Salem, N.J.— Mannington Mills along with DuPont have announced an exclusive, multi-year partnership to add Teflon to Mannington’s resilient, laminate and wood flooring products. The newly developed coatings will contain Teflon, a durable surface protector which repells stains and soil. “It is one of the most trusted brands among consumers worldwide,” noted Kim Holm, president of residential business for Mannington. Independent research conducted by both companies found consumers extremely receptive to the idea of having Teflon in their floors.

“In one survey, 66% of respondents indicated their desire to purchase a floor would be greatly improved if it had Teflon surface protector,” said Tom Davis, CEO. “These respondents,” Holm added, “also felt a floor with Teflon would be easier to maintain and would prolong its new look longer than one without the protective wearlayer.” James Forte, DuPont’s global brand manager for Teflon, added, “Mannington is known for its styling leadership and innovation in hard surface flooring and it is carrying that variation over into the floor’s performance abilities with the addition of the Teflon brand.” The initial launch of the Teflon technology will include such products as Mannington’s new handscraped hardwood floors and its laminate Coordinations collection. New laminate plank designs to be introduced this year for the Coordinations collection include Meridian Cherry, Centennial Cherry, Newport Hickory, Georgian Hickory and Elizabethan Oak.

In addition, six new tile colors will be added to the mill’s Brazilian Stone and Pacific Island Stone lines. Each floor will feature a melamine wearsurface with aluminum oxide as well as DuPont’s Teflon. To complement today’s popular sophisticated looks of rustic and elegance, Mannington has designed the American Legacy collection, a line of handscraped hardwood floors. “The new handscraped floors are just that—handscraped, explained John Himes, director of marketing, wood and laminate. “Each floor board is passed through several scraping stations where it receives such attention to detail that can only come from a true craftsman. The character of each wood is further enhanced during this process and brings out the wood’s grain visual as well as any knots and pinholes.”

The collection will feature two wood species, Hickory and Walnut. The Heritage Hickory line will be available in Saffron, Topaz, Nutmeg and Esspresso, while the Woodbridge Walnut series will be available in natural. Each of these floors will feature Mannington’s 7-Step UltraWear Plus finish with ScratchResist along with DuPont’s Teflon. The incorporation of Teflon is part of Mannington’s new strategy, Mannington Customer Connect or MC2, in order to connect better with the consumer and provide value to all avenues through the entire supply chain. “MC2 is our continuous effort to improve the connection between consumers and our products,” said Ed Duncan, senior vice president. “It embodies the total approach to the market—from product development and styling, merchandising, displays, brochures to corresponding materials. It also involves communication and advertising, as well as our presence at trade shows.”

Due to results from extensive research including consumer interviews conducted throughout the country, Mannington has decided to re-think its approach to the market. “We have found after more than six months of working with focus groups we need to change our philosophy,” explained Duncan. “There is a huge disconnect between how she buys and how we sell. What is happening is the salesperson is initially offering her details. The consumer, however, is purchasing based on her lifestyle and fashion. “Our objective is to find out who the consumer is, why and how she buys and understand the role of her influencers,” Holm added.

“Most importantly, we found she makes a distinct interpretation of industry terms—flooring vs. floor covering. To the consumer, flooring is considered added value to the home and is a permanent item so she tends to be more cautious when making her flooring purchase. “On the other hand,” he continued, “floor covering is considered to be temporary. From her perception, flooring is wood and ceramic while carpet, vinyl, laminate and rugs are considered floor covering products. It’s very interesting. “Today’s shopper is also much more knowledgeable,” Holm noted. “No matter which category she is in she will inevitably start out at the big boxes to investigate. Once her decision is made she cannot be persuaded. The retail salesperson has less influence on her. It’s like she’s on a mission—aesthetics become key; practical becomes emotional.” Mannington’s MC2 approach caters to the consumer’s desire for style and design.

And, in doing so the company’s 2003 introductions will be focused on this research. This philosophy will be carried out throughout each of the mill’s divisions. “It’s not surprising that style and design are the primary reasons a consumer purchases a particular floor,” explained Stuart Beattie, senior vice president of style and design. “When it comes to home decorating, whether it’s flooring, window treatments or wallpaper, décor is the operative word. The product must look good. “Performance and functionality are also important,” he continued. “But, when it comes to flooring, she relies less on technical information than on design and styling compatibility when making her final decision.

“Because Mannington’s hard surfaces floors are designed with the customer in mind,” Beattie added, “styling and design options make it easy to find an attractive floor while performance capabilities ensures she will get the years of service she expects from it.” Over the past several years, patterns that replicate natural materials such as stone, slate and marble have gained popularity among end-users. Mannington’s Cozumel and Canyon View patterns have the look of these more expensive materials but without the high price or demanding maintenance which goes along with them. “These floors have exceptional fashion-forward styling that appeals to even the most trend conscious consumer, as well as the durability she’s come to expect from a Mannington floor,” Beattie explained. “Our style team has been tracking these trends,” he continued. “And this year we’ll raise the bar in resilient flooring design once again with patterns resembling leather, sisal, cork and bamboo.”

With the advances in technology mills have been able to produce laminate flooring which looks even more realistic than ever, noted Himes. “Our revolutionary NatureForm tile collection features laminates such as Burmese Slate and Peruvian Stone. This year we will build on these patterns to include Brazilian Stone in three sun-drenched colors. “In the hardwood category, which creates a feeling of warmth and elegance to any home,” he continued, “we have taken it one step further by introducing our Trade Winds collection. This group features Canelo Teak, Island Chestnut, Magellan Oak and Audina Cherry.”

New to Mannington’s hard surface line up is tile. The Italian tile line is entirely porcelain. “This means that it’s not only beautiful but extremely durable,” illustrated Massimo Ballucchi, director or marketing, ceramic tile. The tiles, available in 15 patterns, replicate the look of stone, slate, marble and travertine, two of which have metallic-look inserts. Patterns include:

Abruzzo, a replica of quartzite available in Mineral Gray, Driftwood, Walnut and Bisque;

Arno, a stone pattern which comes in Summer Straw, Pantina Green Bisque, Porcelain Beige and Antique Beige;

Bottcelli has a realistic stone effect. It is available in Patina Green, Bisque and Walnut;

Calabria offers another stone look in Mineral Gray, Oyster White, Walnut and Autumn Beige;

Catania sports the weathered look of marble in Walnut, Sahara, Antique Beige and Bisque;

Cortona offers an irregular edged tumbled stone available in Moss Green, Oyster White, Walnut and Bisque;

Donatello is a sandstone pattern offered in Persian Blue, Walnut, Patina Green, Sahara and Bisque;

Entreves, a travertine marble replica, comes in Walnut, Bisque, Oyster White, Adobe Sunset and Silver Pine;

Fra Angelico is another marble type with satin-finish and is available in Bisque, Porcelain Beige and Sand;

Francesca is a through-body porcelain with stone-like appearance, slight irregular edges and rounded corners. It is offered in Oyster White, Mineral Gray and Bisque;

Lipari, a natural slate look-a-like comes in Patina Green, Mineral Gray, Venetian Gray and Porcelain Beige;

Masseria has soft, irregular edges and is offered in Mineral Gray, Bisque, Oyster White and Silver Pine; Parma has a travertine look in Walnut, Bisque, Sand and Porcelain Beige;

Perugia, a high-end item, sports a porcelain cut-stone look and is available in Mineral Gray, Gold Coast, Sand Bisque and Sandalwood;

Ravenna, available in Adobe Sunset, Autumn Beige, Bisque Sahara and Moss Green, is a natural stone replica with rustic, rounded edges.

“We pride ourselves in continuing to develop the best products for not only to the consumer but also for the retailer,” concluded Himes. For more information about its new products, contact Mannington at 856/935-3000.