COURISTAN ENTERS PARTNERSHIP WITH THAILAND CARPET MANUFACTURER TO MAKE AXMINSTER BROADLOOM PRODUCTS

FORT LEE, NJ - - In a major tactical move designed to significantly reduce production costs for its Hospitality Concepts Division, Couristan Inc. has entered into a long term partnership with The Thailand Carpet Manufacturing Co. Ltd (commonly known as Royal Thai).

Under the terms of the partnership, Couristan will relocate its Axminster looms currently employed in the United Kingdom and commission them for production in Royal Thai’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Bangkok. Production in Thailand is slated to be fully operational by Summer 2009.

In moving the production of Couristan’s custom Axminster products from the UK to a far eastern country with such significantly lower operational costs, Couristan is poised to become considerably more competitive and support its continued dominance within the custom contract carpet sector, according to the company.

In addition, the installation of Couristan’s Axminster looms will double Royal Thai’s annual production capabilities, creating a mutually beneficial partnership that offers both businesses dynamic growth opportunities. 

“Couristan is the world leader of custom carpet design for the hospitality industry and what has earned us that respected reputation is our constant ability to grow and evolve with the changing needs of our expanding customer base,” said George Couri, chairman of Couristan.

 â€œUtilizing the expertise of Royal Thai’s seasoned team and incorporating our Axminster production into Royal Thai's seamless operation will enable us to serve our clients with even more competitive advantage, from reductions in turn-around time to better cost efficiency,” he added.

The new alliance marks Couristan’s second strategic partnership in the last two years and solidifies Couristan role as a dominant figure in the global marketplace for premium-quality Axminster carpeting, according to the company.  In January 2007, the company partnered with China’s largest carpet manufacturer and formed Couristan Carpets (China) Ltd. That joint venture now operates a 1.1 million square foot facility in Weihai City, located in Shandong Province on China’s east coast. Couristan also manufactures select custom Axminster products in Poland. 

Couristan has been a supplier of custom-designed broadloom carpeting for the past 40 years. 

Established by the Couri family in 1926, Couristan  offers an assortment of power-loomed and handmade rugs, as well as commercial and residential broadloom.

 11.12.08