It was a cold, miserable Thursday morning but it didn't dampen the excitement DCTUK felt about heading off to Milliken’s historic factory.
We said goodbye to Liverpool and arrived in the land of Pea Wet lovers, where Milliken’s factory is based. Mark Huckerbury, Milliken’s Regional Sales Director kindly greeted us and took us on a tour around the office. The one thing that stood out to us (apart from the beautiful flooring designs) is how lovely and welcoming all the employees where. Say what you want about Wiganers but there’s more than meats the pie, they’re a friendly bunch.
We chatted about the history of Milliken over morning tea and coffee. Milliken has been creating innovative products and building a brighter future for over 150 years.They published their first ever recycling policy in 1900 (they are truly ahead of the game) and have had a focus on being environmentally friendly ever since. You can explore the milestones of Milliken here, there’s plenty to read about!
After our history lesson from Mark he walked us around the showroom area, talking us through the collections. Artistic Liberties, Colour Compositions, Comfortable Concrete 2.0, Out of the Shadows etc were all fantastically displayed around the showroom. The lovely duo Kate Collier and Paul Esley joined us for a quick chat about all things marketing and design before we headed off to visit where the magic happens.
Stuart MacDonald was the man in charge, the one to show us round the factory and to make sure none of us wandered off and got hit by a fork lift truck. We couldn’t film this part of our trip unfortunately, so you’ll have to use your imagination. Think giant, loud, scary machines magically transforming pieces of yarn into an actual pattern. Stuart showed us the Milltron, Milliken's patented digital dye infusion (DDI) technology which is able to create high-definition, cinematic floor covering patterns that flow across modular carpet tiles. This machine is what makes Milliken so unique because no other flooring manufacturer can produce carpet tiles quite like theirs.
After our minds were blown away by Stuart and his 30 year knowledge of the factory, we headed off to eat some lunch. They had kindly prepared an amazing spread filled with sandwiches, crisps and sweet treats for us to tuck into, we were truly treated like royalty!
Milliken, you’ve earned a special place in DCTUK’s heart, your hospitality was so welcoming and your company culture was inspiring. We’d like to thank Mark who was our host for the day and everyone we met at Milliken! You can check out Milliken carpet tiles here at DCTUK and we’ll even fit them for you too.
