Flooring manufacturer spends £4m on new machinery project

Ripley-based Forbo Flooring has spent £4m on machinery that it says will increase manufacturing capacity and efficiency.

The company has spent £3m on a Double Belt Thermofix laminating machine that makes floor coverings. Heavy machinery moving specialist Joseph Merritt Group was appointed to store, move and install the new machine.

Forbo Flooring has manufactured the ‘Flotex’ brand for over 45 years. The product is available in sheet, tile and plank format. Flotex flocked flooring has been installed in an array of commercial environments, including hotels, offices, universities, gyms, student accommodation, schools, bars and more.

The new laminating line was purchased to replace the existing 17-year-old production facility which makes a recyclable substrate from the Flotex manufacturing waste and is then laminated on another production line to make the new tile & plank range.

Corey Edwards, Forbo’s strategic project manager, said: “The investment will streamline and speed up the production process for this particular product and we are hoping this will deliver a quick return on investment.”

He added: “We have worked with the Merritts team on many occasions as they have the facilities, equipment and skill sets to plan, manage, deliver and install machinery that is shipped to the UK from multiple countries.”

Merritts Director, James Merritt, said: “We were pleased to provide Forbo with the specialist services they required for their project. From the initial offload of the equipment into our secure storage facility, through to the onward delivery and provision of installation services, we were able to deliver a complete turnkey solution for their new investment. It is always a pleasure to work with Forbo and we look forward to working with them again.”