Leading UK-based contract carpets specialist Burmatex – which has an in-depth experience in flooring some of the bigger projects in the region – is eyeing a greater share of the market by actively promoting its wide range of products and also through the launch of several more innovative flooring solutions in the near future.

Backed by an excellent distribution network, Burmatex consists of three main brands: Burmatex, The Carpet Tile Company and Burmafloors International.
“For the end customer this means one thing, an unrivalled depth of product,” says a company spokesman.
The Burmatex brand offers more than 40 individual products spanning sheet and tile carpet in both fibre-bonded and tufted construction. In addition, it offers eight broadloom products as well as nine entrance barrier products.
The Carpet Tile Company offers 15 high-end designer carpet tiles in cut pile, loop pile and an innovative cut and loop.
Burmafloors International, the luxury vinyl-flooring arm of the business, offers a number of stylish solutions that fit a wide range of applications across a range of markets.
One of the recent products of the division is Versatile, a totally new concept in resilient flooring. A loose-lay vinyl tile, Versatile provides free access to underfloor systems, as well as the flexibility to move flooring for short-term installations such as exhibitions, concessions and IT rooms. Moreover, it can be installed along with carpet tiles to offer both ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ surfaces to a building’s interior,” explains the spokesman.
Distribution & service
“Our stockists carry a strong portfolio of Burmatex products,” says export sales manager, Peter Allan, while stressing the importance of having strategically located stockists in the region.
“Larger projects, however, can be delivered ex-stock from the UK in less than a seven days or if manufacture is required, in as little as two to three weeks. With increased fast-track projects for both refurbishment and new-build faster deliveries are much welcomed by the architect and specifier, as well as the project management team,” he adds.
The company, which firmly believes in the strength of local knowledge, has appointed Allan with the specific remit of servicing the Middle East markets. Allan has worked in the Gulf states for several years and has an intimate knowledge of the floor coverings market and his contribution is already paying the company dividends.
Burmatex’s export sales operation can call upon the support of its administration office headed by Jean-Philippe Wilson, Burmatex’s export office manager.  Wilson and his team offer a multi-lingual interface between the export sales team and all other functions at head office, be it finance, production or other.
Commenting on Burmatex’s strength, Gordon Donald, managing director of Burmatex says: “The key differentiator for Burmatex is that we offer a truly integrated flooring service in a massive array of colours and textures – over 1,200 at the last count. All our products comply with the most stringent of international standards in respect of flame retardancy, durability, colour-fastness and anti-static. In addition, we even offer a cable management solution via our Netfloor cable management range. Raised access flooring dovetails perfectly with our carpet tiles and the Versatile range of loose lay resilient flooring.”

Product development
For Burmatex, the floorcoverings market is essentially a fashion business. As such, it closely monitors and anticipates developments both in respect of style and fashion, and acts accordingly with the introduction of new ranges, as well as re-engineered and re-coloured ranges.
One of the more recent launches was Camass (Cable Management Access Floor System) – an addition to the company’s Netfloor cable management range. Considered a breakthrough in access floor technologies, the Camas system is designed and developed especially for use in modern offices, schools and public buildings. The system is both environmentally and user-friendly, and its low profile offers both the specifier and installer design configurations not normally associated with traditional access floors, says the spokesman.
The company has completed several varied installations throughout the Gulf states. The list draws a diversity of clients including: banks, corporate headquarters, and public buildings, through to hospitals and golf clubs – the latter having grown into being a specialist niche for the business, with bespoke products such as spike and stud-resistant Tee-Off, a broadloom tartan effect carpet.
Specific installations that the company has covered in the recent past include: Oracle IT Company and Etisalat in the UAE; LNG, Oman; and the Arab National Bank, Saudi Arabia.