Heckmondwike is delighted to be exhibiting at this year’s Education Estates® exhibition, taking place on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th October at the Manchester Central Conference Centre, marking a welcome return to in-person events and exhibitions.

As a market-leading carpet provider for the education sector, we are proud to be showcasing our range of high quality, durable and stylish fibre bonded carpets, suitable for any educational environment. This includes our most widely recognised and specified product, Supacord – perfect for the education sector. Also in focus will be our entrance & transition area range, including robust entrance carpets such as Battleship/Hippo and bespoke entrance products, often used in conjunction with our fibre bonded and creative ranges for a full fit-out solution.

Our objective is to create carpets that work with their surroundings to offer a practical solution, in addition to being efficient and cost-effective every time. With anti-ravel and anti-fray properties, an unrivalled colour bank, the benefit of reduced impact noise, plus our extensive fibre bonded, creative and entrance solution ranges, it’s no surprise that Heckmondwike carpets have been used in education environments for over 50 years.

This year’s stand at the two day exhibition will provide visitors with an excellent opportunity to talk one-to-one with our experienced sales representatives, who are happy to help with your specific project requirements. Come along to chat to us and find out more at stand B23, where we will be displaying alongside our sister companies – Paragon Carpet Tiles and Mat.works Entrance Solutions.

Education Estates®, in partnership with the Department for Education, is now in its 9th year, and is widely known as the annual gathering of the Education Community. With over 100 exhibits across both days, plus more than 150 speakers across 6 stages, the event is all about discovering ways to transform and refine internal and external learning environments into sustainable and adaptive spaces, from school through to university.

Come to visit us, and register for your place by clicking here. 

Here at Heckmondwike FB, we believe that where we are based says a lot about who we are as a company.

As the name suggests, our factory is located near Heckmondwike, a small town in West Yorkshire. Since the company was founded in the 1960s, our values have always been very straight-talking, honest and true to our Yorkshire roots.

Our emphasis on transparency and access to the highest quality materials have been key factors in creating the legacy that we now hold in the UK education sector and beyond.

So with that spirit in mind, here is a guided tour around the key processes we use to manufacture our fibre bonded carpets.

The first step in creating our carpets is receiving the shipments of fibres at our Goods Inwards department. Fibre is the basic material that a carpet is made up of, with over ninety percent of all carpets now crafted from synthetic fibres.

The fibres we receive are predominately polypropylene and nylon fibres which are then colour matched to make sure they are up to the highest standard.

The fibres are blended together to create different bespoke mixtures of colours and textures for each range we offer. We don’t just mix colours, we also combine types of fibres in order to create material blends that have different textures and durabilities. The blending also opens up the fibres, preparing them for the next process; to be made into carpet.

The fibres are further mixed ready to be carded; a process of separating the individual fibres using a course of dividing and redividing steps, which ultimately causes the fibres to lie parallel to one another, eliminating any remaining impurities.

In their carded form the fibres are presented to the first pre-needling process, where they are needled into a sheet with multiple layers. After this, they are further needled, which compresses those layers, forming a blank canvas for the designs.

Last in this stage, the needled carpet is structured by unique structuring needles, meaning it is essentially ‘imprinted’ with its pattern and texture.

To ensure the highest quality end product, we apply a latex coating in our backing plant which further bonds the fibres. The carpet can be backed with a variety of different backing materials, depending on the final product required. We use a number of other different types of backing including foam, crumb and acoustic. For our carpet tiles, a bitumen back is added at our sister factory Paragon Carpet Tiles.

Finally, the finished carpet product heads to despatch, ready to be delivered across the UK to a variety of destinations including schools, offices, universities and apartment complexes – to name just a few!

All in all, we’re really proud of how we manufacture our fibre-bonded carpets in our Yorkshire factory. Especially as all of our products are quality tested to industry and environmental standards before being approved.

Why not order a free sample today to experience our high-quality carpets for yourself, or get in touch on 01924410544. 

 

A freezing office can really affect your mood, work ethic and concentration. It is therefore no surprise that a cold classroom has the same effect on students. To combat the winter chill, it is increasingly important that students and teachers are comfortable and cosy.

Although most primary and high school students have been back for a few months now, they are still settling back into the new school routine and getting used to the difficult new arrangements and rules. A cosy space can make them feel more relaxed and at home.

In this blog, our commercial carpet company explores how carpet can be used to create a cosy environment in the classroom this winter.

Trap Heat with Carpet

The Department for Health advises that opening windows to let fresh air into a space can reduce the rate of infection by more than 70%. Therefore, this winter, classrooms have never been cooler. However, flooring can be used to help combat this.

Unlike hard floors, carpet has a low density and requires little energy to warm up. So, even if the temperature is low in the classroom, carpet will feel warm underfoot and to the touch.

Carpets have incredible insulation properties too, allowing heat to be trapped and retained. Thick and dense carpets, such as those across our fibre-bonded range are favoured, as thinner carpets stay cooler.

Wonderfully Warm Colours

It is said that light coloured carpets absorb less heat than darker shades. So, to keep the classroom cosy, avoid whites and yellows and choose a deeper and darker palette of colours.

However, your dark colour palette doesn’t have to be your typical greys and blacks. It is incredibly important to keep bright colours in mind, as these can help to motivate and inspire students. These colours can improve students’ learning experience, and student performance.

As winter is the time of year to be cosy, seasonal colours such as deep purples and reds can be introduced. The carpet tiles in our Array and Supacord range are available in a wide range of bright and dark colours, which easily match existing colour schemes.

Amazing Acoustics

It has been proven that high noise levels affect learning and student performance, and carpet can help to keep the classroom quieter. Aswell as reducing heating costs, carpet also works to limit sound levels in and around the space.

This is because carpet is able to absorb sound. Experts believe it can reduce airborne noise by up to 35%, as well as destroying the reverberation and echo in a room. This means that costs can also be saved on other insulative means in the classroom.

All our carpet tiles are BS EN ISO 140-8: 21db accredited, meaning they can drastically reduce noise in educational facilities.

Subtle Instructions

Of course, reminders of the measures that students need to undertake, in order to keep the school safe, are an essential part of the classroom. However, fluorescent stickers and tape can seem alien and intimidating in such a space, and interrupt the cosy and comfortable atmosphere.

Instructions that seamlessly blend into an environment, such as our Social Distancing Carpet Tiles, can be used to clearly display important messages, without piercing the relaxing setting. As with all of our carpet tiles, they can be lifted up and moved to adapt to any classroom space.

Contact our expert team for more tips to transform your space and for more information about our extensive product range. Call 01924 406 121 or email sales@heckmondwike-fb.co.uk.

In March 2020, the world as we knew it completely changed. Here at Heckmondwike FB, following government advice on COVID-19, our market-leading Supacord carpet tiles range has been transformed to emphasise safe social distancing in schools, colleges, universities and commercial working environments as they gradually adapt to new safety measures.

Understandably, there are times when mistakes will be made and the safety message may need to be reinforced. That is why at Heckmondwike FB, we’ve used our Fusion technology to laser engrave arrows for directional walkways and messaging to subtly remind students, staff, and visitors to follow social distancing measures.

In this blog, we’ll discuss how carpet tiles help with social distancing and wayfinding and why you should install them over other flooring solutions.

Easy Installation

The original government advice stated that a safe social distance was two meters, however, this was soon updated to one meter, demonstrating that while these particular measures are imperative right now, they’re not necessarily permanent. Thankfully, our carpet tiles are easy to set and can be quickly removed and replaced should they need to be.

Durability

Our social distancing carpet tiles are made from our renowned Supacord range, which has been used in classrooms for over forty years and considered the number one carpet solution for schools, colleges and universities. The tiles are designed to not ravel or fray and are durable enough to withstand areas with heavy footfall.

Reduced Risk of Accidents

Unlike social distancing loose-lay mats or hazard tape – which can sometimes cause accidents – social distancing tiles reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls that could occur. Carpet tiles also provide a safer solution to hard flooring for the same reasons and can protect against breakage if valuable items are dropped.

Design

Safety is the most important factor to consider when choosing to install social distancing carpet tiles, but that doesn’t mean the design should be forgotten about. Our carpet tiles come in Steel Grey, Blue and Green, giving learning environments and companies the option to choose either a popular, modern and subtle colour, or a more striking, bold colour that will stand out in a range of spaces.

A Gentle Reminder

With our Fusion technology, we’re able to laser engrave arrows into our carpet tiles as a gentle reminder to students, staff, and visitors to follow social distancing measures, and (as we understand the rules can sometimes be hard to remember) to reinforce what those measures actually are!

Heckmondwike’s Social Distancing Carpet Tiles are now available to purchase, however, due to the current situation, we are unable to provide samples of the product. For more information or to purchase your carpet tiles, please call us directly on 01924 406 161 or email: sales@heckmondwike-fb.co.uk.

We have been working tirelessly this year to ensure your orders are delivered on time and that your carpet is of the quality you have come to expect!

With this in mind, our wonderful bosses have allowed us a few days off over Christmas, so we thought it best to let you know so you can ensure that your orders are placed on time.

The Sales Office will close at 12pm on Friday 22nd December 2017 and will reopen on Tuesday 2nd January 2018. Please ensure all orders required before Christmas are placed by close of business on Friday 15th December 2017.

We have created a handy postcard for you to download, print and pin up in your office to remind other members of staff of our Christmas shutdown period.

Finally, from all at Heckmondwike FB, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Heckmondwike FB, one of the UK’s leading commercial fibre bonded carpet manufacturers, has strengthened its market presence with two significant new appointments.

Lincoln Chillman has been appointed to the role of Area Manager for West London, Tunbridge Wells, Hampshire, Berkshire and Dorset and Jason McKelvey has been promoted to the role of Works Manager, following 12 years as Quality Control Inspector.

Lincoln has been in the flooring industry for over 20 years which includes working in flooring wholesale, retail, contracting and manufacturing. His objective is to raise awareness of Heckmondwike FB floor finishes within the region in which he operates, building on the company’s reputation for excellence in fibre bonded carpet.

Jason aims to enhance quality and production efficiency, to further improve customer satisfaction. His role involves running the production and despatch on site for both Heckmondwike FB and Playrite, the company’s sports surfaces business.

Commercial Manager Jeremy Broadhead explains: “Lincoln and Jason have almost 35 years’ experience in the carpet industry between them. Their extensive experience and understanding of the flooring industry will help us to reinforce our offer to the market, backed up by industry leading quality, production and delivery.”

Heckmondwike FB has recently revealed its new company branding, a new brochure and a re-designed website. The company’s powerful new strapline – ‘Heckmondwike – Makers of Fibre Bonded Carpets’ – demonstrates its unique heritage, celebrating 50 years of fibre bonded carpet manufacture for the education, commercial and health sectors.

The company’s refreshed contemporary image reflects a new design-led approach, which is reflected in its new shade card suite and corporate marketing literature and collateral.

Why carpets are a good option – now and forever!

You may have noticed that we’ve recently rebranded our company, with a new logo and strapline – ‘Makers of Fibre Bonded Carpets’. The reason we did this was to reinforce messages around our history, longevity and commitment to manufacturing fibre bonded carpet, here in the UK.

The branding exercise has also given us the opportunity to review our marketing messages and to ensure that we are clearly communicating to flooring contractors the benefits of fibre bonded carpet.With so many different flooring options out there, we think there’s a great opportunity to look at why carpet has stood the test of time and why it continues to be one of the UK’s most popular flooring choices.

 

History of floor coverings

As far back as 6000 BC there is evidence of goats and sheep being sheared for wool and hair and it being spun and woven into a material that was used for a number of purposes, including as clothing and as a floor covering. Dating from around 1480 BC the ancient Egyptians used handlooms to make rugs. In 1000 AD Marco Polo confirmed rug making was taking place in the Middle Eastern countries that he passed through.

In the Industrial Revolution in England, textile inventions were introduced by Hargreaves, Arkwright, Crompton which included weaving wool for many purposes, including soft flooring.

Over the years, there have been many developments in man-made fibres, loom widths and machine efficiencies bringing carpet within reach of the mass market.

Fast forward to the modern era and carpet is still as popular as ever in the UK for use in many different applications. Carpet design continues to be influenced by social and economic factors and fashion. Some of the most important reasons that contractors and specifiers choose carpet are for its thermal and acoustic performance. This has led to fibre bonded carpet being specified widely in public buildings, student accommodation, retail outlets, sheltered housing and offices. People like the soft, comfortable feel underfoot, which cannot be rivalled by any other floor covering. Carpet also has benefits in terms of reducing slips, trips and falls. Many of our entrance carpets enable grit and moisture to be removed from footwear, so it doesn’t cause damage to internal floor coverings and lowers the risk of accidents to visitors or occupants.

 

Design trends

There will always be popular trends in floor coverings and carpet is extremely versatile in being able to ‘move with the times’. For example, the planked look is being widely specified for both public and private sector buildings, including offices and student accommodation. Also, there is a trend for plain carpet that is intermingled with subtle elements of colour, as seen in our Array range.

Even though carpet manufacture has been around for thousands of years, it keeps on evolving. Recent innovations include, for example, the introduction of machines that enable bespoke logos and designs to be integrated within a carpet. Many schools, as well as private and public buildings are specifying this type of carpet to enhance and reinforce their branding in their entrance areas.

It’s worth considering why carpet is still one of the most popular floor coverings for so many different applications. Whilst more competitively-priced materials may deliver short term gains, there are few that can match a carpet’s aesthetics, comfort, acoustics and thermal performance.