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There is a first time for everything

Posted on: 03-17-2018 by Elizabeth Yokel

Armstrong Flooring Australia, a commercial vinyl flooring supplier down under, made a shipment to the US, the first of its kind. However, it is not a one-time-order but expected to be the very first of many. The Southeast Melbourne-based supplier employs over 100 people and produces its products at Braeside in southeast Melbourne exported worldwide including: Europe, Asia, South America and, now (for the very first time), the US.

What makes this event a news worthy one is the fact that Armstrong Flooring is headquartered in the US and has several manufacturing plants there. So, why does this organization - in the vinyl flooring business - need to import vinyl flooring?

Australian Made, Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison, said that the shipment was “like sending coals to Newcastle” a rather cheeky expression, which means doing something superfluous (or unnecessary) such as: wearing sunglasses during evening hours or running the lawn sprinkler while it is raining. It is a sarchastic metaphor though a popular one, which dates all the way back to the mid-1500s, at a time when Newcastle-upon-Tyne had been a major coal-mining center for 400 years.

Harrison was quick to remind curious readers that Australia has some of the highest manufacturing standards in the world, a verifiable fact that underpins the high demand for Australian-made products globally. In the moment, Harrison added: “we are thrilled to see another great Australian manufacturer expand overseas and leverage the market capital of being ‘genuine Aussie’. The Australian Made Campaign congratulates Armstrong Flooring on its first shipment to the USA and wishes the company success in this new venture.”

Quality-conscious, commercial consumers with a demand for commercial sheet products that exceed the minimum quality standards are likely to find this collaboration an empowering one.

Manufactured at Armstrong's Braeside factory, this product is popular in hospitals, aged care facilities, schools, universities, offices and government buildings within and beyond Australia's borders. This is just the beginning, according to Armstrong Flooring’s General Manager, Australia/New Zealand, Richard Ye: “The first shipment of flooring to the US is a significant milestone for Armstrong Flooring Australia. It shows that Australian skills, color-design expertise, quality and value are world class.”

Ye added that "Armstrong Flooring Australia would continue to explore opportunities in the US and other flooring markets. We hope that by growing export markets that we can provide more jobs for Victorians.” The US flooring market was worth $US21.17 billion in 2016, Floor Covering News reported, with the market continuing to trend upwards during a gradual recovery from the Global Financial Crisis. The US is one of Victoria’s most important international partners and is the state’s largest source of investment and second largest trade partner, according to the Premier’s office.

The US remains a key export market, according to the Victorian State Government, which reported the value of exports in 2016 and 2017 ascended nearly nine per cent, to $A3 billion.