NewslineVolume V, Issue 26 - December 3, 2004The Carpet and Rug Institute news for industry executives
In This Issue: The Carpet and Rug Institute's Annual Membership Meeting was held this week at the NorthWest Georgia Trade & Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia. Highlights from the meeting are included in this issue of Newsline. We appreciate everyone who joined us for the meeting and welcome your comments and suggestions. See related press release. Grizzle Named Chairman of CRI Board of Directors Russell Grizzle, President of the USA Carpet Division of Milliken & Company,
was elected as Chairman of the Board of the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) at
the trade association's annual meeting. Grizzle moves up to the position after
having served as Vice Chairman for the past year and will replace outgoing chairman
Jeff Lorberbaum of Mohawk Industries. Jim Bethel of J&J Industries was elected
to serve as Vice Chairman for 2005. The rest of the CRI Board of Directors includes
Robert Shaw of Shaw Industries, Jeff Lorberbaum of Mohawk Industries, Carl Bouckaert
of The Beaulieu Group, Dan Hendrix of Interface, Mac Bridger of The Tandus Group,
Alan Wolk of Invista, Dick Prinstein of Honeywell, Brad Hill of Solutia, Dan
Frierson of The Dixie Group, Jack Ganley of Mannington Carpet, and Mike Gallman
of Blue Ridge Industries. Also, Gerald Embry of Shaw Industries has been reappointed
as CRI Treasurer. Several Honored For CRI Service Mohawk's Frank Endrenyi Named Smrekar Winner
NASA's Schramm Excites Crowd With Technology Talk
Pictured from left, Lloyd Starks of KeyMaster Technologies; Werner Braun, CRI President; and Schramm. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428.2123. Floor Focus Editor Makes Remarks at Annual MeetingFloor Focus Magazine Publisher
Frank O'Neill provided his overview of the carpet industry at the CRI Annual
Meeting predicting that broadloom carpet will begin to regain market share in
years ahead. O'Neill, a prominent industry analyst, based his prediction on
34 years of experience in the industry and also predicted the carpet industry
will continue to undergo extreme changes as manufacturers continue to use their
expertise in distribution to move into other sectors of the floorcovering industry.
CRI Makes Presentation at Allied Associations MeetingMembers from various allied associations gathered on November 30 to hear CRI
President Werner Braun give a presentation on CRI's Issues Management Team and
Committee structure and to help explore possibilities for the various associations
to work together collaboratively to address issues of mutual interest. CRI Honors Several at Appreciation DinnerCRI President Werner Braun thanked various allied association members, government
leaders, and media who cover the carpet industry at CRI's Annual Appreciation
Dinner on November 30, the day before CRI's Annual Meeting. Braun gave an overview
of CRI and the vision for the future for the trade association. Retailiatory Tariffs PossibleThe Continued Dumping and Subsidy Act of 2000, typically referred to as the
Byrd Amendment, was determined to be inconsistent with U.S. World Trade Organization
(WTO) obligations in a January, 2003 ruling by the WTO authorities. The Byrd
Amendment redistributes duties collected on U.S. imports subject to anti-dumping
or countervailing duties to U.S. businesses which have been adversely affected
by these unfair trade practices. Since the U.S. has failed to repeal the Byrd
amendment legislation, the WTO has authorized retaliation against the U.S. in
the total amount of $144 million. Canada, the European Union, India, Japan,
and South Korea are all currently authorized to retaliate on U.S. exports up
to the $144 million total. Each of these countries has notified the WTO of its
intention to seek retaliation and has provided a broadranging list of U.S. exports
on which they may retaliate by raising import duties (Canada has not supplied
a list). "Carpets and other textile floor coverings tufted," are included
on the Japanese list. The Canadian list, published in the Canada Gazette
for public comment but not yet submitted to the WTO, includes "textile
carpets, tufted." High U.S. Natural Gas Will Continue to Put Price Pressure on Carpet ComponentsNatural gas prices in the United States are double what they are in most of
the rest of the world. The high cost of natural gas is "destroying"
the competitiveness of the U.S. chemical industry, says the American Chemistry
Council (ACC). U.S. gas prices are the highest in the world, topping $8.00 per
million BTU. By comparison, gas prices in China are under $5.00 and gas prices
in Europe are selling for less than $4.00. In some parts of the world, like
the Middle East, gas sells for as little as 50 cents per million BTU. Braun Joins the HousekeepingChannel.com Technical Advisory BoardCRI President Werner Braun has been appointed to the Technical Advisory Board
for The HousekeepingChannel.com. The
goal of Boise, Idaho-based Housekeeping Channel.com is to be the Web's most
comprehensive storehouse of information and resources to help households everywhere
achieve a cleaner, more organized and healthier indoor environment. The site
provides how-to tutorials, plus news and reviews regarding the latest innovations
from the cleaning products industry to improve the home environment. Resources
include time-saving systems, tools and motivation for keeping a better house
at the click of a mouse. CRI Meetings* Market Issues Committee, December 6, noon - 2 p.m., CRI Boardroom CRI Participation in Upcoming Events* American Legislative Exchange Council State & Nations Policy Summit,
December 2-4, Washington, DC If you are aware of other events that present significant opportunities to deliver our messages to our critical audiences, please contact Louise Dobbs at 706.428.2104. Check our website calendar for other industry related events |
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Aside
from the election of officers, the CRI Annual Meeting was highlighted by recognition
of several individuals who have served CRI through their contributions on various
committees and boards. Board members recognized included Jeff Lorberbaum of
Mohawk Industries (pictured), Jim Jolly of J&J Industries, and Jule Smith
from SI Flooring, while Shaw Industries' Carey Mitchell and The Dixie Group's
Paul Frierson were each honored for their committee service. 
Mohawk
Industries' 
Fred
Schramm, administrator of the Independent Research & Development Program
at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and head of the Technology Transfer
Department, provided details of a new collaboration between NASA and CRI that
could revolutionize carpet maintenance. Schramm was the featured speaker at
the annual meeting and spoke about how vacuum-enhanced x-ray fluorescence (XRF)
technology co-developed by NASA and KeyMaster Technologies could be used to
measure the amount of soil in carpet thus allowing for a better way to gauge
the efficacy of the equipment used to maintain carpet. The technology which
will be employed in CRI's new Seal of Approval testing program in the spring
of 2005, measures the amount of soil applied to and removed from carpet, and
allows for new benchmarks to be established for performance.