Jake Parks, UK commercial sales manager for sheet vinyl at IVC Commercial, talks about IVC, his role at the company and what flooring trends he’s seeing

Tell me a little about the history of your company

IVC began in 1997 in Avelgem, Belgium, and was a driving force in the residential cushion vinyl market for the next 15 years, with rapid continuous growth in this sector. The addition of commercial sheet vinyl and LVT to the portfolio in 2011 enhanced the status as one of the major resilient floorcovering manufacturing powers in Europe, eventually leading to acquisition by Mohawk Industries, the world’s largest floor covering manufacturing group, in 2015. Operating across both commercial and residential channels, a merger with one of Mohawk Industries other prominent brands, Unilin, took place in 2023 allowing synergy across certain business functions to take place, constantly adding value to the market proposition.

When and why did you join the company?

Following a period of time working in flooring distribution for both Floorwise Group and Headlam, and as a flooring installer prior to that, I was actively looking to continue my career development and work for a floor coverings manufacturer. The opportunity to join IVC under the then ITEC brand presented itself, and being aware of how successful IVC had become within the residential sector during the years prior, I felt like the chance of joining an emerging brand was the type of challenge I was looking for. That was 13 years ago and it is safe to say that I have never looked back, they are a great company to work for and the team around me, from senior management to the guys in the sample warehouse and everyone in between, is the best in the industry.

Why are your company’s products different than your competitors’ products and what’s the secret to creating a successful flooring product?

For me, there are several reasons why I value the products, but the main three are: attention to detail in product design and aesthetics, dimensional stability and in the current market, as we look to the future, tangible sustainability. The ability to manufacture good looking products that are easy for the installers to work and have a strong reuse and recycle scheme to support the environment in our Recover scheme is the key to our success.

What’s the secret to a successful flooring installation?

It is an old cliché, but preparation and time are the two key factors to a successful installation.

As the installer who trained me would always say, the floor that is installed is only as good as the surface it is going on to. With the knowledge and expertise that is easily accessible via the subfloor preparation manufacturers, including site surveys and moisture tests etc, as well as the support they give to contractors by offering written specifications and reports, we shouldn’t have any issues with subfloor failures.

All too often, we see main contractors shortening the program of works due to delays on site whilst the handover date remains the same. Being a finishing trade, it is always the flooring contractor who is impacted either by lack of time or being pushed to work in sub-standard conditions to have a chance of completing the installation.

Who, outside your company, do you most admire in the industry?

There are many people I respect in the flooring game, largely due to their successes, such as Tony Brewer and what he did firstly with Headlam and now with Likewise, David Bigland because of his drive and leadership in taking the unknown Moduleo and turning it into a leading brand both commercially and residentially in the UK market, but the one person I admire the most is Tim Booth.

Tim gave me my first sales role in the flooring industry, taking a chance on a cocky young lad with a huge ego and no formal sales experience. It could have been an awful decision that backfired on him – I admire and appreciate the faith he showed in me.

What three challenges do you feel the industry is facing and what are you doing to overcome these (sustainability, supply, consumer confidence, etc)?

I think one of the biggest challenges we face is in ensuring there’s enough talent and skill to deliver high-quality work in the future. There is no doubt manufacturers are making huge inroads in developing products that are easier to install in a range of environments, but there is still no substitute for best practice. Floor installation is a demanding and physical job, so it is important that we are in an industry that is attractive for other reasons, such as career progression.

Sustainability is also a huge issue, everyone seems to talk about it currently and there is a lot of acknowledgements of the need for recycling schemes etc, however when the subject of cost arises sustainability very quickly takes a back seat. We need to understand that, at present, the cost of recycling products may be on parity with sending to landfill, but the more we initiate schemes such as IVC’s Recover™ program, the more cost effective sustainability will become.

The lack of regulation in the industry still concerns me, the fact that we have skilled craftsmen who are experts in their field being undercut on projects by “fitters” who have received very little in the way of formal training is wrong. Implementation of an equivalent of the Gas Safe scheme would benefit the professionals in the trade.

Can you give an outline of your most popular product ranges and explain a bit about them?

Our iPerform 70 collection forms the basis of all of our core product types. iPerform 70 is a compact backed high performance commercial sheet vinyl product with a performance barrier to enhance aesthetic appeal for longer, available in multi-width options and an extensive design portfolio. Added to that the fact that the product is flexible and easy to install, as well as being cost effective, it’s a winner all round.

iSafe 70 has the extra added benefit of enhanced sustainable slip resistance thanks to the addition of corundum in the wearlayer, meaning that we can offer a high performance, high design safety flooring product that is easy to install and cost effective.

How important do you feel offering a bespoke and unique flooring solution is to a business?

Bespoke products really depend on the market you are targeting. As a volume manufacturer, our aim is to provide high quality, value for money products that are readily available and easy to use, therefore bespoke isn’t necessarily what we offer as standard. That said, we have the ability to tailor products to clients specific requirements if the situation requires it.

Is sustainability and ethical manufacturing a key commitment to your business, and if so, why?

Sustainability and ethical manufacturing has long been part of the DNA at IVC, with some of our initiatives pre-dating my tenure with the company, and it is testament to the business leaders forward thinking approach. We are currently trialling production techniques that have the ability to revolutionise sheet vinyl manufacture and take sustainable production to the next level as we move forwards.

What innovation can your clients expect from you in the future?

Watch this space…

How robust is your supply chain in the face of global issues such as war?

We use a REACH compliant European supply chain for our raw materials, so we’re as isolated from the effects of global insecurities as much as possible. However, like most companies, we would not entirely be without risk in such a situation and so we prepare to make sure that we robust plans in place.

What flooring trends are you seeing at the moment, and how do these influence your product development?   

With the continued shift towards sustainable installation methods, there is an increased focus on adhesive-free and looselay solutions, and at IVC we regularly review our product offering to stay in tune with the constantly evolving market needs.

What is your major selling point with contractors? What do your products offer them that others don’t?

Our multi-width options have always been well received by contractors, coupled with IVC’s advocacy of the Invisiweld™ Cold Weld system for use with all of our commercial sheet vinyl ranges, means we offer multiple options to reduce both the number and appearance of joints in a floor. 

The amount of work that goes in to producing vinyl floors with enhanced realism is enhanced by the aesthetic joint solutions we offer across the entire portfolio.

Where do you see the company in five years?

Continuing our growth journey to become a stronger force in the commercial sheet vinyl category. As a business we have ambitious plans to dominate within specific market sectors, and the entire team is focused on us achieving these goals.