Secrets shared by carpet men

Press, 13 April 1978, Page 19

Secrets shared by carpet men

New Zealand carpet manufacturers have just spent two days sharing “trade secrets” with their rivals—and with wool growers. They were attending a seminar in Christchurch to determine guidelines for the production of carpet wools in New Zealand. Mr A. G. Lawrence, chairman of the Wool Research Organisation, which convened the symposium, said the aim was to lessen the “chronic” information gap between manufacturers and wool growers. The very way in which wool was bought and sold obscured the free flow of information to farmers about what carpet manufacturers wanted, he said. However, the symposium had prompted some frank discussion. “The carpet manufacturers opened the secrets of their commercial strongrooms and told us their requirements,” Mr Lawrence said. If growers knew exactly what manufacturers required, said Mr Lawrence, they equid help make the entire industry more efficient and give New Zealand a competitive edge on world markets. But there had been no really startling revelations, he said.

New Zealand growers were producing pretty much the kind of wool which the industry wanted. One interesting development was the increasing trend overseas towards “fine-gauge tufting” and “plush” effects in carpet. These lent themselves to the use of Romney-cross wool, a slightly finer wool than the relatively coarse variety which was traditionally favoured. Another factor which emerged from the symposium was that the industry was interested in bulky yarns. One way to achieve this bulk was by using ■wool with a “helical” or spiral crimp as opposed to the regular crimp on one plane. Dr K. Baird, director of the Internationa) Wool Secretariat’s research and development section, was at the symposium as an observer. He doubted, whether the present overseas fashion in carpets which used finer wools would greatly affect the New Zealand farmer. However, it was too early to tell whether the demand for finer wools would cause an increase in New Zealand wool sales, or merely a shift in emphasis, he said.