SURRY HILLS, Australia, Oct. 30,
2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Interface, Australia's largest carpet tile manufacturer,
has formalised its commitment to rebuild its manufacturing facility
in the Sydney area.
"This is wonderful news," said Clinton
Squires, Interface Australia's managing director. "While of
lot of companies are moving offshore we really want to be close to
our customers."
This decision comes after a fire destroyed the company's Picton
factory in July of this year. The Board of Directors of the
Atlanta, Georgia (USA)-based
company confirmed the decision late last week. Interface has been
manufacturing carpet in Australia
for over 40 years.
"Now that the company has reaffirmed its commitment to
maintaining a local manufacturing presence, we need to get back to
work as soon as possible. Restarting manufacturing here in
Australia is an economic
imperative in this tight financial environment. This is good news
for our customers, as this will allow us to serve our customers'
needs with industry leading service levels, while maintaining the
flexibility to continue to offer the local market a broad range of
custom and made-to-order products with short lead times," said Mr.
Squires.
The company is presently considering an existing building
located in southwest Sydney, but
it remains subject to negotiation, a development application, and
an internal due diligence process. However, its size and location
offer a number of important advantages over the company's prior
multi-site approach, as it would allow the company to combine
manufacturing from Picton and the warehousing facility at Eastern
Creek under one roof. The site also offers improved transportation
options for both the company's products and its employees as it is
adjacent to a railway station and a key motorway.
"From a sustainable point-of-view it is important to note we
will not only be manufacturing locally, with new equipment, but
that the proposed site is much more efficient," said Mr. Squires.
"Less transport and less waste mean a lower overall environmental
footprint."
Interface leads the industry in its commitment to the
environment. Interface Australia
was recently awarded the NSW Green Globe Award for Excellence in
Sustainability and was a finalist in the 2012 Banksia Award –
Australia's most prestigious
environmental award. Part of its corporate charter is a commitment
to Mission Zero™, the company's promise to have no negative impact
on the environment by 2020.
It now appears unlikely that the factory will be rebuilt at
Picton. "It is disappointing that rebuilding the factory in Picton
doesn't seem economically viable, primarily because the delay a
rebuild will cause; an existing building allows us to get our
people back to work and to servicing our customers with local
production as soon as possible."
"Our staff live all over the greater Sydney region so some employees will be
delighted with the decision, although others who live in Picton may
be disappointed; for those employees, bus and/or train service may
be options to consider, and the company will look for opportunities
to minimize any effect our relocation may have on these people,"
said Mr. Squires.
"We would like to thank our staff, the Picton community, our
customers and suppliers for their overwhelming patience and support
since the devastating fire, and we look forward to continuing to be
Australia's number one carpet tile
manufacturer while working to achieve our sustainability mission,"
said Mr. Squires.
Interface Aust. Pty Ltd. is a subsidiary of Interface, Inc.
(Nasdaq: IFSIA), the world's largest manufacturer of modular
carpet. Interface, Inc. is committed to the goal of
sustainability and doing business in ways that minimize the impact
on the environment while enhancing shareholder value.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
Except for historical information contained herein, the other
matters set forth in this news release are forward‑looking
statements. The forward-looking statements set forth above
involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from any such statement, including
risks and uncertainties associated with economic conditions in the
commercial interiors industry as well as the risks and
uncertainties discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" included
in Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended January 1, 2012,
which discussion is incorporated herein by this reference.
Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and, as such, speak only
as of the date made. The Company assumes no responsibility to
update or revise forward-looking statements made in this press
release and cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any
such forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Interface, Inc.