Brintons expands into cruise ship and casino sectors with perfect-match tile solutions and sustainable carpet innovations
Renowned for manufacturing superior woven carpets since it was founded in 1783, Brintons is continuing to deliver products of unmatched craftsmanship, despite market uncertainty. Although the UK company is based in Kidderminster, its bespoke creations are widely distributed across the globe, and it is recognized for reanimating spaces such as luxury hotels, casinos, cruise ships and residential settings with eye-catching patterns.
Duccio Baldi, appointed as CEO for the business in 2014, reveals that last year saw several clients having to delay their long-term projects, as additional tariffs impacted budgets – however, the beginning of 2026 has seen a tremendous increase in activity for Brintons. He tells Manufacturing Today more about its ongoing projects, including a new tile line, implementing AI and sustainability efforts. “We’ve been managing the global macroeconomic environment while we’re still on the road to recovery post-Covid,” Duccio opens. “In the last few years, we’ve had disruption caused by the war in Ukraine which has impacted shipping lanes, freight and energy costs. In 2025, we had to deal with Liberation Day tariffs and all the complexity that brought, in terms of uncertainty and delays.”
Nevertheless, the company has overcome adversity to maintain its longstanding legacy. “On the positive side, we’ve been doing significant f business with cruise ship operators, and even in the US last year, we almost had a record year with this sector,” Duccio says. “All tariffs are exempt because most of the fit-outs are conducted outside of the US and the boats are classified as being in international water.”
Beyond navigating these external pressures and geopolitical issues, Brintons has continued to invest in a new integrated tile line, which has helped solve operational problems for one of its key markets – US casinos. “Over the last five years, we’ve seen greater demand for carpet tiles, particularly in the US casino market. They typically require high-end Axminster carpet which is durable and custom designed. A casino carpet needs to stand out; it needs to be bold and eye-catching. Furthermore, when you lay broadloom carpet, you have to clear a large area to accommodate the size of the rolls. Casinos operate 24/7 so taking large areas out of action is bad for business, whereas tiles are an excellent option as they can be laid in small areas at a time.”
Innovation is integral to Brintons, and it has developed an Axminster tile with a ‘perfect match’ element, designed to preserve pattern repeats, while promoting environmental responsibility with felt backing. “The felt has Green Label Plus certification and is used in place of bitumen, which is a petroleum-based adhesive,” elaborates Duccio. “The tiles don’t even require gluing because they are so heavy.”
Design Studio Online
Further technological advancements involve its Design Studio Online, currently housing 40,000 designs – with 30,000 more in the pipeline. Launching in March 2026, the program uses AI to transform visual searching to text-based, making the process far more efficient. “Historically, the huge number of designs makes it difficult for individuals to recall them all, and searching by sight is incredibly laborious,” Duccio discloses “We’ve developed this program to categorize designs, and introduced a language search function. A user can type a comprehensive brief, and the program will automatically generate pattern matches. You can also input an image and search for similar images using AI; results are generated within a fraction of a second.”
Based on the philosophy of fashion always reinventing itself, Duccio says existing ideas can be applied to new design. “Iconic designs never expire,” he states. “We can use inspiration from designs created in the 20th century and then tailor, update and modify the color palettes.”
In addition to Design Studio Online, Brintons has employed technology that enables its high-definition Axminster looms to double color capacity and dramatically reduce loom changeovers. “With this technology, our looms can produce 32 colors, and a changeover that would typically take 40 man hours can now be completed in 30 minutes,” Duccio highlights. “We’re rolling out a second model imminently and our plan is to roll out another half a dozen over the next couple of years.”
Further demonstrating the company’s enthusiasm for sustainability initiatives, Brintons has also developed a biodegradable carpet. With most commercial carpets comprising of 80 percent wool and 20 percent nylon, Brintons has produced a 100 percent plastic-free carpet using pure wool, natural latex, cotton, and jute. “Initial trials included burying the carpet, and we’re proud to have been selling the product in the residential sector for a couple of years, with more recent trials in hotel settings,” Duccio shares.
Moving through 2026, Duccio notes the first two months have been increasingly busy – a reversal of the late-2025 slowdown. Moreover, the cruise ship sector continues to expand. “We’re still seeing rapid growth. Globally, people are enamored with cruising and there are new ships being built every year,” Duccio points out. “Every time a new ship is built, another ship will require refurbishment. The cycle of repair on cruise ships is shorter than hotels, which is beneficial for us, combined with the integral work we’re carrying out in casinos with our tile line. We believe those two markets are on course to keep growing successfully.”
