Carpet & Rug Manufacturing Industry Profile

The US carpet and rug manufacturing industry includes about 250 companies with annual revenue of about $9 billion. Major companies include Shaw Industries, Mohawk Industries, and Beaulieu Group. The industry is concentrated: the four largest companies account for about 60 percent of revenue.

Globally, the carpet and rug industry generates more than $30 billion in revenue. Europe is the leading producer of carpet, and China is a leading carpet exporter.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand for carpeting depends on residential and commercial real estate construction and home sales, which can be cyclical. With many costs fixed, profitability of individual companies depends on their volume of business. There are large economies of scale in manufacturing and distribution.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Most carpeting is made on large tufting machines that use rows of needles to sew loops of nylon thread into a latex "backing." The loops are cut to produce tufts and additional backing is glued on to the bottom to hold the tufts in place; polypropylene and polyester thread are also used. Rugs and woven carpeting are made on looms using wool, cotton, silk, or synthetic thread. Most carpeting is made as 100-foot rolls ("roll goods") of various widths - mainly 12 or 15 feet ("broadloom") - but modular carpet tiles also are made.

The manufacturing process for most of these products is simple and automated, leading to large economies of scale for high-volume producers and encouraging consolidation. A ...