Ralph Boe, president and ceo of Beaulieu of America, spoke withNFTbefore Surfaces about what’s on the horizon for the carpet manufacturer.

Ralph Boe, president and ceo of Beaulieu of America, spoke withNFTbefore Surfaces about what’s on the horizon for the carpet manufacturer.

He said the company is poised to move forward and defends the closing of some plants as necessary for the business. "Since 2010, there have been about 100 hard and soft surface plants affected. Most of those are major competitors. Including what we’ve announced recently, we’ve closed six, which is a pretty small percentage of the total."

Boe added that some closings were close together because Beaulieu was in the process of securing refinancing for the business. "We couldn’t make some of those changes until we had completed the refinancing. It costs money to shut down facilities and move equipment, and that is why the timing was as it was."

He also noted that employees affected by the recent closings will have the opportunity to move to other Beaulieu facilities. "For the two plants in Dalton -- Model and Riverbend -- probably two thirds of those people will be realigned in other facilities."

Boe said he was excited about the upcoming Surfaces show, where the company was planning to launch new products including Bliss EverClean. "In terms of our customers, they should expect the same quality we’ve provided. We will continue to have innovative products."