Constantine Carpet: Magic Carpet Ride
Manufacturing
Written by Eric Slack   
Sunday, 01 June 2008
Constantine Carpet: Magic Carpet Ride - American Executive - RedCoat Publishing
Bob Weiner discusses how this carpet manufacturer is building a legacy though technology innovations and high-quality products.
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Gifford, Hillegrass & Ingwersen
With manufacturing costs sending many operations overseas in search of cheaper labor and materials, Constantine Carpet found a solution that didn’t involve a slow boat to China. Through a focus on product and process innovation, the company’s patented manufacturing techniques and high-end, high-quality products have kept it on a growth path since its inception more than 10 years ago.

Constantine Carpet: Magic Carpet Ride - American Executive - RedCoat Publishing
Bob Weiner, CEO
“We’ve been good at buying properties and manufacturing opportunities when they became available at a good price. We built our first tufting machine and bought a few more, doing our own equipment modifications,” said CEO Bob Weiner. “We also have our own trucks. Since we’re not that spread out and we’re a relatively high-margin business, the cost of trucking from facility to facility is minimal and insignificant.”

Weiner is as experienced as they come in the carpet manufacturing universe. He has founded three commercial carpet companies during his career. Prior to starting Constantine in 1995, he launched Harbinger in 1980 and Prince Street in 1985. Many others in leadership positions have also spent years in carpet manufacturing. This understanding of the demands of the industry built the company into an innovative force in the market by building a better product through technological expertise, innovations, and a willingness to take risks.

Constantine was launched originally as a high-end residential carpet company but changed its focus after entering the commercial market in 1998. Weiner said while the quality, durability, and aesthetics of Constantine’s carpets are well suited for residential spaces, the company wasn’t able to do enough new product introduction and development for the residential market to be a centerpiece of operations. Now the residential channel is an offshoot of its commercial business, as some of Constantine’s commercial styles have residential applications.

“With residential carpeting, you need far different inventory considerations and control. Commercial jobs are bigger, so it is economical to make carpet to order,” Weiner said. He noted that corporate office projects are the bulk of the business, but the company’s products are also used in hospitality and retail. “We didn’t want to get that deep into inventory management and investment. With the corporate market, even in slow times it isn’t that bad because if there aren’t many new builds, there are still plenty of renovation projects.”

Constantine has a sales force of about 50 people working in major cosmopolitan centers around the country. Sales staff call on interior design firms, and flooring contractors follow up with end users and general contractors as jobs are planned. Constantine’s architect folders and backup swatches give clients and end users an idea of product quality and appearance, and, in some cases, the company can do a small sample installation in a room so prospective clients can see the carpet in action.

The unique factor
To keep expanding the Constantine brand, the company added 19 new salespeople last year in territories Weiner called uncovered or underperforming. Weiner said the company also hired a second sales manager to direct some of the salespeople in the Midwest, and Constantine is also looking to bring in an e-marketing expert to improve the company Web site and use computer-based solutions to e-mail product information, photographs, and tile configurations to potential design clients.

One thing Constantine is well known for is its unique multiple yarn infusion (MYI) process. The process allows the company to take single yarns and tuft them into a carpet undyed and in combination. The cabling technique, which Weiner’s previous company used, only uses two strings of yarn at once. The MYI process allows for double that.

Since the yarn hasn’t been dyed and is still truly unattached to another piece of yarn, leftover yarns can be used in other carpets because they aren’t committed to a color or a partner strand of yarn. Previously, the leftovers were merely waste products.

Technology is at the heart of Constantine’s manufacturing process. Although MYI makes carpets denser, the latexing process of attaching a secondary laminate backing to the carpet can be more difficult because shielded pieces of yarn may not get enough wet latex. It is also harder to notice if a piece of yarn has been pulled out during tufting. But Weiner said the company is constantly striving to improve its manufacturing process to further separate itself from competitors in the minds of the carpet-buying public.

Down the road, Weiner said there could be more additions to the company’s arsenal, including processes such as yarn extrusion and a standard backing operation. But he doesn’t see many opportunities for investment and isn’t currently interested in buying another carpet company to grow through acquisition.

“The problem with acquisitions is the person selling knows more about the business than the buyer, and you generally don’t get a good deal,” said Weiner. “We’re better at conceiving new ways to do things and building from the ground up rather than fixing other people’s problems.”

As Constantine continues to work on new and better ways of manufacturing carpets, the company is trying to improve its products by making tighter, denser carpets while also improving cleaning procedures to remove the worry many have about carpet maintenance. Weiner admits he is constantly concerned about potential clients turning away from carpeting for hard surfaces, but he believes by making Constantine’s product lines the best solution on the market the company will prevail.

“You see more hard surface than 10 years ago, but I keep making the case that carpet is the better solution. Sound reverberates off hard surfaces; you drop a glass, and it breaks, and it can be uncomfortable on a hard surface all day,” said Weiner. “Carpet gives better sound absorbency, better cushion under foot, better aesthetics in many ways, and a warmer, more comfortable feeling.” 
 
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