Company Announcement - Polyflor South Africa’s recent “In Search of Excellence” competition looked to celebrate the best in vinyl solutions across different industries and applications. According to Tandy Coleman-Spolander, Marketing Director of Polyflor SA, the aim was to encourage all key stakeholders within the industry to raise the bar in vinyl solutioning, and to push the art of the possible. Entries for the competition flooded in from around the country when it was revealed that the prize included a trip of a lifetime to travel to the UK to watch the Springbok rugby team compete with Scotland at      St James Park in Newcastle, plus the opportunity to witness world class manufacture in action at the Polyflor and Gradus factories in Manchester.

“It was an unbelievable experience to visit the UK for the first time with the amazing Polyflor group.  Even though we were such a diverse group of people we got along so easily. We were treated to a fantastic game of World Cup rugby between South Africa and Scotland and I still get goose bumps when I tell people about the South African fans singing our national anthem under the stadium after the game. It was very interesting to visit the Polyflor and Gradus factories and to see where and how products we specify are manufactured. The care and attention we were treated with has made a lasting impression on me,” said Heloise Urry of Graceland Architects who had won the architects category for the Mediclinic Midstream project.

This sentiment was echoed by Donovan D’Oliveira, Interior Designer of Mediclinic Southern Africa, who described it as a trip of a lifetime.

“I was very privileged to be part of it.  Not only did we watch a historical game live in one of the UK’s three largest stadiums and be there to witness our team beat Scotland, but we were also fortunate enough to have met several of the Springboks in person.  I thoroughly enjoyed the tours of the Polyflor and Gradus factories in Manchester which were informative and opened my eyes to new ideas and possibilities,” he said.

Pieter du Plessis of Flor Pro, and winner of the contractor category for the Toys-R-Us project in Wonderboom, Pretoria, said the trip highlighted the fact that quality assurance and eco-sustainability is top of mind when it comes to the manufacturing of Polyflor products. “The Polyflor team treated us to stunning restaurants and very fine dining during our trip, and went out of the way to make it a memorable experience for each one off us. The visit to the Polyflor head office and distribution centre in Oldham showed just how the company is able to deliver any order within 24 hours within the UK, and why stock distribution to Polyflor SA is so effective,” Pieter said.

Other highlights of the trip included a trip down the River Tyne, visiting the Polyflor Riverside Factory, which manufactures heterogeneous vinyl flooring and the company’s Whitefield factory, where homogenous vinyl flooring is manufactured.  The last factory visit took place at Gradus, to see their solutions for flooring accessories, barrier matting and wall protection first hand.

“The tour not only proved to be an amazing opportunity to learn more about how vinyl products are manufactured within European standards, but also offered everyone an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and meet our Bokke at the World Cup. By the time the group landed back in South Africa, everybody was eager to ensure their next projects would raise the industry levels even further, and to make sure that they would be part of the next winning team in Polyflor’s biennial “In Search of Excellence’ competition,” Tandy concluded.