CALHOUN, GA (March 24, 2009) - In response to growing market demand for synthetic turf and in keeping with the company's mantra of innovation, FieldTurf has opened a new manufacturing facility in Calhoun, GA. The 455,000 square foot facility allows the world leader in sports surfacing to better focus on innovation and excellence at every step of the manufacturing process. FieldTurf's reputation for putting quality first is the primary reason that the company has installed more than 3000 sports fields across North America, making FieldTurf the undisputed industry leader.
"From tufting, to coating, to full QC inspections, right on to shipping and installation, the new equipment in the Calhoun plant and the additional space work together to further ensure that FieldTurf is the market leader in quality product ? whether the customer is an NFL team or a high school," said Michael MacNeil, SVP Operations for FieldTurf.
The new Calhoun facility is four times the size of the previous FieldTurf plant - a facility which the company built only three years ago, but quickly outgrew as volumes continuously outpaced the company's aggressive sales projections. The new facility has an annual production capacity of 630,000,000 square feet of turf - enough to supply over 7,800 football fields per year. The new coating line that is at the heart of the Calhoun plant allows FieldTurf to set a new standard for turf quality and durability. The world's most trusted turf system just got even better.
FieldTurf CEO Joe Fields added, "The fact that we can make a major investment in a new plant and facilities when most US industries are scaling back or closing facilities speaks volumes to the strength of the FieldTurf brand, the strength of the FieldTurf business and, importantly, to the strength of the FieldTurf balance sheet. We will continue to invest in business opportunities that enable us to further solidify our global market leadership position in sports surfaces."
FieldTurf Tarkett, a Division of the Tarkett Group, is the largest entity in the sports surfacing industry and offers unparalleled leasing capabilities, engineering, and manufacturing resources, while leading the turf industry on setting higher environmental standards. In addition to its world-renowned FieldTurf and Prestige brands of artificial turf, FieldTurf Tarkett provides an equally impressive range of sports flooring products that include synthetic and hardwood basketball, volleyball and gymnasium flooring, squash and racquetball courts, floor protection and covering systems, and weight room flooring. Also in the range of FieldTurf Tarkett products are high performance indoor and outdoor running tracks including the Beynon track surfaces, playground surfacing, commercial and residential landscaping, and a complete range of tennis and golf surfaces. All of FieldTurf Tarkett surfaces are developed, produced and installed with a concentration on sustainability and a commitment to protecting the environment. The company calls it 'Environmental Intelligence' and lives by this principle in every way.
