Belgian floor covering maker establishing U.S. headquarters

Belgium-based floor covering maker Beaulieu International Group (BIG) is establishing a U.S. headquarters in Cartersville, Ga., and will open a plant that will employ 350 in the area.

The company produces a range of finished floor coverings, and employs 3,500 employees in 13 countries.

The plant is expected to be operating by the end of 2015. In its first phase of business, BIG will design and produce 47 million square yards of cushion vinyl for commercial and residential uses.

“We are experiencing growth across the globe for finished floor covering,” BIG CEO Geert Roelens said in a news release. “Our new plant in Cartersville will significantly increase our production and enable us to better supply the U.S. market.”

Beaulieu is said to be a European leader in wall-to-wall floor coverings, including vinyl. The company’s business units include Granules, which produces polypropylene used in textiles; and Engineered Products, which houses its fibres, yarns, technical textiles and technical sheets activities.