Roberts
was founded over 60 years ago and it's products are sold in over
100 countries worldwide.
The
Roberts brand name is the most recognizable in the flooring accessories
industry
with over 96% brand name recognition globally, it's name has become synonymous with quality and reliability
History: Roberts, an American company built
an administration and manufacturing centre in Moorabbin, a south
east Melbourne suburb in 1956. For the first time, Australian flooring
contractors were able to buy tools and accessories under one brand
name, "Roberts" designed especially for the installation
of floorcoverings. Their product ranges included installation tools,
metal and PVC extrusions and ranges of adhesive.
A new revolutionary
method of securing carpet was soon introduced using Smoothedge Carpet
Gripper which was made in Moorabbin. Hot melt Carpet Seaming Tape,
originally the idea of a local flooring contractor was developed
and manufactured by Roberts in Melbourne and then marketed around
the world. The Roberts Company was an innovative market leader who
developed products which allowed floor coverings to be installed
more quickly, to higher standards and at the same time increased
the expected working life of contractors.
In late 1996 the Roberts Company was listed
for sale and two companies brought different product groups.
- RLA Polymers Pty Ltd, a Melbourne based latex, carpet
compounding and adhesive company in Kilsyth purchased the rights
to continue to manufacture and distribute Roberts branded ranges
of adhesive and hot melt seaming tapes.
- After a short time, the original American Roberts Company
resumed the right to manufacture
and distribute Roberts branded installation tools, PVC and Metal
extrusions and
Smoothedge Carpet Gripper.
Today, while our two companies are unrelated,
there is a common goal, seeking to work closely together to offer
the flooring industry, a seamless range of the best and most up-to-date
product ranges for the installation of all floorcoverings.
RLA Polymers Pty Ltd maintains research and development facilities
in Kilsyth. We offer excellent
technical support, advice and manufacture carpet compounds, ceramic
adhesives, industrial adhesives
and commercial carpet underlays in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane,
Auckland New Zealand and
Kula Lumpur Malaysia.
Environmental Awareness: We are proud of our environmental record.
We have been successful in implementing measures on our own site
which are over and above minimum standards required by the EPA.
This commitment carries over to our concerns for our customers'
environments. We are constantly evaluating new raw materials and
working with our own suppliers to access the most environmentally
safe products that are available. Waste management has always been
a high priority for us, we are happy to share the experience and
expertise we have gained over the years.
Proven Quality: ISO9001 Quality Assurance covers all areas
of our business from Administration to Product Design. The quality
management system ensures consistency in all aspects of the products
and services we offer, from raw material selection to packaging
and transport. ISO accreditation means RLA is serious about quality
and that means peace of mind for our customers.
Product Ranges: Our flooring product
ranges include preparation levelers for slabs, adhesives have been
engineered to install carpet, resilient flooring, timber, outdoor
coverings with ranges of hot melt seaming tapes for every application.
Our recent development of a new product group, floor preparation
primers, sealers and levelling powders allows us to market under
the Roberts brand name, a complete installation package offering
architects and specifiers the advantage of "The Power Of One"
should warranties be called upon.
In
Australia, QEP Australia and RLA Polymers own the Roberts brand.
QEP
Australia is responsible for gripper (Smoothedge), tools, trims
and underlay.
QEP
AUSTRALIA
QEP
Australia was established in 1999 after the purchase of Neon Accessories,
Accessory Marketing and Trademates .Whilst it is a relatively new
company here, its parent company, QEP.Co was established 25 years
ago. QEP Co. specializes in tiling tools and owns 13 facilities
worldwide.
QEP
Global owned facilities:
• Boca Raton, Florida
• Mexico,
Missouri
• Little
Falls, New Jersey
• Rotterdam,
Holland
• Paris,
France
• Mörfelden,
Germany
• Toronto,
Canada
• Brig
House, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
• Santiago,
Chile
• Buenos
Aires, Argentina
• Melbourne,
Australia
• Sydney,
Australia
• Auckland,
New Zealand
QEP
Aust. has also embraced expansion by purchasing three of the largest
flooring accessory wholesalers namely Crestwin Trade Supplies (Victoria), Accessory Flooring Supplies (NSW) and Fyshwick Flooring Supplies (ACT). These wholesalers have since been renamed AFS - Australian Flooring Supplies.
At
QEP Aust. the product mix is constantly reviewed and new products
are regularly sourced in an effort to anticipate consumer requirements.
Our ownership of two trade businesses provides a unique insight
into these requirements and our global resources provide us with
the capabilities to support this.
In
addition to Roberts, QEP Australia also distributes QEP branded ceramic tools to DIY retailers though retail outlets.
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