In the heart of Kidderminster, England—a town steeped in carpet-making heritage—Forte Cloth International Ltd. stands as a bridge between time-honored craftsmanship and modern technology.
Founded in 1996, Forte Cloth has built a reputation for crafting elegant, on-trend carpet and rug designs. It is now led by Founder Ian Wallance and his daughter, Managing Director, Amy Giddings. As the industry has evolved, so too has Forte Cloth, turning to NedGraphics’ Texcelle software to balance creativity with production efficiency. In doing so, they’ve created an agile, tech-enabled design process that keeps Forte Cloth at the forefront of the carpet industry.
Through Texcelle, Forte Cloth has found the ideal balance of tradition and technology, empowering its team of twenty highly motivated designers to produce industry-leading patterns tailored for the US and UK markets. This partnership with NedGraphics has enabled Forte Cloth to transform the art of carpet design into a seamless, production-ready process that meets both innovation and client demands.
Located in Kidderminster, a town synonymous with carpet production, Forte Cloth draws on over 30 years of industry experience to provide clients with innovative and practical design solutions. With a focus on blending heritage with modern trends, Forte Cloth’s team of twenty designers creates unique, ready-to-produce designs that clients can implement immediately. They’re known for meeting complex design challenges head-on, leveraging both their vast experience and their willingness to embrace new technology. Today, Forte Cloth’s operations are bolstered by powerful tools like NedGraphics’ Texcelle, helping them remain agile and competitive in a fast-evolving market.
As the global carpet industry shifts towards Industry 4.0—a wave of technological advancement that includes automation, data exchange, and smart production—Forte Cloth saw the need to adapt. This shift was particularly pressing in the UK, where many designers skilled in traditional production techniques were finding it difficult to keep pace with digital demands. Ian Wallace recognized the need to bridge this gap by merging traditional design skills with the latest digital tools.
Wallace’s vision was to integrate his seasoned team’s knowledge with new digital tools that would streamline their design-to-production workflow. To support this goal, Forte Cloth adopted Texcelle, a powerful software tool by NedGraphics designed specifically for the textile industry. Texcelle became the linchpin in Forte Cloth’s strategy to merge tradition with digitalization, empowering Forte Cloth to stay ahead in the competitive landscape of Industry 4.0.
Forte Cloth’s adoption of Texcelle was a turning point, equipping its design team with essential features to elevate creativity and workflows. This software provides the flexibility and efficiency needed to scale production. Here’s how Texcelle drives Forte Cloth’s digital-first approach.
Texcelle enables Forte Cloth’s designers to innovate without sacrificing practicality. The software’s intuitive interface provides a creative playground, while its technical capabilities ensure that designs remain production-ready. “Texcelle gives our team the freedom to be creative in a manner that still applies itself to an end product, taking into account size and quality,” explains Giddings. This blend of creative freedom and technical precision allows Forte Cloth to produce designs that are both unique and highly functional.
Texcelle’s production-ready file capabilities streamline Forte Cloth’s workflow, reducing errors and ensuring each design is mill-ready. With Texcelle, designers can easily create files that clearly communicate design intentions to the mills that manufacture the final product. This streamlined workflow minimizes errors and helps ensure that the finished product matches the original vision. Giddings notes, “Using Texcelle gives us a simple way of communicating how we want the design to look in the end product by using a program that creates files easily translated by the mills in which they are made.” This clear communication between design and production aligns with Industry 4.0’s goal of reducing bottlenecks through digital integration, ultimately enhancing Forte Cloth’s ability to deliver consistent, high-quality designs.
Texcelle’s adaptability allows Forte Cloth to meet diverse client needs, whether adjusting design dimensions or translating patterns across various materials. This scalability is crucial as Forte Cloth expands its digital offerings with the launch of Tapistock, a 24/7 digital design studio providing on-demand carpet and rug designs. “In creating our original designs in Texcelle, it enables us to easily translate these into production-ready files for our customers, easily maneuvering designs into all sizes and creels,” Giddings explains. This flexibility allows Forte Cloth to offer rapid, custom solutions, keeping them at the forefront of digital transformation in the carpet industry.
Beyond day-to-day operations, Forte Cloth is on an ambitious path toward innovation with the launch of Tapistock, a new digital studio that promises to make its designs accessible to clients 24/7. This pivot to a digital-first model aligns with the carpet industry’s broader move toward sustainability and accessibility. Texcelle continues to support this vision by empowering Forte Cloth’s design team to produce artwork that meets industry demands while contributing to Forte Cloth’s sustainability goals.
“We’re transitioning from traditional sales models to a more sustainable approach,” says Giddings. “With Tapistock, we’ll be the first digital carpet and rug design studio operating around the clock, 365 days a year. Texcelle will play a vital role in enabling our design team to deliver on this vision.” By embracing digital access and sustainable practices, Forte Cloth demonstrates its commitment to evolving alongside industry trends, positioning itself for long-term success.
Texcelle has proven indispensable for Forte Cloth’s digitalized workflow, enabling them to maintain a high level of productivity while adapting to the demands of Industry 4.0. By automating many aspects of design preparation and production file creation, Texcelle has helped Forte Cloth reduce costs and improve turnaround times, creating immediate value for clients who require quick and precise design solutions.
“Texcelle gives us the ability to create beautiful designs for all of our current and new customers,” says Giddings. This streamlined approach not only enhances design quality but also boosts customer satisfaction, as Forte Cloth can confidently deliver on its promises. The efficiency Texcelle provides has allowed Forte Cloth to expand its service offerings without compromising on quality. As they continue to digitize and adapt, Texcelle’s role in Forte Cloth’s operations becomes even more essential, enabling them to operate as an agile, client-centric digital studio.
For companies in the carpet and rug industry, NedGraphics offers a suite of tools tailored to the unique demands of textile design and production. Texcelle has proven to be an effective, reliable solution that adapts to the demands of modern, digitized production. “Yes, I would recommend NedGraphics,” says Giddings. “For our industry in particular, it’s the design tool that works the most effectively, and the NedGraphics team is always on hand if we ever need anything in a timely manner.” This endorsement underscores the importance of having a trusted, responsive partner to navigate digital transformation successfully.
Forte Cloth’s journey with NedGraphics showcases how a traditional industry can successfully integrate modern technology to stay relevant and competitive. Through Texcelle, Forte Cloth has streamlined its workflow, enhanced its creative output, and adapted to a more sustainable, Industry 4.0-ready business model. With the launch of Tapistock, their 24/7 design studio, Forte Cloth is leading the way in digitizing the carpet and rug industry, setting new standards for accessibility, efficiency, and environmental responsibility.
By embracing Texcelle, Forte Cloth has ensured that heritage and innovation go hand-in-hand, allowing them to meet client needs in the digital age while preserving the art and craft of carpet design. This journey with NedGraphics demonstrates that, with the right tools and vision, businesses can thrive in the era of Industry 4.0, offering clients unparalleled value through advanced, sustainable solutions. To access Forte Cloth’s 24-hour design studio, visit www.fortecloth.com.
NedGraphics is a leading developer of CAD software solutions created specifically for apparel and retail, home furnishings, flooring design and various other textiles. NedGraphics products allow designers to exercise full creative freedom while improving efficiency, productivity and accuracy to create production-ready artwork.
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