Hopes And Challenge For Wool In Carpets

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32015, 16 June 1969, Page 12

Hopes And Challenge For Wool In Carpets

The expanding use of wool in Europe’s booming carpet market pointed to a continuing firm demand for New Zealand wool, the chairman of the Wool Board (Sir John Acland) said at the week-end when he returned from attending meetings of the board of the International Wool Secretariat in London and of the International Wool Textile Organisation in Paris.

While prospects were generally very encouraging, longterm efforts in wool promotion would be critical, he said. “Wool is meeting the challenge of synthetic fibres,” he said, “but we have a hard selling fight on our hands in this all-important market.” In the year to the end of March carpet wool consumption in Europe had risen by about 25m lb to a record estimated at nearly 210 m lb. A major factor in this had been the 18 per cent rise in carpet wool use in Britain, which, for the first time, exceeded 100 m lb and topped American carpet wool production.

Although this was all very encouraging, the outstanding aspect of the market was the continuing dramatic expansion of synthetic fibres, especially in tufted carpet, which was the main growth sector.

Synthetic fibre consumption in 1968 had risen by about 76m lb to about 210 m lb to be level with wool. Viscose rayon remained at 161 m lb. The yardage of tufted carpet produced had risen from 47 per cent to more than 50 per cent of the total European carpet output. Tufted production had risen by 25 per cent, compared with 12 per cent for woven carpet. Tufted Field

Of particular significance. Sir John Acland said, was that wool tufted carpets comprised only 8 per cent of total tufted production (142 m

square yards), whereas in woven carpets about 72 per cent (138 m square yards) was in wool.

“It is against this background that the International Wool Secretariat is directing special emphasis to technical marketing work with the tufted industry,” he continued. “These efforts are achieving measureable success in getting more wool into production.” “In the past year the number of European tufters producing Woolmark ranges had risen from 35 to more than 50. “The I.W.S. carpet technical group is working with more than 40 tufters in 12 countries. These projects involving some of Europe’s biggest tufters are expected to result in 50 to 60 new wool ranges coming on to the market during the next year. “With these developments, the I.W.S. has accomplished an important marketing advance—tufted manufacturers are now convinced that tufting with wool is both practical and profitable. What is more, they are now seeking I.W.S. expertise and advice with their wool production plans.

“Tremendous progress has been made. Production of wool tufted carpets in Europe rose by 24 per cent last year to nearly 11m square yards—-total woven and tufted production in wool was 108 m square yards,” he said.