While many categories in the flooring business have looked to other countries for manufacturing, carpet remains a uniquely American-made segment. Indeed, about 85 percent of all broadloom carpet is made in the U.S., according to Catalina Research as well as The Carpet and Rug Institute.

And for many suppliers, carpet is still the backbone of their business. “Soft surface remains the foundation of Engineered Floors (EF),” said Eric Ruppert, vice president of soft surface product development and marketing for EF. “Even as the market diversifies, consumers and builders consistently demand the warmth, comfort and acoustics that only carpet can provide for bedrooms and living spaces. It is our core DNA, and we continue to lead the industry in soft surface innovation.”

Many flooring manufacturers have their origins in domestic carpet production — going back decades — and carpet remains a foundational aspect of their business. “At our core, we are still a carpet company,” said Cory Pritchett, vice president of product management at Mohawk Industries. “It’s the foundation of our company and a huge core of our business.”

Indeed, “Carpet manufacturing remains the backbone of the business because it’s where Shaw’s scale, expertise and heritage come together most clearly,” said Jamie Welborn, vice president of residential carpet for Shaw.

And regardless of how many more products companies add to their assortments, for companies with a domestic carpet heritage, that focus will always be there. “Carpet manufacturing remains the backbone of our business because it is where The Dixie Group (TDG) has built its reputation as a leader in innovation, craftsmanship, design and quality,” said T.M. Nuckols, president of TDG. “While our portfolio has expanded over the years, carpet is still the category where we can clearly differentiate ourselves through color, pattern, texture and performance.”

Unique Value

Manufacturing carpet in the U.S. gives companies advantages they can’t get otherwise. “Domestic manufacturing gives us speed, flexibility and more control,” said Drew Hash, president and CEO of Southwind Floors. “We can develop new styles faster, adjust production schedules quickly and maintain consistent quality because our teams are working side by side.”

Quality control is crucial, too, said Megan Black, senior product manager, soft surface, for Tarkett Home. “Manufacturing our carpet in Dalton allows us to monitor every step of production and maintain strict quality standards. From extrusion to the finished carpet, we have eyes on every step of the process.”

As well, added Antonio Bucca, senior director product, soft surface for Tarkett Commercial, “Overseas, material takes four to six weeks in transit after it’s produced. If it isn’t already made, you’re adding production time on top of that. There’s no version of that supply chain that supports the lead times commercial projects actually run on.”

Domestic manufacturing gives suppliers control and flexibility. Besides that, “it also allows us to offer custom color capabilities and respond more directly to the needs of retailers and designers,” Nuckols said. “Just as importantly, we can draw on the hundreds of years of collective knowledge within our organization to deliver the craftsmanship and innovation our customers expect.”

Indeed, design proximity is key. “We can move faster from trend insight to product development, work closely with our design, manufacturing and sales teams, and make real-time adjustments based on what retailers and consumers are asking for,” Welborn said.

Perhaps most critically, the domestic hub of carpet enables more innovation and also offers a strong sustainability story. Welborn added, “Every domestic and international manufacturer has the same access to carpet manufacturing machinery. It is what we do with that equipment and technology.” He pointed to LifeGuard and Anso high-performance PET as exemplifiers of this.

For EF, “our ‘Four Walls process,’ is the ultimate domestic advantage,” Ruppert said. “At our North Georgia facilities, raw material enters one door and finished carpet exits another,” and the product travels a total of 2.5 miles during production, versus the industry average of 250 miles. “You cannot achieve that level of vertical integration, quality control or speed-to-market when relying on foreign shipping and fragmented overseas supply chain.” And, he added, this is a sustainability advantage with the process EF has reduced water usage by 87 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent.

Pritchett of Mohawk said the biggest advantage domestic carpeting manufacturing gives the company is, in fact, its sustainability story. “We use 100 percent recyclable bottles,” in carpet. “That is one of the mission statements of our company. If we weren’t able to make it internally, there would be absolutely no green story and no recyclability.”

Continued Investment

Even though the carpet business as a whole is down, companies are continuing to invest in domestic capabilities.

“Shaw has invested more in carpet manufacturing in the last eight years than any of our competitors,” expressed Welborn. “We’re investing with confidence in what will matter most long term: manufacturing excellence, digital transformation and customer experience.”

Ruppert of EF noted, “Our continued expansion of our vertically integrated footprint in North Georgia, is our greatest testament. We are continuously investing in our extrusion and solution-dyed fiber technology to make production faster and more sustainable. We don’t just assemble here; we create the fiber from the ground up.”

TDG also recently invested in fiber extrusion. “By beginning to extrude our own white dyeable nylon, we gained greater control over a critical component of our supply chain while reducing our dependence on outside suppliers,” Nuckols said. “We also continued to invest in advanced tufting innovation. Together, these investments demonstrate our ongoing commitment to innovation and maintaining world-class carpet manufacturing here in the U.S.”

Mohawk has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into tufting, extrusion and manufacturing, Pritchett said, as well as in logistics and even AI systems. “We are continuously investing to be cutting edge to make sure our quality is top-notch and our customers are happy.”

“We’ve invested heavily in automation within our tufting operation,” Tarkett’s Bucca said. “What it delivers is higher throughput, tighter consistency, and more capacity to serve our customers. It’s the clearest signal we can send — we’re not maintaining U.S. carpet manufacturing, we’re advancing it.”

Added Tarkett’s Black, “one of the best examples is our continued investment in new fibers.”

Power of Patriotism

Given that the vast majority of carpet sold in the U.S. is made in the U.S., suppliers and retailers can tout the Made-in-the-U.S.A. angle, which carries significant meaning for many people. “Made in America means unmatched efficiency, superior sustainability and true supply chain resilience,” Ruppert said. “We are delivering a better product, faster, while supporting the local economy in North Georgia — that’s the true value of American manufacturing.”

Indeed, “Made in America is a commitment,” Southwind’s Hash said. “It means supporting American workers and communities, but it also means delivering a better experience for our customers. For Southwind, manufacturing in America is both a point of pride and a competitive advantage.”

In fact, given that the carpet industry was born in North Georgia, it’s a source of pride that the industry has essentially stayed in the region and the U.S. “Tufted carpet manufacturing was invented in North Georgia; through innovation and manufacturing excellence, we will keep it in America,” Welborn informed.

Beyond the quality and flexibility, manufacturing domestically, “means investing in American jobs, advanced manufacturing technology and the generations of knowledge within our facilities,” Nuckols said.

Noted Pritchett, “I’m from Chatsworth, Ga., so I love that [the industry] supports our communities here. It supports my family, it supports people I go to church with, my friends and my whole community.”

Retail Advantages

From a practical standpoint, domestic manufacturing also is an advantage for retailers. “A retailer doesn’t have to worry about port strikes, shipping container shortages or unpredictable international transit times,” EF’s Ruppert said. Since EF’s carpet comes from its Georgia facilities, “this allows them the confidence to promise — and deliver — firm installation dates to their customers.”

For retailers, “domestic production ensures more reliable service, greater confidence in availability and a partner that can react quickly when the market changes,” Welborn said.

As well, “for the retailer, domestic manufacturing means shorter lead times, improved inventory availability and it gives retailers confidence,” in deliverables, Black said. “It also means that if a retailer needs additional product or if demand for a carpet changes, we’re able to respond quickly.”

Retailers can expect consistency, too, Pritchett said. “I work closely with our dealers. They can call me and I can make an adjustment to their product that fits their needs.”

Noted Nuckols, “when a customer needs something unique or market conditions change, we have the ability to react quickly because our manufacturing operations are close to the markets we serve. That responsiveness, combined with the quality and consistency of American manufacturing, helps retailers win more business and deliver a better customer experience.”