Amy Rush-Imber
By Amy Rush-Imber
Three days, two states and seven facilities — I love a good plant tour so the time I spent in Georgia and Tennessee this month was almost like a trip to Disney. (Almost.)
I like seeing how products are conceived, how they transform through the creative process and how different technologies come to play in manufacturing them. Seeing hardwood or carpet or vinyl from design to production to a finished product brings a deeper understanding to the category. You see the features and benefits very clearly. The effort, the innovation give the product a rich story to tell.
That, in fact, was part of Shaw's purpose with the 360 Tours which took groups of dealers to see everything from R&D facilities to manufacturing plants in both hard and soft surface to technical services areas.
The products become more than a pamphlet or sales sheet for these dealers — they came to life. Imagine working with a customer, perhaps selling Epic hardwood, and being able to tell them that when walking through the HW plant — which you happen to have done — there are an abundance of quality control points and that it's 100 percent Made in the U.S.A. The product becomes more than wood planks in a box.
And being in on the ground floor of new development helped connect dealers here with today's broader home trends and the impact on flooring. Dealers heard about new directions for winter markets and were able to share their own point of view regarding them.
The tour was also an opportunity for Shaw to show its dealer partners first-hand the full scope of its capabilities. It was a hands-on experience that showed the breadth and depth of capabilities and portfolio of product. One stop, for example, was the new resilient facility which is beginning to run product.
The importance of this opportunity was not lost on the retailer attendees. One dealer based in Minnesota has been in the flooring business since the 80s and recalled all the changes in the business including the transformation of Shaw from a carpet mill to a flooring supplier.
And that was the other reason for developing this event — the tour included manufacturing plants for hardwood, LVT, carpet and carpet tile as well as R&D for all categories including tile and laminate.
Vice president of residential Tim Baucom addressed the group emphasizing the company's commitment to being a "flooring solutions provider." And he pointed to not just the areas that have transformed at Shaw but provided insight into long term plans.
And while all strategic targets for the tour were indeed met, there were other meaningful consequences as well. Retailer’s said that among key takeaways were the personal connections made, not just to the product but to the people. They said they felt like employees were well cared for and valued. And the many outreach programs from honoring veterans to the company's commitment to United Way made an impact.
What a difference three days makes.