All posts by John Conlon

Ulster Carpets Granted Royal Warrant by HM The Queen

May 26, 2022Front Page, Homepage Slideshow, NewsJohn Conlon

Ulster Carpets have been granted a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty The Queen.

As one of Northern Ireland’s leading exporters, the company, which manufactures luxury carpet for customers across the world from their headquarters in Portadown, becomes just one of three Royal Warrant holders based in Northern Ireland.

Nick Coburn CBE, Group Managing Director, said, “To receive the Royal Warrant in Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year is a real honour. This achievement has taken several years of dedicated work by our staff and it further underpins the huge success and progression of Ulster Carpets, particularly as we look forward to celebrating our 85^th anniversary next year.”

Still based on the same site that Nick’s grandfather founded the company on, Ulster’s forward-thinking and innovative approach has helped them to grow globally from their headquarters in Portadown.

“Ulster have always been synonymous with quality carpets for the home but we also design and manufacture bespoke carpets for the world’s leading hotels, casinos and cruise ships.

“One of the key reasons behind this success is that we are the only fully integrated manufacturer of woven carpet operating entirely in the UK. From sourcing the highest quality wool and spinning and dyeing the yarn, through to the bespoke design and weaving of our luxury carpets, we have complete control over every step.

“We are continuing a significant investment programme to create and secure jobs in the UK, which will grow our business across the world.”

To mark this year’s Jubilee, the Northern Ireland Office have launched a competition for primary school children to design a rug, which will be manufactured by Ulster Carpets before being presented to The Queen.

Ulster Carpets are also continuing to work closely with the Royal Household to develop designs for Royal Residences.

IMAGE

Nick Coburn CBE, Group Managing Director, and Joyce McIvor, Contract Sales Director for UK and Ireland, mark the news that Ulster Carpets have been granted a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty the Queen.

Platinum Jubilee design competition launched in local primary schools

May 6, 2022Front Page, Homepage Slideshow, NewsJohn Conlon

Primary schools across Northern Ireland are being offered the opportunity to take part in a unique competition to design a gift for Her Majesty the Queen as part of this year’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Northern Ireland Office competition, launched today (Friday May 6th) by Minister of State Conor Burns, will offer schools the chance to design a postcard depicting a snapshot of Northern Ireland. This will then be manufactured into a rug to be sent to Her Majesty the Queen by leading Northern Ireland company Ulster Carpets.

Minister of State Conor Burns with Ulster Carpets Field Designer Sinead Tumilty — Pupils at Downshire Primary School in Hillsborough show Minister of State Conor Burns their entries for the Platinum Jubilee design competition.

Speaking at Hillsborough‘s Downshire Primary School as pupils there began to work on their entries, Minister Burns said, “This competition is a fantastic opportunity for Northern Ireland schoolchildren to get involved in producing a unique gift for Her Majesty the Queen as she celebrates this special year.

“The Platinum Jubilee year is a key occasion to acknowledge the amazing dedication and service of Her Majesty the Queen over 70 years, and I’m proud that the young people of Northern Ireland will be directly involved in commemorating it.

“I look forward to seeing the creative designs from local pupils, and the wonderful rug which will be produced by Ulster Carpets to depict the winning snapshot of Northern Ireland.”

Group Managing Director of Ulster Carpets, Nick Coburn, said, “We are proud to offer this unique opportunity to mark the Queen’s Jubilee in such a special way.

“We have no doubt that our young people will be able to demonstrate their creativity and produce a design that perfectly encapsulates Northern Ireland. We may even be able to find some talented artists who could be our future carpet designers.”

The competition will be open until Friday 27 May, and the winning pupil will work with Ulster Carpets to develop their design – as well as seeing it in the production process.

The winning child and their class will then be invited to a special unveiling ceremony in the autumn ahead of the rug being sent to Her Majesty the Queen.

Ulster Carpets Awarded For Green Leadership

March 2, 2022NewsJohn Conlon

Ulster has been recognised for green leadership, achieving Silver in the 2021 NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey organised by Business in the Community.

The Survey, sponsored by Moy Park and supported by Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, recognises and rewards organisations that are going above and beyond their legal requirements to improve their environmental impacts and better manage their resources and provides a roadmap for improvements.

Of the 113 organisations from a range of sectors who measured and reported their environmental impacts, Ulster are the only textiles company in NI to take part.

Eddie Ruddell at Ulster Carpets, said: “As a responsible manufacturer, we recognise the importance of sustainability and environmental protection. The NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey was an opportunity to have this commitment independently verified and we will use this result to set our next targets. Our ultimate aim is to attain Platinum level and we are confident that our long-term strategic plan will help us achieve this.”

Managing director of Business in the Community, Kieran Harding, added: “The Survey is an important comparison tool and a way for organisations to not only be recognised for their environmentally sustainable efforts, but also to identify areas where they can improve. It also serves to highlight key environmental areas they need to be thinking about for the future. I want to congratulate and thank all firms that have stepped forward to take part in the Survey, and report on their environmental practices.”

You can read more about our commitment to the environment here: https://ulstercarpets.com/contract/impact-on-the-environment/

Thank you to the Belfast News Letter and Portadown Times for highlighting this recent achievement in green leadership.

Cruise Ship Interiors Expo | Europe | London 2021

November 24, 2021NewsJohn Conlon

It’s just one week until the Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe (CSIE) takes place in London, and Ulster are delighted to be attending.

“CSIE provides a gateway for the cruise interiors supply chain to meet with Europe’s most esteemed cruise lines, designers, and shipyards working on major refurbishment and newbuild projects.”

Taking place 1 – 2 December at London’s ExCeL, this exhibition gives those in the cruise industry a chance to reconnect after the pandemic and discuss moving forward.

Our dedicated Marine Team will be exhibiting at Stand 825, so if are at this event, come and talk to us about the flooring requirements for your next cruise project.

To register for the event for free, go to https://cruiseshipinteriors-europe.com/

You can also visit our Marine page to take a look at what we have already achieved on some of the world’s leading cruise lines.

ABC Senior Sports Awards 2022

November 23, 2021NewsJohn Conlon

Sports Awards Sponsorship

Ulster is proud to be the Headline Sponsor for the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Senior Sports Awards 2022.

“Organised by the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Sports Forum in association with the Council, the annual awards recognise the wealth of sporting talent in the borough and celebrate the achievements of those who have excelled in their chosen sport, as well as recognising the invaluable contribution from our coaches and volunteers.”

At Ulster, we have always had a deep-rooted relationship with sport, and it is great to be associated with something that recognises the achievements of local sportspeople.

At the launch of the awards, our Managing Director, Nick Coburn said, “Since the company was established, our ethos has been to support our local community in any way that we can. Sport plays such an important role in bringing people together from all walks of life and in instilling values such as fairness, discipline, perseverance and respect, values we also admire in our employees. We are very much looking forward to celebrating the achievements of our sports stars at the ABC Senior Sports Awards.”

The awards will take place on Thursday 3 March 2022 at the Belmont House Hotel, Banbridge. In the meantime, nominations are open online until Friday, December 31st at 5 pm.

If you’d like to nominate, go to https://www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/resident/abc-sports-forum/#sportsawards

For more information on the awards and our sponsorship, click here.

To keep in touch with the latest news from Ulster, sign up to our newsletter here.

GREENER CARPETS FROM ULSTER THANKS TO POWER NI SWITCH

September 23, 2021NewsJohn Conlon

Ulster Carpets can create carpet in any colour imaginable but now each one will be a little bit greener thanks to a new agreement with Power NI.

The premier supplier of Axminster and Wilton carpets to the world market have now switched to a new Green Energy contract from Power NI, Northern Ireland’s leading energy provider.

This will now see the Portadown company’s manufacturing and warehouse facilities supplied with green energy generated by local, renewable sources.

Eddie Ruddell, Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Ulster Carpets, said, “We have always been a company with an ethos of sustainability. Founded in 1938, the company has invested in key strategic innovations to maintain local jobs, create a premium product and export globally to some of the most luxurious establishments in hospitality.

“As a manufacturer, we have a responsibility to steward our people and planet well. Our latest strategic move in sustainability has been to partner with Power NI to procure 100% green electricity for our NI operations. This commitment has been forecasted to reduce our carbon footprint by over 950 tonnes per year – a key step in moving to decarbonise our manufacturing operations.”

Power NI supplies around 40,000 businesses across NI with over 150GWh of that electricity provided as Green Energy. Power NI’s parent company, Energia Group, to date has invested over €1 billion in the energy market across NI and ROI focusing on their core segments of Renewables, Flexible Generation and Customer Solutions.

Power NI Ulster Carpets — Pictured L-R are Ulster Carpets’ Adam Stevenson, Procurement Manager, and Eddie Ruddell, Health, Safety and Environment Manager, with Power NI’s Commercial Marketing Manager, Amy Bennington.

Amy Bennington, Commercial Marketing Manager at Power NI, said, “As Northern Ireland’s largest electricity supplier, and as part of the Energia Group, we are committed to transforming how our customers use and generate energy, in a way that has a positive and sustainable impact on the environment. We are delighted to supply Ulster Carpets with Green Energy which would be the equivalent of powering over 1,000 average homes in Northern Ireland for a year.

“As a Climate Champion and signatory of Business in the Community’s Climate Action Pledge, we’re working collaboratively with organisations across Northern Ireland to address the climate emergency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The energy switch with Power NI is the latest move in Ulster’s long-term commitment to sustainability and they encourage other local businesses to see what they can do to act on climate change.

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