Perennials, a US carpet-manufacturing firm that entered India in 2018, recently inaugurated its plant at Savli in Vadodara, Gujarat. Carpets from this plant will be exported to the United States and Europenow, but may be sold in the domestic market in future. The company has employed 50 workers, most of whom are experts in hand woven rugs industry. The company will invest $10-12 million in this plant for the first three years. The unit is spread over 14,000 square feet and the company has plans to expand that to 60,000 square feet, according to a report in a top Indian newspaper. The number of employees will rise to around 350 in the next quarter, according to Amol Biniwale, managing director, Perennials India. The firm plans to take its employee strength to 500 over the next three years. (DS)

Aquafil displayed new products and trends in the Chinese floor covering industry at Domotex Asia/ChinaFloor that ended recently. Upto 60 new textile samples, more than half made with Econyl yarn, divided into 4 areas namely contract, residential, rugs, and hospitality were showed at the tradeshow which saw participation of 1,418 exhibitors from 35 countries. Many customers from China, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and Korea went over Aquafil’s booth and got the chance to sit down and discuss current and future business with Aquafil’s team from the Asia Pacific and Aquafil’s management team from Europe, Aquafil said in a press release. 'Good design begins with the end in mind' was the concept around which Aquafil booth has been created. The booth gave a look at Aquafil's first carpet recycling plant, inaugurated last year in the United States in Phoenix, Arizona. Its sustainable process was explained by means of an illustrative installation that made many customers curious and interested in getting further details about it. (RR)

The total global market size of both machine woven and handmade carpets and floor covering is about $35-40 billion per annum and handmade rugs have a share of about $5 billion in it. India has a share of about $1.6 billion, or about 35 per cent in the handmade carpets and rugs category, according to Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC). The domestic export market of India currently stands at about $2.2 million for handmade rugs. The major markets for carpets made in India are the US (45 per cent share or $0.8 billion), EU and UK (20 per cent share each), told Mahavir Pratap Sharma, chairman, CEPC, in an interview to Fibre2Fashion. New fibres and technologies like linen, hemp, jute and blended materials are trending in the global carpet industry. Also, hand tools have made strong inroads into the process of finishing and added much needed improvement on the finish and time required for the industry.  “There are many initiatives which CEPC has planned for 2019-20. It has launched a new social media marketing and branding campaign. It is also planning to open warehouses in China, and provide a permanent place for Indian exporters to stock their merchandise to sell in mainland China,” said Sharma. “Besides, CEPC is making itself more socially and environmentally compliant and adept for the future. Lastly, CEPC has come out with a weaver training programme, especially for women.” “Indian manufacturers are very adaptive to new colours, designs, raw materials and products. And this trend will continue to grow in the right direction,” added Sharma. CEPC is a non-profit organisation set up by the ministry of textiles to promote export of carpets, handmade knotted carpets, rugs, floor coverings and other allied products. With over 2,500 members across the country, CEPC helps sourcing needs of an importer anywhere in the world and selling needs of Indian exporters. (PC) Click here to read the complete interview

TEHRAN (FNA)- The 11th International Floor Covering, Moquette, Machine Made Carpet and Related Industries Exhibition is underway in Tehran with 38 domestic and foreign manufacturers putting their products on display and will be open to visitors till Monday. The 11th International Floor Covering, Moquette, Machine Made Carpet and Related Industries Exhibition is participated by 38 Iranian and foreign companies at Tehran International Permanent Fairground and will wrap up on September 16. As reported, 870 industrial units are producing machine made carpets in Iran, providing 25,000 jobs. The units have the potential to earn $400 million of foreign revenues for the country, reports say. In August, the 28th Handmade Carpet Exhibition was held at the same venue with hundreds of Iranian carpet weaving units in the event putting their latest products on display. According to official figures, carpet industry has a significant share in the country's non-oil exports. Iranian handmade carpets are well-known worldwide for their delicate designs and good quality.

The 28th edition of Iran Handmade Carpet Exhibition will be held at Tehran’s Permanent Fairground in August 25-31. The event, which is known as the world’s most important and biggest event in the art and industry of handmade carpets, will host a score of Iranian and foreign companies active in different parts of the industry. Iran National Carpet Center, as the sponsor and organizer of this important event, will provide special facilities and options for foreign businessmen who are active in the handmade carpet sector. A number of business and trade delegations from various countries are expected to visit the exhibition and hold trade talks with Iranian producers and exporters of handwoven carpets. The event attracts as many as 4,000 visitors each year. The previous edition of the exhibition hosted over 670 producers, export companies and manufacturing units across the country. Handmade Persian carpet, besides excellent position in art and culture, is considered as a luxury commodity with a high value that has been adorned in many palaces, museums and private houses around the world. The famed Persian carpet is under pressure from low-cost Asian rivals and also faces the threat of renewed US sanctions. The Persian carpet is said to date back 2,500 years and the sector remains a big export earner and employer. The carpets are made of wool, silk or cotton, or a combination of the three. It can take weavers months or even years to make a large, top-quality carpet with intricate floral and other designs. Using natural dyes derived from plants, the workers are traditionally women.