Morbern creates innovative vinyl upholstery fabric solutions with a long-term focus on sustainability, digital transformation, and market expansion. We take a seat with President, Eric Lamontagne.
SIT IN STYLE
Established in 1965, this year marks the 60th anniversary of Morbern, North America’s leading designer and manufacturer of decorative vinyl upholstery fabrics.
The Canadian company creates innovative vinyls for a wide variety of industries, including automotive, trucking, healthcare, marine, hospitality, and more.
This cross-sector reach allows Morbern to share learnings across industries, strengthening its product development capabilities.
“The quality of what we make and our ability to develop solution-focused products are our strengths. We don’t produce seats – we produce the material that we offer to companies making seats for all these markets,” opens Eric Lamontagne, President.
“Our products are used for pretty much everything we sit on, whether it’s chairs for an office, airport, cinema, cruise ship, boat, jet ski, recreational vehicle (RV), car, or truck.”
Morbern’s head office in Cornwall, Ontario is complemented by plants in Montréal, Québec and High Point, North Carolina.
Together, these locations form a vertically integrated operation, producing Morbern’s vinyl fabric solutions from end to end.
LONG-TERM OUTLOOK
As a family-owned company, the long-term outlook is extremely important to Morbern, prioritized above short-term gains for shareholders.
“When we make decisions, the long term is the most important criterion because there are no external shareholders,” emphasizes Lamontagne.
“That reflects our credibility in the market with customers because that’s what they want. When we supply material to a customer for decades, they rely on our stability, quality, and ability to supply.
“We’re in the middle of a supply chain where we transform raw materials into finished products. If we stop supplying, the impact on our clients can be significant,” he adds.
CEO, Mark Bloomfield, represents the second generation of the Bloomfield family to run the company, whose ability to retain many employees for over 40 years and make quick decisions stems directly from this family ownership. Jake Bloomfield, the third-generation rising star, did not fall far from the tree.
Lamontagne works directly with Morbern ownership on a day-to-day basis, ensuring close collaboration and togetherness.
“It’s not like a group of investors are sitting in an office somewhere. I find it interesting and very rewarding to work in the kind of environment where decisions are made quickly and always for the long-term benefit,” he adds.
Morbern was named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2020 and 2021, acknowledging the organization’s dedication to innovative, world-class business practices.
“The quality of what we make and our ability to develop solution-focused products are our strengths. We don’t produce seats – we produce the material that we offer to companies making seats for all these markets”
Eric Lamontagne, President, Morbern
SUSTAINABLE SEATS
Last year, Morbern invited top leadership – including Mark – to join its Green Council.
The council meets monthly to define sustainability strategies and objectives across product development, manufacturing, and materials.
“It’s very interesting what can come up from these meetings because it’s a multidisciplinary audience where everybody has their say and we generate exciting ideas for sustainable products,” says Lamontagne.
“The demand for these products is getting bigger and bigger, which is very exciting. I’m proud to be part of the Green Council, and I’m certain Morbern is a leader in sustainable vinyl-coated fabric manufacturing.”
Morbern’s products are designed not only to meet client needs but also minimize environmental impact.
As such, the company is committed to sustainability in all areas and ISO 14001-certified, with an Environmental Management System (EMS) that governs how it addresses its environmental responsibilities.
“We’re very proud of developing this EMS to remain a good corporate citizen and focus on continuous improvement of the environmental aspects of the business,” notes Lamontagne.
Morbern focuses on everything from reducing waste and using bio-based materials to sourcing renewable energy like hydroelectricity.
“Every time we improve a process in the plant or add new equipment, we focus on using electrical energy instead of gas. Today, 100 percent of the electricity we consume at our plant now comes from hydroelectricity,” he informs us.
Morbern also takes steps to increase carbon neutrality and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – making sustainability a core principle of the business.
By embedding it into operations, the company is building a better future for customers, employees, and the planet.
QUEST FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Along with prioritizing sustainability, there has been a large focus on digital transformation at Morbern over the last few years.
After six decades of operations, several legacy processes required updating and many long-standing employees were accustomed to traditional methods.
Morbern has therefore embraced change and is currently implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 as its new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
“We’re in the implementation phase right now, and this will support our quest for digital transformation going forward,” affirms Lamontagne.
As well as digital transformation, product development is another priority target for Morbern in order to provide the market with appealing, high-value offerings.
It is also heavily focusing on expansion outside of North America, with the company committed to developing its presence across Europe.
Last year, its Morbern Europe subsidiary celebrated a significant milestone with its 10th anniversary on the continent, where its products have had to be adapted to European market requirements.
The company started its European sales operations in 2014, underpinned by a dedicated warehousing and logistics platform in Amsterdam, which relocated to Belgium in 2022.
From there, over 500 stock-keeping units (SKUs) are sold through a wide distributor network and shipped daily across Europe and beyond.
Morbern’s enthusiasm for developing innovative products is therefore supported by incredible teams of people on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
“We love North America, and it’s a very good market for Morbern, but Europe is also an important focus.
“We’re growing very well over there, so I would say market diversification is very important,” Lamontagne closes.
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