Tarkett
Encyclopedia
The Tarkett Group is a privately owned, multinational French company specializing in sustainable flooring and sports surfaces. In 2010 the company had revenues of €1.9 billion, 30 production sites and employed around 8,800 people in over 100 markets across the world. 2010 world wide sales were split between: European Union 36%, North America 27%, BRIC
34%, other OECD markets 3%. 90% of revenues are from outside France.
Sommer, initially specializing in felt making, became a flooring manufacturer. It merged in 1972 with the French Allibert Company, established in 1919 as a rubber manufacturer and specializing in plastics, from garden furniture and bathroom fixtures to automobile parts and packaging, to form the Sommer-Allibert Group. The Group sold its plastic consumer and packaging products during the 1990s.
At the same time, Tarkett AB, established in 1886 as a parquet producer in Northern Europe, incorporated the Pegulan Werke AG (established in 1946), becoming Tarkett AG in 1987. In 1997, Tarkett AG and the flooring activities of Sommer-Allibert were merged to form Tarkett Sommer AG, subsequently listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In 2001, ceding to the mounting cost pressure in the globalized automobile parts market, Sommer-Allibert eventually span off its automotive business to Faurecia
, a subsidiary of PSA. Two years later the Group changed its name to Tarkett SA, headquartered in Nanterre
, on the outskirts of Paris
.
Recent acquisitions and alliances include:
Vinyl
and Linoleum
floorings represent the group’s biggest volume segment with 64% of annual sales, followed by sports surfaces (13%), Wood and Laminate
(12%), Rubber and Accessories (11%)
, Luxembourg
and partners with external resources such as Pennsylvania State University
- Pennsylvania
USA, The University of Michigan - USA, ENSAD (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs) – France, and EPEA (Craddle to Craddle design) – Germany.
BRIC
In economics, BRIC is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are all deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development...
34%, other OECD markets 3%. 90% of revenues are from outside France.
History
Tarkett's history began in 1880 with the French Alfred Sommer Company.Sommer, initially specializing in felt making, became a flooring manufacturer. It merged in 1972 with the French Allibert Company, established in 1919 as a rubber manufacturer and specializing in plastics, from garden furniture and bathroom fixtures to automobile parts and packaging, to form the Sommer-Allibert Group. The Group sold its plastic consumer and packaging products during the 1990s.
At the same time, Tarkett AB, established in 1886 as a parquet producer in Northern Europe, incorporated the Pegulan Werke AG (established in 1946), becoming Tarkett AG in 1987. In 1997, Tarkett AG and the flooring activities of Sommer-Allibert were merged to form Tarkett Sommer AG, subsequently listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In 2001, ceding to the mounting cost pressure in the globalized automobile parts market, Sommer-Allibert eventually span off its automotive business to Faurecia
Faurecia
Faurecia is one of the largest international automotive parts manufacturer in the world . It produces 6 types of car modules: seats, cockpits, doors, acoustic packages, front end and exhaust. Faurecia's customers include the Volkswagen group, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault-Nissan, Ford, General...
, a subsidiary of PSA. Two years later the Group changed its name to Tarkett SA, headquartered in Nanterre
Nanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
, on the outskirts of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Recent acquisitions and alliances include:
- 2002 - joint venture with the Russian and Serbian entities of Sintelon AD to form the largest vinyl flooring company in Russia, Ukraine and the Balkans.
- 2004 - acquisition of Marley Floors, a leading UK vinyl flooring manufacturer, improving the Group's position in the commercial UK vinyl market.
- 2005 - acquisition of FieldTurf, a Montreal-based specialist of artificial turf sports surfaces and of Johnsonite, a US based manufacturer of commercial rubber flooring and accessories.
- 2007 - acquisition of Defargo Sports Surfaces in the US (running tracks).
- 2008 - acquisition of the North American athletic track company Beynon.
- 2009 - full incorporation of Sintelon, acquisition of the Brazilian flooring manufacturer Fademac and the North American athletic track manufacturer Atlas. Joint venture with Turkish market leader Aspen.
- 2010 - acquisition of synthetic turf producer Poligras in Spain and EasyTurf in North America. Acquisition of the North American luxury flooring manufacturer Centiva, purchase of the Rhinofloor brand in the UK.
- 2011 - acquisition of the French parquet manufacturer Marty.
Product Portfolio
Tarkett produces flooring products for many flooring market segments, including Health Care, Education, public and private Housing, Retail, Offices and both indoor and outdoor sports installations.Vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
and Linoleum
Linoleum
Linoleum is a floor covering made from renewable materials such as solidified linseed oil , pine rosin, ground cork dust, wood flour, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing; pigments are often added to the materials.The finest linoleum floors,...
floorings represent the group’s biggest volume segment with 64% of annual sales, followed by sports surfaces (13%), Wood and Laminate
Laminate
A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an...
(12%), Rubber and Accessories (11%)
Brands
Tarkett, Johnsonite, Azrock, Nafco, Rhinofloor, Sintelon, Sinteros, Centiva, Polystyl, Tarkett Sports, FieldTurf, Beynon, Atlas, Poligras, EasyTurfOwnership
Headquartered in Nanterre, France, Tarkett SA the holding entity of Tarkett worldwide operations is a private company. Its shares are owned by a holding company (SIF - Société d’Investissement Familiale). The shareholders of SIF to equal parts are the Deconinck family and private equity funds affiliated with Kohlberg Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR).Research & Development
The Group has a dedicated innovation center in WiltzWiltz
Wiltz is a commune with city status in north-western Luxembourg, capital of the canton Wiltz. Wiltz is situated on the banks of the river Wiltz. It was also a battleground in the Battle of the Bulge, near the end of World War II...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
and partners with external resources such as Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
- Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
USA, The University of Michigan - USA, ENSAD (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs) – France, and EPEA (Craddle to Craddle design) – Germany.
Corporate Milestones
- 1942 - first 3-layer hardwood flooring
- 1952 - first durable vinyl flooring
- 1957 - start of European vinyl recycling program to reduce landfill waste
- 1966 - development of vinyl wall coverings for improved hygiene
- 1975 - launch of PUR surface treatment for reduced maintenance costs
- 1978 - first adhesive free loose lay tiles
- 1980 - introduction of a flooring life cycle assessmentLife cycle assessmentA life-cycle assessment is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from-cradle-to-grave A life-cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis, ecobalance, and cradle-to-grave analysis) is a technique to assess environmental impacts...
to gauge overall economic impact - 1994 - introduction of artificial turfArtificial turfArtificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
outdoor sports surface - 1996 - launch of rubber tiles made from recycled tires
- 2003 - start of North American post-installation recycling program
- 2006 - introduction of linoleum surface treatment to reduce maintenance costs
- 2009 - first homogeneous vinyl made with 75% renewable resources (IQ Natural)
- 2011 - conversion of the European product line to low VOC emissionVolatile organic compoundVolatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and...
standards (<100 mg/m3 versus 1000 mg/m3 for European standards)
Key Projects
- Qingdao Shi Li Hospital, Bejing/China
- Georges Pompidou Hospital, Paris/France
- Womack Army Hospital, Fort Bragg/USA
- Empire State BuildingEmpire State BuildingThe Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
, New York/USA - ASVEL League1 NBA Style Basket-ball parquet, VilleurbanneVilleurbanneVilleurbanne is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of Paris. Villeurbanne is the second-largest city in the department.-History:The current location of...
/France - Major training grounds European League1 soccer teams
- Walmart Reuse recycling program, nationwide/USA
- JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
& GiantsNew York Giants (disambiguation)The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area.New York Giants may also refer to:- Baseball :...
Meadowlands StadiumNew Meadowlands StadiumMetLife Stadium is a stadium in the New York City Metropolitan Area, part of the MetLife Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League and is adjacent to the site of the former Giants Stadium, which was home...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
/USA - Luzhniki Soccer StadiumLuzhniki StadiumThe Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, or briefly Luzhniki Stadium , is the biggest sports stadium in Russia. Its total seating capacity is 78,360 seats, all covered. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, previously called the Central Lenin Stadium...
, Moscow/Russia - Société Générale BankSociété GénéraleSociété Générale S.A. is a large European Bank and a major Financial Services company that has a substantial global presence. Its registered office is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, while its head office is in the Tours Société Générale in the business district of La...
, 12 countries - Accor Hotels, Brazil and USA
- Marks & SpencerMarks & SpencerMarks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
Stores, nationwide/UK