Carpet investment brings new jobs

The company supplies luxury hotels and casinos across the world

A County Armagh carpet manufacturer has announced a £15m investment in technology at its Portadown factory.

Ulster Carpets will also take on an additional 20 staff as it converts to a revolutionary new weaving system.

The company supplies luxury hotels and casinos across the world and currently employs 400 people at its 39,000 square feet factory.

All its production has now been converted to the new PSYLO weaving system.

Traditional carpet looms have about 10,000 small bobbins loaded onto the back of them in order to build up the carpet.

The PSYLO system reduces this to 1,000 larger cones, leading to a 90% reduction in both set up time and waste.

In addition whilst traditional looms can only cope with up to 12 colours, PSYLO technology allows up to 25.

The new system won the Queen's Award for Innovation last year, and because it has been patented world wide, cannot be used by anyone else.

Managing director Nick Coburn said: "We've invested really heavily in research and development.

"Now we're seeing that investment paying off. Nobody else in the world can do what we do."

He added: "The savings we make in efficiency means that we can beat off competition from the Far East."