The People Powering Universal Fibers' Innovation Journey
In this latest chapter of our "Faces of Innovation" feature, we are highlighting a remarkable individual who infuses our company's vision, culture, and dedication to excellence with their passion and expertise.
Our latest conversation is with Bart Meuleman, Universal Fibers' Sales Manager for our European sector.
1. As Sales Manager of Europe, how do you create impact in your region?
I am a strong believer that teamwork increases our impact. Excellent customer support is vital, as someone who loves competitive sport, I can relate to Michael Jordan’s quote: “Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.”
Being passionate about our products makes work fun and increases motivation. This positive vibe results in better customer interactions and genuine relationships. Listening, understanding, and working in collaboration with our customers allows us to translate their ideas into innovative products, making a significant difference to their business. As leaders in our industry, we make continual investments in yarn innovation and production, whilst ensuring we are in tune with colour trends.
And finally, taking time to celebrate achievements with customers and colleagues strengthens our partnerships.
2. What trends you are seeing in workplace design and do these vary across your region?
The most common trend is the shift towards flexible, adaptable spaces. More and more companies are re-shaping office layouts to create multifunctional areas that combine remote and on-site work. Although design and colour trends vary across regions, their ability to impact mood is universal. Interior design can energize, relax or boost creativity.
Flooring is a great way to zone spaces within a workspace, and carpet tiles provide the perfect solution where office spaces have to be reconfigured to suit the changing needs of office workers.
Maximizing natural light, incorporating green plants and walls, using natural colours and integrating artwork are typical design trends making their way into modern workplaces.
Manufacturers often use organic patterns in their carpet tile designs, enhancing light reflection values and bringing nature indoors. This approach aims to create more vibrant, inspiring workspaces that boost efficiency, creativity and well-being.
We see a growing commitment from companies to use eco-friendly materials that reduce their carbon footprint. This is something close to our hearts and explains the tremendous success of our Nylon 6 “Thrive Matter” ranges, having the lowest carbon footprint and 90% recycled content.
3. How do you constantly deliver innovation and service excellence – what motivates you?
Our customers are very creative and have a strong technical understanding of their capability. This creativity and technical expertise are the main drivers why this industry is never dull.
The multitude of ideas always present a challenge to find the right solution, but there is always a way. Tackling these challenges is a joint effort between us, as a raw material supplier of yarns, and our customers, who manufacture the finished products, such as carpet tiles. This process can take months, or even years, but the satisfaction of succeeding in a project and achieving unique results is enormous.
4. What does be part of the Universal Fibers family mean to you and your customers?
Being part of the Universal Fibers family, with over 50 years of experience in yarn manufacturing, is a unique and significant advantage.
Having the support from experienced colleagues greatly benefits our industry. We have the same goals, so together we can deliver solution focused and customer focused results through creative thinking. The collaborative spirit at Universal Fibers ensures everybody is aligned and informed. We run trials with our technical team, making joint decisions to achieve the best outcomes.
I like the expression “business is people” because it’s a pleasure working in a team of skilled people who are passionate about what they do. I would also add that “business is passion”, as passion gets people on board and drives success. And ultimately, “business is personal” as we value and respect the relationships with our customers and colleagues alike.
5. You travel a lot, what do you do to relax?
Swimming - wherever I travel, I make it a point to visit the local pools. Swimming not only keeps me fit, but also clears my mind and helps me to stay sharp and relaxed. It’s a way to unwind and reset, allowing me to return to work with renewed energy and focus.
I train regularly, and once a year, I participate in an open water swimming event. These events range from a 4 km outdoor swim in Belgium to larger challenges like last year’s 5 day/40 km swim between Greece and Turkey, which I completed with my oldest son who is 18 and some friends. If anyone is interested, I highly recommend Swimtrek.com. I’ve done several of their swim holiday events and those are absolutely amazing! (I’m not sponsored by Swimtrek by the way 😉).
When I’m not travelling, I make time for my family. My two sons are 3 years apart and their schedules don’t always allow us to do things together. It was great that my oldest son I were able to compete together. Equally wonderful was the amazing road trip adventure I had with my youngest son in Spain as we headed to Sierra Nevada for the most amazing skiing experience.
I’m glad my sons share my passion for sport, but I do look forward to city trips over the weekend with my wife.
Explore our News Feed to see how the team behind our success are innovating products, processes, and cutting edge technology to drive growth, and learn more about partnering with Universal Fibers by connecting with us.
Contact Us to learn more about Our Team of Innovative Change Makers.
This is our third feature highlighting Universal Fibers' Faces of Innovation, Q&A series. Be sure to stay tuned to hear from our brilliant product development and customer support teams, and to learn more about our people behind the innovation.
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