Shaw Carpets

R2X Carpet:
A carpet protective system and an effective cleaner
Shaw actually offers two R2X products:  an innovative stain and soil resistance system applied to man of the company's carpets and selected rugs, and a stain and soil cleaner for carpets, rugs, and hard surface flooring.  R2X® Stain and Soil Resistance System is the patented treatment for carpets and rugs, while R2X® Stain and Soil Remover is the cleaner.

R2X Stain and Soil Resistance System:
What makes it so different We first introduced our patented and exclusive R2X® Stain and Soil Resistance system in 2001 after years of research and testing, it quickly became the industrys fastest-growing protective carpet treatment. Its been hailed as a new generation in carpet technology and is as much of an innovation today as the first carpet stain and soil treatments were twenty years ago.

R2X is the industry's most innovative carpet stain and soil repelling system and the product of years of research and testing. Shaw's patented and exclusive R2X system goes beyond conventional repellents that only protect the surface of the carpet. With R2X, carpets are armed with total fiber coverage, offering complete protection from the top to the bottom of the yarn. This total fiber coverage offers unprecedented protection against household spills and everyday soiling. With R2X, spills that reach the base of the yarn don't penetrate and wick back to the top as they do with conventional solutions.

In testing, R2X demonstrated superior carpet stain resistance on two levels. First, it provides better initial protection. Second, it allows more time to react to a problem. Another significant benefit of R2X is its effectiveness with polyester and polypropylene fibers. Most polyester and polypropylene carpets have an inherent tendency to attract soil. Topical soil carpet treatments are only "skin deep," and the limited protection they offer wears away after cleaning or normal wear and tear. In contrast, R2X continues to perform well even after repeated cleanings - with nylon, polyester, and polypropylene - when the performance of ordinary systems begins to diminish. And of course, Shaw's warranty protection ensures customer satisfaction, time after time.

R2X Stain and Soil Remover removes carpet stains and prevents them from reappearing
The power of Shaw's original carpet treatment, R2X® Stain and Soil Resistance System, is available as a stain and soil remover for home use for carpet, rugs, and hard surface flooring. If you've been looking for an easy way to care for your new carpet, rug, or hard surface floor, you'll love R2X® Stain & Soil Remover.

While extensive testing by Shaw Technical Services has clearly proven the effectiveness and superiority of R2X® Stain & Soil Remover, we also had a credible outside laboratory evaluate our product: the Good Housekeeping Institute, the respected appraiser of consumer products for more than 100 years. Shaw is proud to offer R2X® Stain & Soil Remover as the only carpet, rug, and hard surface cleaning product to carry the Good Housekeeping Seal. Because of our patented process, it's even easier to use than most spot cleaners. With carpets and rugs, just clean, blot and dry...and forget about it! With hard surfaces, simply clean - no rinsing necessary.

Shaw History
Shaw got its start in 1946 as Star Dye Company, a small business that dyed tufted scatter rugs. The events that transformed the company into the world's largest carpet manufacturer are too numerous to write...or even fully know. But the philosophy guiding those events meeting customers, determine their needs, and supplying those needs hasn't changed much through the years. In 1958, with $300,000 in sales, the company expanded dramatically and soon started finishing carpet as Star Finishing Company. In 1967, a holding company was formed to acquire Philadelphia Carpet Company, founded in 1846. The holding company added Star Finishing to the fold one year later, marking the company's first move into carpet manufacturing. The holding company went public as Shaw Industries, Inc. in 1971 with approximately $43 million in sales and 900 employees. In 1985, Shaw made its first appearance on the list of America's largest corporations--the Fortune 500--with more than $500 million in sales and close to 5,000 employees.

Continually differentiating its service and adding value for customers motivated every major move in the company's development, among them:

• Generating its own yarn supply with the 1972 purchase of its first yarn plant
• Seeing the potential of newly developed continuous dyeing processes and acquiring its first continuous dye plant in 1973
•Creating its own trucking subsidiary, dramatically improving shipments nationwide
•Significantly expanding direct sales to retailers beginning in 1982
•Establishing regional distribution centers across the United States
•Modernizing plants and equipment in the early 1980s, allowing it to respond quickly to such breakthroughs as stain resistant carpet
•Decreasing the consumption of fuel, water, and electricity in the manufacturing process and finding innovative recycling solutions for manufacturing waste
•Acquiring Amoco's polypropylene fiber production facilities in 1992 and providing consumers popular Berber styles
•Starting the rug division in 1993 and the hard surfaces division in 1998 with the launch of Shaw Ceramics

The desire to be the industry's low-cost provider was also a determining factor in Shaw's decisions, namely the acquisitions that brought such respected names as Cabin Crafts and Sutton under the Shaw umbrella. It also played a role in one of the largest and most significant moves in the company's history: the merger of Shaw and Queen Carpets.

On January 4, 2001, Shaw began a new chapter in its long and varied history with the completion of its sale to Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the holding company of renowned investor Warren E. Buffett. Berkshire Hathaway is known for buying and holding businesses that have a dominant market share, have strong management teams, and are considered undervalued in the stock market. With the move, Shaw ended its tenure as a public company.

Today, with the leadership of Vance Bell, CEO, and Randy Merritt, President, Shaw is a full-service flooring company with more than $4 billion in annual sales and approximately 25,000 employees. The employees' daily efforts illustrate their commitment and their determination to stay on top in an ever-changing and highly competitive marketplace.