The Great Flood' washed the majority of the original site away.

Recent changes in staff numbers has meant that all available employees have been required to help out in the call centre.

The Braybrook site is developing a new game show to be shown on community Television in Australia. The show will run for 5mins. The contestants will have the opportunity to name the carpet style to win the major prize. The pilot episode is still in production.

Community activity

25th May 2007 saw The Glen defeat Tim the Thinker in 5 moves during the inaugural Feltex Braybrook Office Chess Championships. Tim has gone on to beat all other contenders since that first match.

The introduction of the Feltex 'Red Hot' Poker Championships in mid June 2007 was an outstanding success. The final winner on the night was JJ.

2007 saw the inaugural Feltex Mini Golf Open. The final playoff round was played between JG Hi-Fi, The Glen and Tiger Timmy. Bad weather has delayed the final round.

Feltex sponsors a race in the Melbourne Cup Day racing carnival.

The Feltex indoor soccer team is currently ranked #1 in the Victorian Indoor Carpet Makers Soccer League. The score in the 2006 Grand Final was Feltex 8 - Wooly Rugs 4

Team Feltex placed 1st in the 2006 'Sand-Ya-Floor' Indoor Beach Volley Ball Championships, played amongst Australia's flooring providers.

In 1973 Feltex sponsored the Feltex Television Awards in New Zealand. The awards were presented to the best Natural History Programme, Best News & Current Affairs, Best Light Entertainment, Best Drama and the Arts, Best Documentary.

Notes