Mohawk Commercial Carpet Group announced today that the services of sustainable design company Tricycle, Inc. will expand across all Mohawk Commercial brands.

Lees, a division of Mohawk Industries, was the first carpet manufacturer to work with Tricycle's SIM technology, applying simulation to product development to attain industry-leading custom service and shrink the environmental footprint of manufacturing. In 2000, Lees launched its Accelerated Design System, using Tricycle's SIM to create accurate digital samples and prototypes of custom products within 24 hours of request. The program was awarded a NeoCon Gold and was the subject of a Fortune magazine feature that praised its efficiency gains and ability to attract designers to the Lees brand.

This year, SIM from Tricycle™ has developed to version 4.0, which is such accurate virtual manufacturing that it has been accepted by Mohawk Commercial Carpet Group's clients, architects and interior designers, for sample replacement in the early rounds of their custom process, said officials.

Earlier this year, Lees and Tricycle developed a web tool to open up design flexibility and creative options for architects and interior designers. The initial application was to Lees' NeoCon Gold award winning Thought Patterns line.

As the first concept-to-customer alternative sampling program in the industry, www.thoughtpatterns.com has propelled the use of simulated samples into the mainstream of the interior design community. The program enables any designer quickly and easily to choose from 5,600 pattern and color combinations, manage personal project folders and simulate custom samples into room scenes, said officials. Color-accurate prints can be ordered for delivery within 24 hours of request.

In keeping with Lees' corporate commitments, the Environmentally Preferable Product status of Thought Patterns and Tricycle's own sustainable design strategies, the program focuses attention on reducing the amount of oil, energy and water used in the design process, as well as landfill waste unnecessarily generated by sampling. The paper print samples ordered through Thought Patterns require zero oil, 95% less water and energy to produce than a physically manufactured sample, and are designed to be 100% recyclable into paper products.

Beginning this fall, in addition to continuing to work with Lees, the Mohawk Commercial Group will begin to incorporate Tricycle's simulation and interactive web programs into Karastan Contract, Mohawk Commercial, Durkan Commercial, Merit,Bigelow and Mohawk Aviation.

"By implementing Tricycle services across all Mohawk Commercial brands, we are opening doors for the company internally and externally," said Allen Parker, Vice President of Custom Development, the Mohawk Group. "Internally we realize significantly increased integration of our design groups among brands, bringing the strengths of each brand into every Mohawk commercial product. Externally, we are expanding and enabling all of Mohawk's custom programs to deliver what architects and interior designers want fast, accurate samples that free them to explore design options and select the floorcovering they want, without long wait times."