Concurring the world with woven vinyl

A brand new, sustainable building, a collection solid as a rock and a healthy dose of ambition. Ntgrate is ready to concur the world. With integrated solution in woven vinyl, the company is highly committed to design, acoustics and sustainability towards the architect. About time to meet this innovative Belgium designer brand LEOXX recently started a collaboration with for the Dutch market. We spoke with Pascal Vantomme, managing director at ntgrate, and Hans ter Hart, general manager at LEOXX, and asked them the ins and outs.

In what sense does ntgrate distinguish itself from the competition?

Pascal says: “Ntgrate distinguishes itself by offering a total concept. Our dream is to build woven vinyl houses. From floor to wall; we are the only one in the market focusing on an integrated interior design. We do this by developing products that don’t only stand out in design, but also score high in terms of acoustic and light reflectance. In this respect we’d like to do it differently than others and look for an own identity. You find this back for example in the shapes we offer. Standard in the market are shapes like diamond, triangle and hexagon. We offer more organic shapes like bean, flowerz, star and frame.”

In the field of flooring, ntgrate might be seen as relatively new, but the definitely isn’t a cowboy in the market. Pascal: “Our knowledge and experience in the craftsmanship of woven vinyl goes back for about 35 to 40 years, when we started under the wings of Copaco with the production of awning fabric and mosquito netting. Craftsmanship and quality combined with a high-tech production process are at the basis of all ntgrate products.”

Why do ntgrate and LEOXX go so well together?

Pascal: “Ntgrate and LEOXX are both a family business. Which means short lines of communication and acting quickly. We have the same mentality. LEOXX’ way of working is straight to the point, exactly like we operate. We found an instant click here. Also looking at pricing we are at the same wave length with our collections. And of course our mutual starting point of design and delivering a total concept to the interior architect is an important common ground.” Hans adds: “The collaboration with ntgrate strengthens our position as woven floor specialist and really completes our offer in woven qualities. Besides Wilton weave and flat weave we now have in ntgrate a beautiful selection of jacquard woven floors in our product range as well.”

Where does ntgrate get the inspiration from for the development of new products?

“We get our inspiration for product development as much as possible from the market. We do this amongst others at exhibitions in the field of lighting and furniture. Furthermore we work with trend watchers and color specialists for the composition of our collection. From a technical point of view we have a big advantage in responding to trends, because ntgrate has the possibility to put a lot of color and variation in the design through the weft. A tendency which has been going on for some time and which continues to be popular is one of natural and organic patterns. Concrete, marble and terrazzo for example are very now, design also included in our new collection.”

Hans adds he doesn’t see this trend happening just in woven vinyl, but also for example in carpet tiles and LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tiles). “This way different product groups within our collection match well together and we can offer the client all freedom to create an integrated floor concept, both at a functional and an aesthetic level.”

What are the biggest challenges in the current market?

Pascal: “That are the prices and availability of raw materials and the delays in supply of materials. So far at ntgrate we have still been able to deal with this well due to proper arrangements with our supplier. This way we have still managed to deliver within three to four weeks for projects. It does occur more and more however that we have to go back to the drawing board during the process, but I look at this more as a challenge than an obstruction.” Another challenge the companies sees, are the developments on the office market. “Working at home partly remains after the covid period, but we also see a lot of companies trying to get their people back into the office. Here the office is being set-up more and more as a domestic environment. That is where there are good opportunities for ntgrate; due to the flexibility in color and design we can offer distinctive solutions.” Hans as well confirms this trend of the changing office environment. “The office is being seen more and more as a meeting place.Connection, meet-up and collaboration mainly for creative processes are at the center. Our total product range – both standard as customized – provides maximum design freedom to shape this new environment. Ntgrate correspond perfectly with this in terms of color, design and shape.”

What is your vision on sustainability?

“You often see with sustainability the focus being put on recycling, but sustainability for us is more than that”, Pascal passionately tells. Therefore he prefers to speak of sustainable entrepreneurship. “You may recycle so much, but the challenge is to keep the quantity of material you recycle as little as possible. That’s why the creation of as little waste as possible is an important priority for us. For each department we closely look at our use of materials. How can we keep this as little as possible? For example by reducing the cutting waste in our production process to a minimum. Every centimeter we can save is one. In addition we also look at aspects like transport and the use of sustainable energy.” Ntgrate viewing sustainability in a broader manner proves their new premise, which is also a beautiful showcase of integrated solutions for the architect. The energy neutral building is the first production company of Flanders being granted the BREEAM Excellent certificate. The building is heated forexample through geothermal energy and light flooring with a high light reflectance value has been applied. For this reason less artificial light is needed and less electricity is used by the company. It goes without saying for the spaces to be designed with high acoustic standards, creating a pleasant work environment.

Sustainability going much further than just topics like recycling and waste is also endorsed by Hans: “Besides the fact that our products are 100% recyclable and contain a certain number of recycled content, at LEOXX we exclusively work with European suppliers. With this we guarantee short lines of transport and products that meet the strict European standard in the field of health, safety, energy saving, environment and indoor climate. The remaining CO2-emission after all of our sustainability effort we compensate by investing in sustainable projects. But also things like sustainably dealing with sample materials and the well-being of our employees are high on our CSR-agenda.”

What are your ambitions for the future?

Pascal: “Our ambition is to concur the world with woven vinyl. We want to grow fast within a short period. We want to do this by seeking the right partnerships. And by being flexible. We are always searching how we can adapt to the wishes of the architect. In this respect we take the role of advisor instead of the traditional role of salesman. A well-known quote of Charles Darwin in this respect fits well with who we are: It is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change.”

Hans: “At LEOXX we adapt to the changing market circumstances and wishes and need from our clients as well. Our trilingual website which makes the digital pathway for the architect easier, plays an important role in this regard. Regarding Darwin’s quote: it’s more relevant than ever in this challenging time. It’s essential to keep a close eye on things both with suppliers as architects and to make immediate adjustments when needed. Working together with a like-minded partner who understands this is of big value to us.”