BedTimes Supplies Guide

Transcription

BedTimes
JULY 2009
THE BUSINESS JOURNAL FOR THE SLEEP PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
The
inside
story:
What’s
new in
foams &
springs
Interzum Cologne:
Complete wrap-up
New realities demand
new leadership style
Advanced Border Production Technology with
Model
4300
Vertical
Handle
Machine
t "VUP7FSUJDBM)BOEMF.BDIJOF
t "VUP#PSEFS4FSHFS
t "VUP#PSEFS4FSHFS3FXJOE
t "VUP#PSEFS.FBTVSF$VU
with Optional Closer
r
r
r
r
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5XPRVFFOTJ[FCPSEFSTQFSNJOVUFXJUIIBOEMFT
#PSEFSXJEUITVQUPu
1SFNBEFIBOEMFTGSPNUPuXJEF
%VBMTBGFUZTUJUDIPWFSMPDLTGPSFYUSBTUSFOHUI
PSIBOEMFTNBZCFBVUPNBUJDBMMZTFXOJOUP
border seams
r .BZCFVTFEBTBQMBJOCPSEFSTFSHFSXJUIPVUIBOEMFT
r 1SFDJTFNFBTVSFNFOUBOEIBOEMFQMBDFNFOU
r 4FSJBM#VT$POUSPM4ZTUFNXJUIBZFBS
unconditional warranty
Model
Closer (optional)
3FXJOEFSPQUJPOBM
1366
Vertical Stitch Machine
12 Standard Stitch Profiles
Each pattern can have variations in seam margin and pattern width.
r #PSEFSXJEUITVQUPu
r 4FSWP.PUPSESJWFTOPDBNT
r EJGGFSFOUTUJUDIQSPàMFTTUBOEBSE
r $VTUPNQSPHSBNNJOHGPSPUIFSVOJRVFQBUUFSOTBWBJMBCMF
r 3FXJOEFSTUBOEBSE
r "VUPNFBTVSFDVUDMPTFPQUJPOBM
r $PNCJOBUJPOCPSEFSTFSHFSWFSUJDBMTUJUDIPQUJPOBM
Website:
www.atlatt.com
The
email:
[email protected]
Sudden Service™ Company
This equipment is protected by one or more of the following patents:
US patents: 4,280,421; 4,432,294; 4,466,367; 4,644,883; 5,134,947; 5,159,889; 5,203,270; 5,522,332; 5,524,563; 5,562,060;
5,634,418; 5,647,293; 5,657,711; 5,743,202; 5,865,135; 5,899,159; 5,915,319; 5,918,560; 5,979,345; 6,035,794; 6,055,921;
6,202,579; 6,279,869; 6,295,481; 6,494,255; 6,802,271; 6,574,815 B2; 6,834,603 B1; 6,968,794 B1
Foreign patents: 9-520,472; 0,537,323; 92,905,522.6; 96,936,922.2; 2,076,379; 2,084,055.
Other U.S. and Foreign Patents Pending. Copyright 2009 Atlanta Attachment Co.
09055060809
Atlanta Attachment Company
362 Industrial Park Drive
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
r'"9
Two Innovative New Machines
Model
4300
Vertical
Handle
Machine
Model
1366
Vertical
Stitch
Machine
Video Available: www.atlatt.com
Or contact sales to request a CD
POWERSTACK
™
CLASSIC AND HIGH PROFILE UNITS
High Profile
Standard
he PowerStack is now available in a High Profile unit to meet the demands of todays taller boxspring configurations.
T
Hickory Springs patented PowerStack zero deflection box spring is engineered for extreme stability. A series of cupshaped internal supports are welded to the box springs’ border wire and cross-support grid, then secured at the base
on two axes. This unique construction prevents head-to-foot and side-to-side sway and reduces pocketing as well.
Assembly is quick and simple — just staple it in place and move it on down the line.
B
O X S P R I N G
F
E AT U R E S
POW
E R
S TAC
K
™
• Complete one-piece steel foundation
with no separate components.
• Welded steel construction, utilizing our own
drawn wire for greater stability.
• Proven durability during all performance tests,
including Cornell, rollator and impact tests.
• Designed for use with a cost-effective
5-slat frame.
• 10 gauge, extra-heavy grid wire for
maximum support and durability.
• Standard utilizes 10 gauge modules.
• Reinforced grid for greater surface coverage
and enhanced stability.
• High Profile uses 9 gauge modules.
• Heavy duty 3 gauge border rod, welded to grid
for maximum edge firmness.
• Nests easily for convenient storage.
Tradition. Innovation. Performance.
W O R L D W I D E
Holland Wire Products
(616) 392-8505
Fax (616) 392-6105
Patent number: 5,967,499
Micaville
(828) 675-4101
(800) 256-3422
Fax (828) 675-9008
Spiller Spring Company
(920) 457-3649
(800) 747-1707
Fax (920) 457-0559
©2009 Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.
JULY 2009
InSide
Features
18 Getting to the core of the matter
BedTimes examines innovations and advancements in two critical mattress
components—foams and innersprings. Plus: A look at lumber trends.
28 New ways to lead
The old command-and-control system of leadership has no place in today’s
challenging business environment, says an expert on the subject. Instead, leaders
must empower—and trust—their employees to help companies succeed.
Departments
7 Front Matter
2008 was among the worst years the
mattress industry has seen in decades, with both dollar values and
unit shipments down dramatically.
A new report from the International
Sleep Products Association has all
the details.
9 Milestone
Over the course of 50 years, the
Fraenkel Co. has transformed itself
into a major regional mattress and
upholstery manufacturer. Regardless
of how it has changed, the company
still is run like a family business with
an emphasis on its employees.
13 Market Report
5 Editor’s Note
37 Industry News
55 Newsmakers
59 Trade Show Tips
64 Calendar
65 ISPA Advocacy
66 Classifieds
67 Advertisers Index
68 The Last Word
There was plenty of interest in exhibitors’ new products, particularly those
related to foam, at this year’s
Interzum Cologne components show
May 13-16.
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
BedTimes | July 2009 |
3
Know
the
score
When you use SABA water-based adhesives,
you can make sure the savings beat expenses
with every unit
SABA’s adhesive monitoring system
allows you to take control & track usage
Make sure that every mattress you produce is
a winner. SABA’s monitoring technology ensures
sustainability and control over your adhesive
application. In these challenging economic times,
this technology allows you to track real time
adhesive consumption, along with production
counts, so you always know the exact cost of the
adhesive on a per unit basis.
Join our winning, cost-effective team. Hit a grand
slam of savings when you use SABA.
The SABA Adhesive Monitoring System
is simple and provides management with
instant access to adhesive cost data via a
secure web-based software application.
Working in conjunction with our delivery
system, the amount of adhesive being
consumed is captured by the system’s
on-board computer, and production data
is entered by plant personnel. The system
makes all the calculations and now you finally
have control over your adhesive applications.
See for yourself first hand how the SABA foam bonding adhesive
system can save you money!





Enjoy 20 to 50% reduction in adhesive costs
All application equipment provided at no cost to you
Highest performing water-based adhesive
Cleaner and safer working environment
Monitor and control adhesive usage
Contact SABA today for a risk-free 30 day testing period.
Call us at 810 824 4964
Email us at [email protected]
For sales inquiries, please contact:
T 810 824 4964
F 810 824 4986
E [email protected]
W www.saba-adhesives.com
SABA North America LLC
5426 Lapeer Road
Kimball MI 48074 USA
SABA, dedicated to foam bonding
Est. 1933: 75 years of strong bonds
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Julie A. Palm
336-727-1889
[email protected]
SENIOR WRITER
Barbara T. Nelles
336-856-8973
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS
Phillip M. Perry
Dorothy Whitcomb
Larry Wilson
ART DIRECTOR
Stephanie Belcher
336-201-7475
[email protected]
Vice President of Sales
Kerri Bellias
336-945-0265
[email protected]
Ad Production &
CIRCULATION manager
Debbie Robbins
336-342-4217
[email protected]
COPY EDITOR
Margaret Talley-Seijn
BedTimes deadlines
Editorial deadlines for the Industry
News and Newsmakers sections
of the September issue of BedTimes are
Monday, August 3.
Volume 137 Number 7
BedTimes (ISSN 0893-5556) is published
monthly by the International Sleep Products
Association. Periodicals postage paid at
Alexandria, Va., and additional mailing offices.
Editorial and advertising offices
5603-B W. Friendly Ave. #286
Greensboro, NC 27410
Phone 703-683-8371; Fax 703-683-4503
Administrative and ISPA offices
501 Wythe St., Alexandria, Va. 22314-1917
Phone 703-683-8371; Fax 703-683-4503
Postmaster Send address changes to
BedTimes, 501 Wythe St., Alexandria, Va.
22314-1917
Contents © 2009 by the
International Sleep Products
Association. Reprint permission
obtainable through BedTimes.
Editor’sNote
Mattress industry can take
comfort in not being alone
L
ast year, the mattress industry
posted some of the weakest sales
numbers in recent history, according to a newly released report from the
International Sleep Products Association. (See story on Page 7.)
Frankly, it’s a depressing report.
But, as the saying goes, misery loves
company and the mattress industry
certainly isn’t alone.
Fortune magazine published its annual list of the 500 largest U.S. corporations in its May 4 issue. Together
these giants of the business world saw
revenues inch up just 0.8% in 2008 and
watched profits plummet a staggering
84.7%—by far the largest drop in the
history of the 55-year-old list.
In an accompanying article, Fortune
found solace in the ups and downs of
the business cycle: “This year’s profit
implosion isn’t any more durable than
the profit bubble of two years ago. …
Profits have a way of roaring out of
steep slumps. And this one is about as
steep as they get.”
Leadership lessons
The need for strong, prescient leadership is never more important than
during difficult times.
Beginning with this issue, BedTimes
will run a regular feature on leadership,
written by Larry Wilson, a pioneer in
change management, leadership development and strategic thinking. Wilson
has founded two companies, Wilson
Learning Corp. and Pecos River Learning, in addition to his latest project, The
Wilson Collaborative.
Some of you may be familiar with
Wilson, who has worked with major
mattress manufacturers and retailers.
He also served as a columnist for BedTimes’ sister publication, Sleep Savvy, for
several years.
We welcome Wilson to BedTimes’
pages. His debut article, which explains
much of his philosophy about leading in
the face of change, appears on Page 28.
Supplies Guide time
Last year, we launched an improved
online BedTimes Supplies Guide,
the most comprehensive directory of product and service suppliers to the mattress industry. The site,
www.bedtimessuppliesguide.com,
is more robust and easier to use than
the previous version, in large part
because of its Google-like search function that gives users the option of a
keyword-driven search or a categoryspecific search. The site also has a
request-for-information function that
allows users to contact participating
suppliers with the click of a mouse.
We have partnered with MultiView,
a publisher of online supplier directories based in Irving, Texas, to produce
the online guide. MultiView representatives soon will be contacting suppliers about purchasing, renewing or
upgrading their listings. A company
listing includes a full-color company
logo, corporate description, Web site
link and email-generation capacity.
Banner ads and listing upgrades also
are available. You can contact MultiView directly about purchasing a listing
by calling 800-816-6710.
And, as always, we will publish
a version of the BedTimes Supplies
Guide in our December issue. BT
Julie A. Palm
5
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FrontMatter
Report: Mattress sales fell 9.1% in 2008
Both dollar value & unit shipments suffered big declines
“
T
he mattress industry is fortunate to
have 2008 behind it.” That first line
of the executive summary pretty
well sums up the gloomy statistics in the
recently released 2008 Mattress Industry
Report of Sales and Trends published by
the International Sleep Products Association.
No matter how you measure the
industry’s sales—from dollar value to
unit shipments to average unit price—
last year was a rough one for the U.S.
mattress industry.
The dollar value of mattress and
foundation shipments fell 9.1% in 2008,
significant not just for the size of the
decline but because during the past
three decades, the dollar value of shipments has dropped only twice—in 1982
and 2001—and those dips were much
smaller. For instance, the dollar value
was down only 0.3% in 2001.
Since reaching a historical peak of
43.7 million units in 2005, unit shipments have fallen for three years in a
row. But the double-digit drop in 2008
was far higher than previous declines.
Last year, unit shipments fell 11%, compared to a drop of 2.1% in 2007, 1.4%
in 2006 and 2% in 2001.
A gain of 2.1% in average unit price
was a bright spot for 2008, but that
increase is the smallest since 2002 and
down significantly from a 20-year high
8.6% increase charted in 2004.
Both the innerspring and noninnerspring categories suffered in 2008, but
noninnerspring mattresses, which ISPA
defines as foam, air, flotation, adjustables
and hospital beds, were hardest hit.
The dollar value of innerspring mattresses dropped 6.3% in 2008, while the
dollar value of noninnerspring mattresses plummeted 17.8%. Drops in unit
shipments were similar, with innerspring
mattresses falling 9.1% and noninnerspring mattresses plunging 17.7%.
Again, the average unit price numbers were less dramatic, increasing 3.1%
for innersprings and dipping 0.2% for
noninnersprings.
The report explains the disparities between the two mattress categories: “The housing bubble that lasted
through 2005 had an asymmetrical effect on various mattress products. During the period of high housing turnover
and escalating home values, consumers
tapped their home equity and paid for
or financed purchases of high-priced
goods. For the mattress industry, this
behavior was reflected in double-digit
increases in sales for noninnerspring
mattresses through 2007. When home
liquidity dried up and consumer sentiment turned negative, sales of specialty
mattresses took a disproportionate hit.”
No part of the country was immune
from the declining mattress market.
Significant decreases in dollar shipments were seen across all regions, with
double-digit drops in the West. Unit
shipments were universally negative.
The annual report is available
free to ISPA members, who can
access it through ISPA’s Web site,
www.sleepproducts.org. As part of the
association’s efforts to be environmentally responsible and to reduce costs,
the report is being published electronically this year, with a limited number of
printed copies available upon request.
The report provides comprehensive
data on national mattress industry
sales for the past 20 years, as well as
international mattress industry trends.
A new feature allows ISPA members to
integrate industry statistics into their
own company’s analysis by downloading spreadsheets containing industry
data from the ISPA Web site. BT
Annual growth of mattress and foundation shipments
12.1%
8.8%
7.8%
5.6%
5.4%
4.2%
2.2%
0.7%
-2.0%
2.4%
12.0%
6.2%
4.7%
3.2%
1.4%
-0.3%
-1.4%
-2.1%
■ Unit shipments
■ Dollar value of shipments
‘98-99
‘99-00
‘00-01
-9.1%
-11.0%
‘01-02
‘02-03
‘03-04
‘04-05
‘05-06
‘06-07
‘07-08
7
MileStone
Fraenkel still run like family business
Over 50 years, company has evolved from distributor to manufacturer
By Dorothy Whitcomb
W
hen Albert Fraenkel founded
the Fraenkel Co. in Baton
Rouge, La., in 1959, his goals
were modest. He wanted to build a
business of his own and be able to
support his family.
“I’ve never been one to pursue
wealth,” he says. “We started the company solely to improve
our own living conditions and educate our
children.”
With $50,000 in
start-up capital cobbled
together from his savings, personal loans
from friends and a
pay-as-you-sell agreement with bedding
manufacturer National
Rose Co., Fraenkel set
out to make his fledgling
furniture distribution
company indispensable
to the rural communities it served.
Breaking it down
Today, the once-modest enterprise
employs 196 people and posts annual
sales that approach $42 million. Over
time, the company’s focus has shifted.
Fraenkel Co. now draws 60% of its
annual sales from mattress manufacturing and 25% from upholstery
manufacturing. As recently as 10 years
ago, furniture distribution accounted
for 70% of Fraenkel Co.’s annual sales.
Brian Akchin, president and chief
executive officer, thinks the current
percentages are about right.
“I like that mix for us,” he says.
“Furniture distribution should always
be between 10% and 15%. Our
growth is through manufacturing.
Distribution is an add-on.”
Since October 2008, when the
Mattresses matter
Fraenkel Co., with
administrative
headquarters in Baton
Rouge, La., produces
mattresses at plants in
Carrollton, Texas, and
Olive Branch, Miss. About
60% of the company’s
annual sales come from
mattress production.
company
closed its
headquarters plant
in Baton
Rouge, all of
Fraenkel Co.’s
manufacturing has been
concentrated
in Carrollton,
Texas, and
Olive Branch,
Miss. About
three-quarters of the 110,000-squarefoot Carrollton plant is devoted to
mattress manufacturing, with the
balance dedicated to furniture distribution.
At the 289,000-square-foot Olive
Branch facility, 35% of the space is
dedicated to mattress manufactur-
ing and 30% to upholstery production. Furniture distribution and the
company’s showroom take up the
rest of the space. Combined, the two
facilities produce an average of 6,000
mattresses a week. The company’s
administrative headquarters remain
in Baton Rouge.
9
MileStone
Value of Englander
Fraenkel Co.’s board of directors
began working toward shutting down
manufacturing in Baton Rouge in
2004 when the company decided to
focus production of Englander brand
mattresses in Carrollton, a suburb of
Dallas.
The company became an Englander licensee in 1993 and sales of
Englander products represent close
to 75% of its annual mattress sales.
The balance comes from sales of the
company’s house brand, USA Sleep
Systems, and private-label product.
“Dallas is the largest population
area in our Englander region,” Akchin
explains. “We felt that as the Dallas facility grew, the need for Baton Rouge
would continue to shrink and that we
could be much more efficient in two
operations than three.”
Much of Fraenkel Co.’s growth
has come from its Englander license.
When it first began producing the
brand, its territory included four
states and parts of three others. Today
its reach is much broader, with the
company now servicing Englander accounts in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico,
Oklahoma and Texas, as well as southern Indiana, southern Illinois, western
Kentucky and western Tennessee, according to Susan Pourciau, executive
vice president and secretary-treasurer.
Tough choices
Akchin and Pourciau agree that closing the Baton Rouge facility was one
of the most difficult decisions the
management team has had to make.
“Even though we knew it was the
right thing to do, some of the people
who worked there had been there
since 1976,” Akchin says. “We couldn’t
just cast those people away.”
To ease the blow, Fraenkel Co. gave
Baton Rouge employees early notice
of the decision, brought in people
from Louisiana state government to
facilitate their search for new jobs and
supported employee retraining efforts.
Of the 59 employees affected by the
10 | BedTimes | July 2009
‘We try to embody
the values that Mr.
Fraenkel taught us.
He truly cared about
his employees and
cares about them to
this day.’
closure, only nine are still collecting
unemployment compensation.
“Susan and I grew up in this company and we try to embody the values
that Mr. Fraenkel taught us. He truly
cared about his employees and cares
about them to this day,” Akchin says.
A commitment to fairness—a
central tenet of the Fraenkel Co.
culture—also guided the company’s
response to Hurricane Katrina, which
devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast in
September 2005. The company maintained its price structure throughout
the crisis and refused to compromise
on quality.
“When the Red Cross came in with
vouchers, some producers felt that
it didn’t matter what they provided,
(while others) took advantage of their
customers,” Akchin says.
Employee-centered culture
The fact that the Fraenkel Co. is
100% employee owned is a reflection
of Albert Fraenkel’s concern for his
employees’ well-being.
In 1968 he initiated a profitsharing plan to help employees save
for retirement. When Congress passed
legislation in the 1970s creating the
Employee Stock Ownership Plan, he
was eager to sign on.
“Soon after starting the company I
realized that the people who worked
there were of great help to me and I
simply wanted to help them back,”
Albert Fraenkel says. “It’s not easy to
save when you’re working from paycheck to paycheck. We wanted to lift
people up and give them something
to look forward to. By converting to
ESOP, all profit-sharing participants
became owners. That changed our
corporate culture overnight.”
Fraenkel, who retired 10 years ago,
no longer has a financial stake in the
company. But he continues to serve as
chairman of the board and, at age 82,
still knows the name of every employee, taking a proprietary interest in
their well-being.
The culture of mutual respect, fair
play and wealth sharing continues to
shape the way that Fraenkel Co. does
business.
“We run our business like a family,”
Akchin says. “As stockholders, the
financials are open to all employees
and we meet with supervisory personnel monthly to keep them abreast of
progress.”
The result, he says, is buy-in from
employees who understand the expectations of the company and their role
in meeting them.
Celebrating success
The current management team is well
aware of the milestone the company
has reached with its 50th anniversary.
To commemorate it, the company has
launched a year-long celebration, which
began with a champagne party at its
Tupelo Furniture Market showroom in
Tupelo, Miss., in February.
The company has developed a
special anniversary bed and, throughout the year, the company is offering
special “Golden Nugget” promotions.
While celebrating the past, the
company continues to look toward the
future. Ten years from now, Akchin
predicts, the company will have
moved “180 degrees” from its roots as
a distributor.
“We see a lot of opportunities for
Englander and Fraenkel and expect
our mattress business to continue
to grow,” he says. “Our future is as a
manufacturing company that also
distributes some furniture.” BT
-All of our boards are cut-to-size, including special
cuts to suit your needs.
-Our quality control methods allow us to offer a
constant thickness, width and length along with a
standard radius end.
-We have three grades for you to choose from, all
approved for the construction of box springs.
-We produce blocks in various sizes and lengths,
in both radius or square end.
-The blocks are shipped in easily stackable boxes
for your storage needs.
-We also produce build-up side rails and center
rails. All you have to do to finish assembly is to
simply attach the end rails and slats.
Give us a call!
Toll Free USA: 888-877-2098
Tel: 819-877-2092
E-Mail: [email protected]
WWW.BLRLUMBER.COM
LATEX SYSTEMS CO.,LTD.
100 % NATURAL LATEX FOAM
Offer your sleep a natural side
Located at the heart of the largest reserve of latex in the world. We
manufacture a unique range of high value added natural latex cores and
sheets. Our French-Thai expertise, combine with your bedding market
experience, is the answer to people concern about comfortable and
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Latex Systems Co.,Ltd. (Factory & Office)
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Agent for North America:
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Email: [email protected]
7 zone for perfect body’s adjustement
MarketReport
Intros prove more important than economy
Foam, textiles, machinery, springs star at Interzum Cologne
By Barbara T. Nelles
A
dvancements in foam—and
ripples created in other product
categories by foam’s popularity—were center stage at the Interzum
Cologne furniture components fair held
May 13-16 in Cologne, Germany.
Exhibitors offered engineered
foams in new colors, cuts, laminations and convolutions. In addition to
fresh looks in latex, polyurethane and
visco-elastic, there were innovations
in multifunctional textiles and automated foam-cutting equipment.
Opinions about show attendance
varied, but exhibitors BedTimes spoke
with reported having at least one strong
day with good foot traffic from new
and existing customers. Fair organizers
put attendance at more than 100,000, a
“slight fall in visitor numbers” from the
2007 show. The ongoing difficult economic climate—though not discussed
much in Interzum booths—did reduce
the number of casual shoppers in halls.
Some exhibitors said they preferred it
that way because the customers they did
meet were “serious” and “had an agenda.”
“We’ve noticed that traffic is lighter
this year at the show, but we’ve still been
quite busy and have definitely had better-than-expected results,” said Darren
Gilmore, president of Hawthorne, N.J.based adhesives supplier Simalfa.
Temperature is top-of-mind
With the growing use of foam across
bedding constructions, regulating temperature has become a, dare we say, “hot”
trend. Ticking manufacturers offered
fabrics with phase-changing technologies, as well as an array of “spacer”
materials. And foam suppliers touted the
benefits of breathable engineered foams.
Kevin Stein, vice president of
marketing, research and development
at Latex International, which has U.S.
headquarters in Shelton, Conn., said his
Time for change Gommagomma S.p.A.,
company’s temperature-regulating Celdebuted Exchange, a line of mattress and
sion foam, introduced in 2008, was “a
pillow cores that contain a visco-elastic or
latex comfort layer.
big hit at this show—and not just with
Western Europeans, but with visitors
from the Far East and elsewhere.”
Latexco, based in Tielt, Belgium,
demonstrated new ways to ventilate
latex cores—with extra-large vertical
channels and horizontal side venting
and channeling.
“The latest and greatest is this cylindrical, pocketedspring look that
reduces motion
transfer and increases air flow,” said
Vincent Gesquiere,
Latexco executive
vice president. “In
Europe they call it
‘yogurt cups.’ In the
U.S. it’s ‘Dixie cups’. ”
Eurofoam, based
in Kremsmünster,
Austria, introduced Machinery advancements Randy Metcalf, marketing manager for
Cellpur, a “cellulose Leggett & Platt’s Global Systems Group, explains the features of the
updated Gribetz Paragon M+ mattress quilter.
climatized foam” that
incorporates powdered Tencel. It’s a
core embedded with a layer of webbing
joint venture with Tencel manufacturer
that adds firmness and support. It’s for
Lenzing AG. The new polyurethane
use in medium to extra-firm mattresses.
foam is more breathable and absorbs
Sapsa’s X-trem Latex also is new and has
and releases moisture to create a “more
an extra-soft “cocooning and Talalaypleasant sleep environment,” the comlike feel,” said Raluca Loury, who is in
pany said in a news release.
charge of international marketing and
Shown tucked inside the foam core,
sales support for the company.
Manifattura Maiano S.p.A., based in
Gommagomma S.p.A., headquarCapalle, Italy, offered Ondafelt, a wavy,
tered in Caronno, Pertusella, Italy,
rigid support layer for all-foam beds
introduced Exchange, a line of Dunlopmade from kenaf, a plant fiber simiprocess latex mattress and pillow cores,
lar to jute. The product adds support
or “vessels,” that hold a visco-elastic or
and breathability to foam beds, the
latex comfort layer.
company said.
Similarly, Latexco offered cores
poured with a surface cutout in its new
More innovations
Adaptive Range. Manufacturers can
Paris-based Sapsa Latex introduced
choose their top layer. The company
Net-in Latex, a Dunlop-process latex
also introduced a number of top-
13
MarketReport
with “food-grade,
microencapsulated
probiotic bacteria”
that are a “natural and active bed
cleanser and deodorizer,” said Philip
Ghekiere, marketing manager of the
Waregem, Belgiumbased textile manufacturer.
Ticking suppliers said there is a
growing trend to
merchandise the
Pocket spring promotion Ken Hurst, Starsprings U.S. sales
mattress and founrepresentative, promoted the durability and pressure relief of springs
dation
as a colorwhen used in the top comfort layers of the mattress.
coordinated upholstery item—a distinctly European
look that is spreading to other regions.
Several companies are providing fabrics
designed to coordinate with contemporary, upholstered bed bases.
Innofa introduced four fabric collections, all with a “dressing” theme—
from the clothes of the fashion runway
to the aesthetics of the natural world.
One knit, Airflow—part of a threedimensional grouping designed to offer
New dimensions CT Nassau debuted a knit
“excellent ventilation”—was as thick as
ticking with a puffed surface that’s designed
a down-filled comforter.
to replace the comfort layer on a mattress.
“These are high-volume textiles
weighing up to 1,000 grams per square
pers and quilting layers, including the
meter and are constructed so that the
Progressive Resistance Topper, a single
topper with three layers of different
yarns allow air to circulate,” said Nicole
densities.
Grottendieck, a designer at the Tilburg,
Fiber company Molina, based in
Holland-based knit supplier.
Cairate, Italy, added silver, not just to its
“High-loft knit techniques are very
natural and synthetic fill fibers, but to a
big for 2009 and 2010,” said Kristel
collection of foam silver-flecked pillows
Bisschop, sales director for knitting at
and toppers, as well. The X-static Silver
Monks International, a ticking supplier
collection is anti-bacterial, anti-odor
headquartered in Wielsbeke, Belgium.
and anti-static, the company said.
“These fabrics add texture, color and an
extra layer of comfort to a bed.”
CT Nassau, which is based in AlaMultitalented ticking
mance, N.C., showed a knit ticking with
Suppliers of mattress fabrics offered a
a puffed, “popcorn” surface that replaces
range of special finishes, treatments and
the comfort layer on a mattress and
decorative tapes, as well as new knit and
requires no quilting.
weave effects.
“If you quilt, you lose the stretch,”
One of the more unusual introducsaid Laura Allred, design director at the
tions was Bekaert’s Purotex, an Intertape and ticking manufacturer. “It’s a
zum award winner for intelligent matecircular double-knit with elastic yarns
rial and design. The fabric is embedded
knitted in and when the tension is
released it puckers and gathers.”
Both Innofa and DesleeClama
showed zoned mattress fabrics—knits
with extra elasticity in specific areas
to complement zoned mattress cores.
Innofa’s Zone Stretch provides extra
“give” in the shoulder and knee areas.
DesleeClama, which is based in Beselare,
Belgium, presented Body Fit.
“We work jointly with customers to
adapt the ticking to the bed’s core and
use different knit effects to produce a
customized fabric with varying elasticity,” said Kris Verbeeck, DesleeClama
marketing manager.
Giving mattress producers the flexibility to customize fabrics in terms of
color and design was a popular selling
point at exhibitor booths.
“When it comes to fabric design,
we’re flexible,” said Paolo Stellini, managing director of Stellini, a Magnago,
Italy-based ticking producer. “Customers can create their own patterns on
software. There is nothing better than
designing with customers. In seconds
you can go from their design on the
screen to the loom. The yarns are loaded
and you’re ready to go.”
High-loft materials and computeraided design may represent the hightech end of what ticking suppliers are
offering, but there also is demand for
products perceived as more natural.
DesleeClama won a Best of the Best
Interzum award for its EcoFair ticking
made from organic cotton that is “100%
ecologically cultivated and purchased
according to fair-trade principles,”
Verbeeck said. “EcoFair is available as a
knit or woven and has an unusually soft
hand—something you don’t always see
with organic cotton.”
Boyteks Tekstil, based in Kayseri,
Turkey, offers 17 natural fiber collections, including organic cotton, Tencel,
mohair, bamboo, linen, wool, coconut
fiber, cashmere and camel hair, among
others, said Önder Honi, Boyteks
deputy general director of sales and
marketing.
“There is much more interest now in
bamboo and cotton and viscose—peowww.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
ple are looking for all cellulosic fibers,
even some linen fibers in a viscose/linen
blend,” said CT Nassau’s Allred.
At some fabric suppliers’ booths, it
was hard to tell a woven from a knit. By
incorporating Lycra yarns, ticking producers are creating high-end jacquards
with some of the characteristics of
stretch knits.
“Everybody adopted knits and now
that everyone has them, the only way to
be different is to go back to jacquards,”
Stellini said.
Bekaert’s woven Elastesse has a
head-to-toe stretch and provides “the
benefits of a knit but with no snagging, easier handling and the interesting visual effects you can only get with
wovens,” Ghekiere said.
Finally, ticking suppliers say color
continues to make a bit of a comeback.
“Manufacturers are going from using
a dash to the realization that ‘We can do
this. We can add more color and make
our mattresses stand out in a crowd,’ ”
Monks’ Bisschop said.
At Anton Cramer & Co., based
in Greven, Germany, shades of lilac,
rose and gold headlined, as did ornate
three-dimensional knits employing two
surface yarns.
Spacer fabrics: ‘Cool’ look
Mattress makers looking for spacer fabrics, which add breathability, could find
them almost anywhere at Interzum.
Felt, fiber and visco-elastic foam
manufacturer Ovattificio Fortunato,
headquartered in Bellizzi, Italy, matched
a spacer fabric topper with breathable
visco-elastic foam cores in its Mistral
collection. The company cleverly demonstrated Mistral’s ventilation—with
the flip of a switch a bed emitted steam
across its top panel, thanks to a steam
machine beneath the bed.
Latexco showed its new Adaptive
Range cores with a number of topper
choices, which included a spacer fabric.
And mattress cover maker Funcotex
in Torrente, Spain, said one of its most
popular sellers incorporates spacer
fabric into side panels.
Pocket springs manufacturer Agro
International GmbH & Co. KG, based
in Bad Essen, Germany, introduced the
Advanced Green Body, a seven-zone,
pocketed innerspring unit with a 1-inch
spacer fabric affixed to the top.
Bodet & Horst, headquartered in
Elterlein, Germany, featured a spacer
fabric side panel for added ventilation when displaying a mattress with
its Ultrasound fabric. Ultrasound was
an Interzum award winner for high
product quality. The channel-filled and
ultrasonically bonded and perforated
ticking adds cushioning and breathability to the mattress, the company said.
Sewn covers zip up market share
Sales of zippered covers “went crazy
this year,” said Ekmel Öztoprak of knits
maker Evoteks in Istanbul, Turkey. “It
started about two years ago and has
to do with the nature of working with
knits. Mattress manufacturers find them
less stable and harder to tailor. This way
you use fewer plant workers and less
machinery. It’s more convenient and
affordable.”
Funcotex made a bold fashion statement with its zippered mattress covers
that combined contrasting colors, patterns and textures with color-blocked,
dual-zippered side panels. The manufacturer says the zippered covers work
with both foam and innerspring beds.
patented Octaspring. Each Octaspring
has eight columns of support and is
available in a range of foam densities
and three heights. A typical
all-Octaspring mattress might have
three layers of Octasprings in varying
densities.
Starsprings, headquartered in Herrjunga, Sweden, supplies both high-end
Hästens and value merchant Ikea. It
promoted the durability and pressure
relief of springs when used in the top
comfort layers of the mattress.
Showing that temperature regulation
is not just a concern when it comes to
foam, Starsprings also showcased its
new ClimaBed Topper.
“ClimaBed is a ventilated topper
that controls temperature and moisture
through an exhaust system that also
filters the air and removes dust mites,”
said Ken Hurst, Starsprings’ U.S. sales
representative. “It reads and adjusts your
bed temperature.”
In the zone Anne Hollaar, Innofa international
Springs news
sales manager, and Job Droge, chief
Agro cited a recent study of its products
executive officer, demonstrate the Zone
showing that pocketed springs alone—
Stretch fabric, which has extra elasticity in the
without added comfort layers—can
shoulder area.
achieve optimum
pressure relief. Show
attendees could test
several mattresses
constructed from
a zoned, pocketed
innerspring core
covered only with a
zippered stretch knit.
Diamond Spring,
based in Zele, Belgium, introduced
Rolling along Andreas Georgallis, Amelco Industries Inc. financial
the latest version
director, shows off the updated RL 2000A Rollpack machine for
of its all-foam
innersprings. The company says the unit offers improves productivity.
“innerspring”—the
15
MarketReport
Machinery makers sell speed
coming years.”
Machinery introductions
Matsushita unveiled the
focused on speed, automation
TECMIC PKTA-3R-UC, a highand better material flow. But, as
speed pocketed spring assembling
was perhaps expected with the
machine with touch-screen
challenging economy, exhibitors
programming.
reported that order taking for
“The machine is twice as
machinery was slow.
fast as our older model and will
A bright spot for suppliproduce all the springs for a
ers is the growing interest in
twin assembly in 1.86 minutes,”
mattress recycling, said Yosuke
Takeuchi said.
New ‘spring’ looks Diamond Spring introduced the latest version of its
Takeuchi, general manager of
Spühl AG in Wittenbach,
Osaka, Japan-based Matsushita patented Octaspring. Each Octaspring has eight columns of support
Switzerland, a wire-forming maIndustrial Co. Ltd., a machinery and is available in three heights and a range of foam densities.
chinery company owned by L&P,
manufacturer.
pany. Features include programmable,
introduced the CS-525 Dual,
“Everyone is so aware of the environautomatic blade adjustments and builtan electronically controlled transfer
ment that efforts at mattress recycling
in sharpening stones.
machine that boasts a performance inare escalating, especially in Europe and
Sotexi, a Paris-based maker of concrease of as much as 20%. The machine,
Japan, where trash disposal costs are so
veyor, packaging, springs, quilting and
which won an Interzum award for intelhigh,” Takeuchi said. “I predict the next
border equipment, highlighted an upligent material and design, fabricates
generation of mattress machinery will
dated L2000-2R multineedle, lock-stitch
zoned spring units with two different
not be about making coils, but about
quilting machine, which now takes three
wire gauges.
taking them apart and recycling them.”
times the thread.
Rick Hungerford Jr., president of
“The L2000-2R is very fast at up to
New foam cutters plentiful
Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Edge2,000 stitches per minute and machine
Italian Cutting Systems Srl in Gravina,
Sweets Co. (ESCO), which specializes in
settings are flexible and simple to
Italy, introduced the Giotto Super
polyurethane foam processing equipadjust,” said Georges Campin, Sotexi
Cutting System, which is capable of
ment, pointed to another trend.
president. “It allows for sideways needle
cutting a perfect circle. Fecken-Kirfel
“Automation is the big news in the
adjustment easily and at will, as well as
GmbH, based in Aachen, Germany,
industry,” he said. “It allows customeasy adjustment between needle rows.”
offered the updated CF 67, combining
ers to remain competitive by reducing
Masias, a maker of fiber processhorizontal and vertical contour cutoperating costs.”
ing and quilting machines that has
ting centers.
Machinery and components supplier
headquarters in Girona, Spain, offered
“We’ve been focused on putting
Amelco Industries Ltd., with headquarautomated wadding handling with its
machines in combination and automatters in Nicosia, Cyprus, showcased its
new direct-feed system.
ing them,” said Michael Anders, vice
updated RL 2000A Rollpack machine
“The unit is compatible with
president of Fecken-Kirfel America.
for innersprings. The company said
various kinds of quilting machines and
“You reduce your need for a series of
the unit offers improved productivity
saves time, reduces storage needs and
operators and have better material flow
because of its automatic feeding and
improves product quality,” said Sonia
control. This trend is about helping
strapping features and a roller vacuum
Ortiz, Masias area sales manager.
customers compete with China’s low
system that holds packing paper in
labor costs.”
place.
Pocketed springs production
Albrecht Baumer, a maker of foam
Randy Metcalf, marketing manager
With demand building for pocketed
and fiber cutting machinery based in
for Carthage, Mo.-based Leggett &
springs around the globe, competition
Freudenberg, Germany, said it also
Platt’s Global Systems Group, said the
among pocketed spring machinery
focuses on assisting customers with line
improved multineedle, chain-stitch
makers is heating up and prices are
customization and automation. It offers
Gribetz Paragon M+ mattress quilter is
dropping, some in the industry said.
a choice between its customizable, au“faster than previous models, easier to
“In the Middle East, mattress makers
tomated Blue Line and its standardized,
operate and maintain, handles extraare heavily advertising pocket springs,”
less costly Red Line.
thick quilts up to 155 centimeters and
said Andreas Georgallis, Amelco finanNew to the Blue Line was the OFS-H
faster tack and jump with no tails.”
cial director. “I won’t be surprised to see
Twincut, a CNC-controlled, high-speed
The new ProSlit is a highly autopocket springs grow from 13% of the
machine that cuts foam on three axes,
mated, faster version of Gribetz’s BSAP
market—they were less than 5% five
performing the work of two foam cutBorder Slitter, according to the comyears ago—to as much as 50% in the
ting machines. BT
The Inside Story
W
hen it comes to three main interior components of a bed, lumber quietly plays a supporting role in the foundation, while springs and foam
battle for position in the bed’s core and comfort layers.
The modern innerspring is being re-engineered to play a much more nuanced
and varied role in the mattress. And foams are grabbing attention with their dizzying array of convolutions, contours, colors and functions.
All three components have their own sustainability story, with research and development at foam suppliers leading the pack in a quest for new ways to be “green.”
And component makers say their products carry meaningful messages that consumers need to hear—now more than ever.
“We need to do a slight correction. As an industry we simplified the consumer conversation, concentrating on comfort and turning away from what’s inside the bed,”
says Mark Quinn, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Bedding
Group at Carthage, Mo.-based Leggett & Platt. “That was right at the time, but we’ve
come too far. Without going all the way back, let’s build more value—in a way that
doesn’t confuse the consumer—by discussing what’s on the inside. There are great
stories in there and they help justify higher price points.”
Foam’s ever-expanding mattress role
P
opular latex, polyurethane and visco-elastic foams are inspiring new partnerships, innovations and creativity in the mattress
industry.
“I’m very excited about foam’s potential, particularly when I look
at the U.S. market,” says Ed Malechek, executive vice president of foam
supplier Carpenter Co., which has headquarters in Richmond, Va.
“There is so much room for growth here. Noninnerspring beds are
only about 10% of the beds sold in the U.S. In Europe, it’s about 40%
urethane, 10% latex and 50% innerspring.”
A peek inside some mattresses reveals a “wedding cake” of colors
and convolutions of foam.
The core of the bed may be innerspring or polyurethane foam, “but
mattress manufacturers often add 3 to 5 inches of various advanced
foams—latex being one of them—to the bed’s top comfort layers,” says
Kevin Stein, vice president of marketing, research and development at
Latex International, based in Shelton, Conn. “It produces a great feel at
a price point that today’s consumer can afford.”
For example, Tielt, Belgium-based Latexco has a new topper that combines three different foam densities and a dimensional feeling into a single
comfort layer.
Some foam suppliers say the increased use of premium foams—as cores, in
the quilt and as comfort layers—is solving body impression problems and generally helping shrink super-thick mattresses back down to their former size.
Polyurethane foam suppliers see enormous potential for all-foam beds in
North America that tell a distinctive comfort story.
see page 20
The eternal innerspring gets new twists
A
t first glance, it may seem there’s not much new
in innersprings. Bonnell units, LFK, pocketed
coils—they’ve been around for decades. But if you
look more closely, innersprings have gotten a lot more
interesting.
Spurred by increased competition from foam and air
mattresses, innerspring research and development has
yielded a number of advancements: new coil configurations, next-generation Bonnell units, increased zoning,
comfort-layer coil systems, pocketed coil improvements
and even one-sided spring units for single-sided beds.
And spring suppliers have become more vocal in
defending and promoting their products.
“Innersprings have been marketed against to propel
air and foam sales—and it was done quite well,” says
Ken Hurst, U.S. sales representative for Starsprings, an
innerspring manufacturer headquartered in Herrljunga, Sweden. “But no one was countering those
claims—until now.”
“Show me a $1,500 innerspring bed where you ‘feel like you’re sleeping on top of coils,’ ” says
Mark Quinn, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Bedding Group at Leggett &
Platt, a components supplier based in Carthage, Mo. “Attacking the innerspring category as the reason a consumer is uncomfortable with their current mattress is misleading and inaccurate. You can
create absolutely any feel you want with an innerspring bed and build in value at every price point.”
see page 22
19
from page 19
In Europe, where mattresses are
generally 4- to 8-inches thick, solid latex
cores are popular and affordable. But
visco-elastic is gaining ground.
The demand for various materials
used in combination also is changing
the mix of products foam suppliers offer
mattress manufacturers.
Polyurethane foam supplier Hickory
Springs Mfg. Co., which is based in
Hickory, N.C., now distributes latex
from Latex International in the United States.
“We’re the perfect combination,” says
David Duncan, national product manager for Hickory Springs Bedding Foam
Products. “Latex is a great sleeping
surface, consumers like the ‘green’ story
and it gives us the opportunity to offer
manufacturers the next hot thing.”
Latex’s growing popularity inspired
urethane foam maker Carpenter to
release a new, improved version of its
synthetic latex, Qualatex, this year.
“It’s urethane foam with the same
feeling and properties of good Talalay,
but at a better price,” Malechek says.
Demand expands for latex
Sales of latex cores, comfort layers,
Lure of latex What mattress manufacturers want, says Latexco’s Kevin Callinan, is ‘to tell a latex
story about lower price points.’
quilting layers and pillows have been
increasing for the past three to six
years, Stein says.
In the current economy, offering
latex on an extra-thick mattress and
doing it at an affordable price point
means pairing it with an innerspring
or polyurethane core.
“That’s what mattress manufacturers want right now—to tell a latex story
about lower price points,” says Kevin
CertiPUR-US certification available
CertiPUR-US is a new voluntary testing, analysis and certification
program to verify that polyurethane foams meet certain
health and safety guidelines. It’s administered by the
Alliance for Polyurethane Foam, based in Loudon,
Tenn., and has certified four U.S. foam suppliers since
beginning certifications earlier this year. Foam suppliers
that receive CertiPUR approval have the right to use the
CertiPUR certification mark on all certified foam families.
The program is modeled after CertiPUR in Europe and is
similar except the U.S. process has an additional quality control component. As
stated at the CertiPUR-US Web site, both programs were developed in response
to an increase in substandard imported foams.
“There is growing consumer concern about the health of the mattresses they
are sleeping on and it will become an increasingly important issue,” says Bob
Luedaka, executive director of the foam alliance. “CertiPUR adds an extra measure of purchase security for them. It reassures them they are buying a safe, clean
product.”
The certification process is open to all polyurethane manufacturers worldwide. Assessment includes volatile organic compound testing and chemical
breakdown analysis, as well as durability testing.
The cost of the program runs about $2,700 for testing at one of several independent labs, plus an additional $3,000 per foam family for Polyurethane Foam
Association members or $5,000 per foam family for nonmembers, paid every six
months for the first year. Afterward, certification is renewed annually and spot
testing is conducted. For more information, visit www.certipur.us.
Callinan, Latexco vice president of sales.
“A $999 all-latex mattress isn’t possible
if the mattress is 11 to 15 inches high.
But you can get the curb appeal you
need at the thicker height by building
up the mattress with latex at the top.”
When you use latex in the bed’s top
comfort layers, you don’t want to cover
it with filler material, suppliers say.
“Those big, puffy tack-and-jump
quilts lose the feel of the latex,” Stein
says. “We’re seeing more channel quilting come back in. It’s the
European influence and it’s great for
latex.”
Interest in 100% natural latex
also is expanding rapidly. Polyurethane foam supplier Foamex, which
is headquartered in Media, Pa.,
introduced its 100% natural latex
line, Natural Latex by Foamex, to its
product lineup in 2008.
“We are at a starting point,” says
Mithra Weerasinghe, vice president
and marketing director of Latex
Green, a natural latex supplier with
its own rubber plantations based in
Avissawella, Sri Lanka. “As consumers and retailers learn more about the
environmental and behavioral aspects
of natural latex, interest will grow and
grow. We expect big mattress brands
to begin promoting it—that’s already
happening in Europe.”
Stein says Latex International is
among the suppliers trying to meet the
demand. The company has stepped up
its production of 100% natural Talalay
for use as cores and comfort layers.
Memory foam news
The appeal of memory foam continues,
even for today’s cash-strapped consumer.
Among the big visco-elastic news is
how popular it’s becoming in Europe.
That’s one reason why latex supplier
Gommagomma S.p.A., which is based
in Caronno Pertusella, Italy, developed
a new latex core that holds a memory
foam topper, as well as latex pillows
with memory foam inserts.
Foam manufacturer Ovattificio
Fortunato, with headquarters in
Bellizzi, Italy, redesigned its memory
foam offerings to build in breathability and ventilation. It offers a selection
of interesting-looking visco-elastic
cores with convolutions, channeling,
pin holes and side vents. Some of its
bi-level cores are layered with one or
more spacer-fabric panels.
“We are seeing lots of interest in
visco-elastic here in Italy, in Europe
and North Africa and we are trying
to teach our customers about just
how breathable and comfortable this
foam can be,” says Gillian Fortunato,
company co-owner.
Adding renewable content
Some polyurethane foam suppliers are
creating a “green” story by adding a percentage of renewable content to some
foam formulas. Instead of being 100%
petroleum-based, these new foams
contain a percentage of plant-based
polyols, which replace a portion of the
petro-polyols.
Almost any plant or animal oil—
soy, castor, canola, rapeseed, sunflower,
palm, even fish—can be formulated
into a polyol for use in foam production.
The current ingredient of choice in
North and South America is soybean
oil; in Europe it might be sunflower
seed oil.
Percentages of bio-based polyols in
a given foam range from 5% to 20%.
Today, anything above 20% degrades
the quality of the polyurethane, suppliers say.
How companies promote these
new foams as green is a subject of
controversy in the industry, in part
because suppliers typically don’t
specify exact percentages of bio-based
to get to 20% renewable content in
flexible foams—and our goal is to
one day replace 100% of petroleumbased content. We’re working with
our manufacturers to test new
products and looking at a variety of
materials and feedstocks,” says Jessica Koster, BiOH Polyols marketing
manager.
Hickory Springs, which participated in the development of BiOH
Polyols, was the first adopter of the
ingredient, incorporating it into its
Preserve line of foams.
“Preserve was the first bio-based
(Left) Multipurpose Latex can being used as
mattress cores, comfort layers and pillows.
Products like Latex International’s Evercloud
also make their way into quilt layers.
(Below) Base layer Polyurethane often
appears in the mattress core or layered with
other materials.
content.
Foamex uses a number of “agriculturally derived” ingredients in its
“highly breathable” Aerus Natural
memory foams and in its other families of bio-based foams, the company
said in a news release. Its manufacturing process also is green and
uses a proprietary Variable Pressure
Foaming technology that is “virtually
emission-free.”
Multinationals like Bayer and
Cargill are ramping up production
of natural polyols to supply foam
producers. Cargill, which has headquarters in Wayzata, Minn., introduced mostly soy-based BiOH Polyols
in 2005 and, in 2008, opened its first
North American polyols manufacturing facility, located in Chicago.
“We’ve made significant strides
foam. It’s environmentally responsible
and there’s no denying the feel-good
factor for consumers,” Duncan says.
“The product started taking off about
a year ago, first in contract-type products, especially boutique hotels, and
now it’s everywhere.”
Two years ago, Flexible Foam,
which is based in Spencerville, Ohio,
introduced BioFlex Hybrid Foams
and it now uses a percentage of BiOH
Polyols in its entire product line, says
Michael Crowell, vice president of
marketing.
“Our customers have been very
pleased,” he says. “We use different
percentages for different foam types.
The lower density foams cannot use
as much; the higher densities take
more. We’re working with Cargill to
incorporate even more.” BT
21
In the pocket Starsprings focused on
the bed’s comfort layers with the
introduction of its patented
X-Pocket.
‘You can create
absolutely any
feel you want
with an
innerspring bed
and build in
value at every
price point.’
from page 19
Going to new heights
Creating a variety of feels is a
primary goal of innerspring suppliers. For instance, there are pocketed
coils with high preloads—a very tall
spring in a short pocket—that can
feel as conforming as an all-foam
bed, suppliers say.
“Lots of new products and innovations are out there with unique
properties,” Hurst says. “These
are not springs as usual; these are
specialty springs. The springs pitch
should concentrate on durability,
temperature and instant reaction—
it wins on all three.”
L&P introduced an updated
version of the Bonnell in 2008. Its
VertiCoil unit is offered in heights
Steel has own ‘green’ story
A large percentage of the steel used in the manufacture of innersprings is recycled
scrap steel. Depending on exactly where the steel is made, the recycled
content of spring units ranges from 50% to 90%. An important source of
scrap steel is junked cars and large appliances.
The recycled content of innersprings is a little-known fact that can
have particular resonance with today’s consumer.
“In marketing innersprings to consumers, it’s more and more important
to tell that ‘green’ story,” says Mark Quinn, executive vice president of
sales and marketing for the Bedding Group at Leggett & Platt, a mattress
components supplier based in Carthage, Mo. “Anyone marketing innersprings can beat that sustainability drum.”
Innerspring manufacturers also recycle all of their own production
waste.
“We collect and sell to recyclers all steel scrap generated during our
manufacturing processes,” says Jimmy Bush, executive vice president of
the Wire Products Group at Hickory Springs Mfg. Co., which is based in
Hickory, N.C. “None is wasted.”
up to 7 inches and is engineered for
reduced motion transfer, as well as
“straight up and down, vertical line
deflection,” Quinn says.
Today’s North American market
is interested in units 6 inches and
taller, says Jimmy Bush, executive
vice president of the Wire Products
Group at Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.,
which is based in Hickory, N.C.
“In the last two years, the trend
toward thicker one-sided mattresses
and an increase in petroleum prices,
which affected foam and fiber
prices, drove the need for a taller
innerspring,” he says.
“Just four years ago we offered
two spring heights, 4 inches and 6
inches,” adds Martin Wolfson, president of Texas Pocket Springs, which
is headquartered in Keene, Texas.
“Now 4 inch is nonexistent and 70%
of what we sell is 8 inches.
Tall, one-sided spring units,
designed for single-sided beds are
available now. L&P and Hickory
Springs both make the units, which
are designed for high-end innerspring mattresses.
Pocketed improvements
A good deal of recent spring innovation has been in pocketed coils.
The coils are better able to mimic
foam’s reduced motion transfer and
cradling feeling, suppliers say.
Pocketed coils are “the best way
to compete with foam and you can
create any feel—from plush to firm,”
Wolfson says.
Starsprings is engineering “less
progressive” coils, Hurst says.
“The Active Zone spring is our
highest preload, but as you go
down into the spring that’s when it
becomes less progressive—it doesn’t
push back as hard,” he says.
Yes, pocketed coils are increasingly complex. Comfort levels are
changed by adjusting coil height
relative to pocket height, varying
wire gauge, changing the coil shape
and adjusting the number of turns.
Some zoned units have as many as
nine zones. Such advancements are
helping drive demand.
Peter Jensen, director of marketing and sales for Keynor Spring
Spring on spring
New bed
constructions, such
as this one created
by Hickory Springs,
often incorporate a
mix of spring styles
in both the cores
and comfort layers.
Mfg., headquartered in Vancouver,
Canada, has seen “a drastic increase”
in the volume of pocketed coil units
he’s selling.
“We’ve built in a lot of features,
including a zoned product introduced in early 2008, that’s been well
received,” Jensen says.
Texas Pocket Springs zones
perimeter coils for added support
and offers its patented Quatrocoil
configuration—clusters of four
coils designed to prevent comfort
layers from falling between coils.
The company recently introduced
the Microcoil, a comfort layer for
pillow-top mattresses.
Starsprings focused on the bed’s
comfort layers with its introduction
of 5.1-inch springs compressed into
2.17-inch pockets in the patented
X-Pocket and 4-inch springs compressed to 1.18 inches in the Stretch
Pocket AZ.
Coils in the top comfort layers
are do-able in mattresses with retail
prices of $899 and above in queen
size, Hurst says.
“It’s fun—the different things
you can do in a box top and pillow
top that you couldn’t do before,”
Hurst says. “It s a completely different feel.”
Consider coil-on-coil-on-coil
Spring makeover Leggett & Platt introduced
VertiCoil, an updated version of the Bonnell
in 2008.
mattress construction. It was once
reserved for ultra high-end bed sets,
but is now turning up in premium
beds, as well. What about putting
coils over foam? Maybe someday.
“Why not? Hurst asks. “There’s
no reason why visco-elastic or any
other core should be on its own.”
Springs manufacturer Agro International GmbH & Co. KG, which is
based in Bad Essen, Germany, might
disagree. The company sponsored
a study completed in May by the
Ergonomie Institute Munchen
GmbH in Munich, which found that
pocketed springs alone—without
additional comfort layers or even
ticking—provide the best ergonomic
support and pressure point relief
when compared to other types of
mattress configurations.
The fabric used to encase the
springs is important, as well. Most
pocket fabric is a nonwoven polyester/polypropylene blend. Variations
in the fabric’s weight, fiber blend,
seals and seams all impact the feel of
the spring unit.
Agro recently introduced an
extremely lightweight, silky pocket
material that “improves contouring
to the body’s shape,” said Kirsten Skrodzki, a member of Agro’s marketing team.
Texas Pocket Springs is researching various natural fibers as an
alternative to synthetic nonwoven
pocket fabric but none has performed up to par yet, Wolfson says.
Regional preferences vary
In Europe, Marshall coils have become a mainstay and they’re gaining
market share in North America.
Prices have come down as pocketed coils have grown in popularity,
but affordability continues to be an
obstacle to increased penetration
in some regions of the world, says
Erol Boydak, trade manager for wire
and innerspring producer Boyçelik,
which is based in Kayseri, Turkey.
Boyçelik recently increased its
manufacturing capacity to 5,000
pocketed coil units per week. A large
share of that is headed to the U.K.
market.
The coils’ regional popularity is
not just about price, it’s about preference, Boydak says.
“Most African and Asian countries
like firmer mattresses, which can be
achieved more economically with a
Bonnell spring,” he explains. BT
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At the bed’s base:
Lumber use growing
Environmentally friendly Wood is being
Worth noting, says Ryan Trainer,
touted for its ‘green’ story.
executive vice president and general
few trends are influencing how
counsel for the International Sleep
wood is being used in bed bases.
Products AssociaFor starters, growing interest
Canada-grown Much of the
tion, is that founin all-foam beds in North America
dations represent a spruce, pine and fir used in
has meant an increase in wood-only
beds made in North America is
sustainable use of
foundations. And, regardless of mattress
from northern Quebec.
wood because they
type, some mattress manufacturers are
are constructed
turning to wood to reduce their costs,
from byproducts
forgoing a traditional metal box-spring
of prime, construcunit in favor of an all-wood foundation.
tion-grade lumber
“It seems as though something new
manufacturing.
is happening every day in the way wood
Despite his
is being used,” says Ron Beauchamp,
company’s roots
general manager of BLR-Bois Le Roux
in “The Steel City,”
Inc., which has headquarters in Weedon,
Dean Woods of
Quebec. “Wood is the perfect matein North America is from the certified
Pittsburgh-based Hodder Lumber
rial. It’s resistant, lightweight, easy to
sustainable forests of northern Quebec.
agrees.
manipulate and natural. With beds,
All wood sold by BLR is certified
“Sure, there’s a green story with steel,
they are looking to tweak the way they
by the Forest Stewardship Council and
but wood is a renewable resource with
build the frames. Some manufacturers
BLR itself is in the process of obtaining
a much smaller carbon footprint,” he
are saving money by using thinner cuts,
certification.
says. “More and more mattress mak1-by-3s instead of 1-by-4s, but the prod“Ninety-five percent of Canadian
ers are interested in documenting the
ucts they build are just as strong because
forests are state-owned,” Beauchamp
sustainably forested wood they use in
they’re well-engineered. Bed frames may
says. “The federal and provincial govtheir beds and I expect that trend to
be lighter today, but they’re stronger.”
ernments are managing the people’s
continue.”
In 2008, lumber in bed sets began
resources and we must respect very
Most of the strong, slow-growing
to gain prominence for the “green”
stringent policies in order to maintain a
spruce, pine and fir used in beds made
story.
sustained yield. It’s about the future; it’s
for our kids.”
Other prominent certifiers include
the Canadian Standards Association,
The Softwood Lumber Agreement of 2006 settled the decades-old trade litigation
the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the
between the United States and Canada. At the heart of the case was the U.S.
American Tree Farm System and the
government’s claim that the Canadian lumber industry is, in effect, subsidized by
Programme for the Endorsement of
its federal and provincial governments—the owners of most of Canada’s forests.
Forest Certification. There are a number
And, thus, Canadian exports were unfairly competing against the domestic U.S.
of certifying organizations worldwide
lumber industry.
and debate exists about the rigor of
The agreement gave Canadian provinces a choice of two export-tax options
some programs.
when selling into the United States: 1) a 15% export tax with modest volume limA good guide to sustainable forestry
its or 2) a 5% export tax with the potential for more restrictive quotas contingent
certification systems is available at
upon prevailing market prices.
Metafore, a nonprofit that, according
In 2007, the United States alleged that Canada had miscounted its exports
to its Web site, specializes in “working
from those provinces that had chosen the 5% export tax. A binding arbitration
with businesses to implement innovapanel convened by the London Court of International Arbitration agreed with the
tions relating to evaluating, selecting
United States in early 2009. The court’s ruling imposes a temporary tax of 10%
and manufacturing environmentally
on exports from Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan—provinces that
preferable wood and paper products.”
had chosen the 5% option—until the harm caused by the counting error is offset.
Go to www.metafore.org and click on
The temporary 10% duty is applied to nonradiused bed frame components, says
“Tools and Resources,” then “CertificaDean Woods of Pittsburgh-based Hodder Lumber. Side rails, end rails and other
tion Systems” and then “Introduction to
pieces that are routed or have radiused corners are not included in the duty tax.
Certification Programs.” BT
A
Update on trade dispute
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Leadership
To grow a business today,
you have to grow your people
By Larry Wilson
R
egardless of what part of the
mattress business you’re in, your
world is changing in ways neither
you nor anyone else has ever experienced.
My metaphor is that we’ve landed in Oz,
yet we’re responding as though we’re still
in Kansas. Get this: Kansas rules and Kansas thinking won’t cut it in this new land.
We’re talking survival here. Thriving
comes later. Right now, leaders need to
learn the essential competency of leading change—in this case, moving your
company from the land of Kansas to the
world of Oz.
Something has changed fundamentally
in the world of business. Although few
people seem to have internalized this
shift, the effect is startling and profound.
Ten years from now, one in three companies will no longer be independent be-
cause of bankruptcy or takeover; another
one in three will be completely different
at its core. Only one in three will resemble what it looks like today.
What is this change? It seems that for a
majority of businesses today, fundamental threats have moved from rare events
to nearly common occurrences. And most
businesses are not prepared for what that
means.
Larry Wilson is a pioneer in
change management, leadership development and strategic
thinking. He has founded the
Wilson Learning Corp., Pecos
River Learning and The Wilson
Collaborative. Wilson works
with companies to help them
“create the organization that, if it existed, would
put them out of business.” His clients include major
mattress manufacturers and retailers. Beginning
with this issue, he will write a regular column for
BedTimes on leadership.
29
Before we get around to narrowing that gap, let’s look at the situation from a different perspective.
Another metaphor might help: One
of nature’s most familiar systems
includes three parts—the soil, the
seed and the harvestable plants. Nature connects these three to create
a whole that’s larger than the sum
of the parts. We call that synergy.
Synergy defies simple math and it’s
clearly one of nature’s wonders. In
the world of business, we use words
like culture instead of soil, strategies
instead of seeds and profits instead
of harvest, but we’re describing the
same kind of system.
You might be saying, “OK, so
most influence on “the way things
are around here.” It’s the leaders at
all levels who create and sustain the
culture. And it’s these leaders who
have to change first.
Yes, leaders have to change the
beliefs and behaviors that are unconsciously sabotaging the culture
and, thus, the organization. This has
to happen before any of the followers can be expected to make changes
in themselves. Leaders go first.
There’s a lot at stake. The organizational culture is a leader’s best
friend—or a leader’s worst enemy.
Think about it this way: The leader’s
job is to bring about change. But,
almost by definition, the culture
Although the seed is vital, soil is
the real key to success.
what?” Here’s what: We’re out of
balance. Most leaders focus on
implementing or improving their
strategies—the seeds—to increase
their profits, or harvest. But they
don’t spend nearly enough time and
energy with the people who make
up the culture that supports those
seeds. The result is lost synergetic
opportunities.
Let’s talk words and define culture as “the formally or informally
agreed upon beliefs and behaviors
that are rewarded or punished
within an organization.” In short,
it’s “the way things are around here”
and it includes cultural beliefs and
behaviors that support the organization’s efforts, as well as those that
sabotage the organization.
The larger point is that it’s the
leaders within the organization—
from the chief executive officer to
the shift supervisor—who have the
tends toward stasis. This is something every leader has to face and
overcome.
A new kind of leadership
To put it bluntly, it’s the people who
have the answers today. Pity the
leader who undervalues the potential of the people he is trying to lead.
The late management guru Peter
Drucker said it best when addressing the senior management team of
ServiceMaster Co. and asking his
trademark question, “What is your
business?”
One by one, the leaders told
Drucker that the company cleans
floors, kills bugs and makes grass
nice and green. “You’re all wrong,”
Drucker told them. “You’re really in
the business of growing and developing people.”
What is required today is a new
kind of leadership—leadership that
understands and puts into practice
policies, systems and structures
that reflect the belief that people
are the most important resource of
any company. It is leadership that
expects and encourages all employees to—at appropriate times—take
on the role of a leader, step into the
fire and do what they believe is the
right thing.
This is easy to write about but
not easy to accomplish. Why?
Because most of us are still under the influence of years of
command-and-control management
thinking, or the old Kansas rules.
Here’s the big question leaders need
to ask themselves: How are we going
to shift to a new and more effective kind of leadership, a new focus
called developmental leadership?
It requires the presence of an Oz
culture.
Farmers understand this concept
better than many businesspeople.
They recognize that, although the
seed is vital, soil is the real key to
success. Great seeds planted in bad
soil yield little. The soil must be
cultivated.
Think back to those times when
you launched a new training initiative or strategic marketing program.
It may have worked for a period
of time but, eventually, you were
back doing the same things you had
always done.
If new initiatives are being
received by your employees with
little or no enthusiasm, don’t blame
the employees. It’s probably not the
initiative, or seed, that’s the issue;
it’s probably the culture, or soil. It’s
like saying your culture simply does
not value change.
As a company approaches the
new world of Oz, what’s needed is
not just change, but transformational change. This is the equivalent
of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
And the caterpillar in most of us is
saying, “You’ll never get me up in
one of those things!”
So how do you begin the transformation of a company on the
ropes into one that welcomes
change? There are some cornerstones that must exist.
First, you must trust your people.
That’s a shock for most leaders
because their experience typically
has been limited to command-andcontrol leadership. That style won’t
work in Oz. Leaders need to listen to
and empower people, helping them
assume more accountability and
responsibility. To grow a business
today, you have to grow your people.
Letting go of command & control
Today, leaders have to be the fastest
learners and expect others to follow.
Leaders have to understand that leadership is someone
following a person
because he wants to,
not because he has
to. In short, leaders
have to lead from
their hearts, as well
as their heads.
The difficulty is
that we are dealing
with thinking that’s
keeping us stuck.
The classic structure
is the hierarchy:
Caesar at the top
and a lowly soldier at the bottom.
This hierarchy isn’t limited to the
military. It applies to many institutions—schools, governments, businesses. The hierarchical structure
didn’t appear magically. There were
certain beliefs in place that encouraged and supported this structure.
One belief was “I, Caesar, have
all the answers. Your job, soldier, is
to implement the answers. Yours is
not to ask why; yours is but to do
and die.”
Another belief was “I, Caesar,
do not trust that you, soldier, will
do what you are told.” Caesar knew
the soldier was going to be asked to
do some pretty unpleasant things,
like take a hill. “I, Caesar, know I
wouldn’t be too excited to do many
of these things. Therefore, I am going to have to control you, soldier,
to make you do what you don’t
want to.”
The primary motivational tool of
the hierarchy is fear. Information is
given on a need-to-know basis and
punishments are levied against those
who don’t do what they’re told.
Today, this classic model is breaking down. Now what?
authority and, in return, you’ll get
job security.”
The old contract is invalid. This
begs the question, “What is the
new contract?”
The answer starts with two
facts. First, for most people, work
is not their highest priority or the
most important part of their lives.
Second, people spend most of their
waking hours at work. This paradox
paves the way for a new work contract that takes the apparent problem and turns it into an opportunity
for everybody.
At the heart of
this new contract
is the organizational culture and,
more specifically,
a culture committed to developing
people. The promise is “Come work
here and we’ll help
you learn to master
critical new skills
that will allow your
work to be more efficient, effective and
joyful—good for the
company and good for you.”
This new contract puts the
“power” in “empowerment.”
Empowering employees
The key to moving into an Oz
culture is making the shift from
“do what you are told” to “do
what is right.”
The reality is that Caesar no
longer has all the answers—even he
knows that. The world is just too
complex and changing too fast. It
means that Caesar must now trust
that the soldier has a brain and is
willing and able to use it. In most
situations, the soldier is closer to the
action and, therefore, more knowledgeable than even Caesar about
what’s happening. That is a huge
shift for both Caesar and the soldier.
So the soldier is now being asked
to take risks and make choices,
something he never had to do in the
past. The implicit old employment
agreement was “Do what you’re
told, work hard, don’t question
Encouraging mistakes
But empowerment only works when
there is trust and trust means accepting mistakes as part of learning
and growing. So, the final key to
creating an Oz culture is to encourage mistakes. The reality is that if
something is worth doing, it’s worth
doing wrong—at least the first time.
Our new world of constant change
requires new thinking and new solutions. The new mantra is “Fail fast,
learn fast and grow fast.”
Here are the new rules about
making mistakes. It’s OK to make
mistakes as long as you meet all
three of these following conditions:
1. You made a mistake in your effort
to carry out the company’s mission.
2. You learn from the mistake.
3. You share your mistakes with
everyone else in the company.
This third requisite is founded on
Most leaders focus on implementing
or improving their strategies
—the seeds—to increase their profits,
or harvest. But they don’t spend nearly
enough time and energy with the
people who make up the culture that
supports those seeds.
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a belief that people can learn from
others’ mistakes and not have to
repeat them.
Here’s a question: Typically, what
do people in your company do when
they make a mistake? Do they hide it
or, as we see in many organizations,
blame others for it?
If so, your company is being
robbed of its intellectual capital.
Imagine a company where, when
someone makes a mistake, he rings
a big bell and yells, “Gather ’round.
I made a huge mistake today and I
want to tell you about it.”
Could that ever happen in your
company? No? Then this is how
your worst nightmare will begin:
You wake up one morning and find
that your toughest competitor has
learned to ring that bell, gather
people around and share mistakes.
That company becomes the fastest
learner in the market, the fastest to
change and the toughest to compete
against.
You may not have ever considered
how people in your company handle
mistakes. So consider this: If they’re
hiding them, you probably don’t
know anything about the caliber of
mistakes being made.
One of the most enlightening
things to do is assemble groups of
employees and ask them, “What
are the10 dumbest things we do as
a company?” Reaching out to your
employees for their honest opinions
can produce a tremendous opportunity for learning and change. If
you’re not genuinely interested in
creating a learning environment, it
also can be painful and frustrating.
But ego, politics and self-promotion
have no room in a company that
truly believes its people are its greatest asset.
It’s only when we get beyond
command-and-control and above
the day-to-day problems that we can
see the bigger picture—the patterns,
challenges and opportunities of
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IndustryNews
Foamex sold, name changes
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., has approved the
sale of Foamex International to two equity firms, MatlinPatterson Global Opportunities Partners III LP and Black
Diamond Capital Management LLC, for $155 million.
The sale, a result of a court-ordered auction held May
21, will allow the Media, Pa.-based polyurethane foam supplier to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The
deal closed June 12.
“We are delighted with the outcome of this process,”
said Jack Johnson, Foamex president and chief executive
officer. “As we had hoped for at the outset of the filing,
Foamex has emerged from the process expeditiously and
with a stronger balance sheet. …We will move forward as a
private company, building on the technological excellence
and innovative leadership for which Foamex is known.”
With the purchase by New York-based MatlinPatterson
and Austin, Texas-based Black Diamond, Foamex is getting a new name. The company will be called FXI-Foamex
Innovations. The moniker doesn’t reflect a change in the
company’s focus or product lines.
“As we introduce FXI, we are better positioned than
ever as a more nimble company poised for future growth,”
Johnson said. Foamex filed for bankruptcy protection Feb.
18—its second filing since 2005.
Simmons posts $492 million loss for 2008
A
tlanta-based bedding producer
Simmons posted a net loss of
$492.2 million for 2008 compared to
net income of $23.9 million for 2007.
In a filing June 10, Simmons
reported net sales for the year fell
8.7% to $1.03 billion, compared to
$1.13 billion in 2007. Net sales in the
domestic segment declined 9.4%, or
$94.2 million, in 2008 from $908.2
million in 2007.
Gross profit for 2008 was $379.9
million, or 36.9% of net sales, compared
to $450.6 million, or 40% of net sales
in 2007. For fiscal year 2008, adjusted
EBITDA was $115.7 million, or 11.3%
of net sales, compared to $157 million,
or 13.9% of net sales, in 2007.
Simmons reported an overall operating loss of $503.7 million for 2008,
including $547.6 million in noncash
goodwill and trademark impairment
charges, compared to an operating
income of $108.3 million for 2007.
“The economic environment in
which we operated in 2008 was a very
difficult one, particularly in the fourth
quarter and was highlighted by a significant decline in consumer spending and
large increases in raw material costs,”
said Steve Fendrich, Simmons president
and chief operating officer.
Simmons is undergoing a financial
restructuring and reached agreements
with its senior bank lenders and the
holders of its $200 million 7.875% senior subordinated notes to amend and
extend forbearance agreements from
May 31 to June 30. The agreements
included an option to further extend
the forbearance periods through July 31
under certain conditions.
Because of the defaults on its debt
covenants and other factors, Simmons’ independent, registered public
accounting firm has expressed “substantial doubt about Simmons’ ability
to continue as a going concern,” according to financial filings.
Fendrich said the company continues to operate as normal and had $57.3
million cash on hand as of May 30.
“Simmons will continue to work
with its key stakeholders to implement the restructuring in a manner
that maximizes value, preserves its
relationships with customers and protects suppliers and other constituents,”
he said.
The company had delayed reporting its final quarterly and year-end
results, putting it in default under the
terms of its 10% senior discount notes
and had been given until June 13 to
cure the defaults. The company said it
planned to release results for the first
quarter of 2009 by the end of June.
Short
Bedding sales down in April
Unit shipments dropped 11% and dollar values fell 16.6% in April when
compared to the same month in 2008, according to the monthly Bedding
Barometer from the International Sleep Products Association. The average
unit price fell 6.3% in April. For the first quarter of 2008, unit shipments
were down 14% and dollar values decreased 16.9%. First-quarter AUP
fell 3.4%. The Bedding Barometer is based on sales activity reported by
18 participating U.S. mattress producers.
37
IndustryNews
Equity firm invests $35 million in Select Comfort
Select Comfort, an airbed manufacturer and retailer based in
Minneapolis, will get $35 million in financing from
equity firm Sterling Partners. Under the terms of the
agreement, Sterling Partners will purchase 50 million
shares of common stock at $0.70 per share, giving it a
52.5% ownership stake in the company.
As part of the agreement, Select Comfort will reduce the size of its board of directors from 10 to nine
members and appoint five people chosen by Sterling
Partners. The deal is subject to shareholder approval
and customary closing conditions. The company expects a shareholder vote to occur by late July or early
August.
In addition, Select Comfort said it expects to amend
its credit agreement with existing lenders to provide a
maximum availability of $70 million and extend the
maturity from June 2010 to December 2012.
“We’re pleased to have made important progress
in our efforts to improve the company’s short- and
long-term liquidity situation,” said Bill McLaughlin,
Select Comfort president and chief executive officer.
“Sterling Partners is a growth-oriented investor who
recognizes the strength of our product, business model
and people. The proposed transaction would allow us
to collaborate with a partner who not only offers deep
business knowledge and resources, but also shares
our commitment to realizing the company’s long-term
potential.”
Chris Hoehn-Saric, co-founder and senior managing director of Sterling Partners, which has offices in
Baltimore and Chicago, added: “During the past 12
months, the company’s leadership has made difficult
and decisive moves, which have helped the company
weather the current environment while also positioning it for future success. As long-term investors and
true partners to the company and existing shareholders, we look forward to working with Select Comfort to
return the company to profitability and growth.”
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IndustryNews
1800mattress.com sale delayed
A
U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York
has delayed his final ruling on the sale of
1800mattress.com to Sleepy’s.
Judge Dennis Milton announced the delay on May
28, saying at the time that he expected to issue a ruling in early June. However, when BedTimes went to
press, Milton had not announced a decision.
Mattress retailer Sleepy’s has bid $25 million for
1800mattress.com, a multichannel retailer that sells
mattresses online, through a call center and in brickand-mortar stores. 1800mattress.com, based in Long
Island City, N.Y., declared bankruptcy in March.
Sleepy’s, a privately owned company headquartered in
Bethpage, N.Y., operates 700 stores in 11 states.
After the bidding process, Milton heard arguments
for and against the sale to Sleepy’s. Consolidated
Group, a 1800mattress.com franchisee based in Windsor, Conn., has been most vocal in its opposition to a
sale to Sleepy’s, saying Sleepy’s intends to put Consolidated out of business. The company has filed an $11.4
million damage claim against the retailer.
Shorts
Draft Green Chemistry proposal released
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control has
released for public comment a “draft straw proposal” for regulating chemicals in consumer products. The document lays
out principles and responsibilities for manufacturers as the
state works to implement the Green Chemistry Initiative. The
initiative seeks to establish a science-based program for developing a priority list of chemicals used in consumer products
that are of concern because of their possible environmental or
public-health threats and regulate them. The draft is for public
comment and may not reflect the final program. Review it at
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/PollutionPrevention/GreenChemistryInitiative/upload/Draft-straw-proposal-outline.pdf.
Federal bill would combat bed bugs
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) has introduced the Don’t
Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009. The legislation (HR
2248) would authorize funding for states to combat bed
bugs and require the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention to study the health implications of bed bugs.
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IndustryNews
Tempur-Pedic files patent infringement suit
B
edding producer Tempur-Pedic International, based in Lexington, Ky., has filed
a lawsuit against several other companies that it says are violating the patented
design and construction of Tempur-Pedic mattresses.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
by the Tempur-Pedic Management Inc. and Tempur-Pedic North America LLC
subsidiaries.
The companies named in the suit are Anatomic Global Inc., Bragada Inc., Carpenter Co., Classic Sleep Products Inc., Englander Sleep Products LLC, Essentia
U.S.A. LLC, IR Specialty Foam LLC, Jeffco Fibres Inc., Sealy Corp., Serta Inc., Serta
Restokraft Mattress Co., Sleep Products Inc., Simmons Bedding Co., Spirit Sleep
Products LLC, Simmons Mfg. Co. LLC, WCW Inc. and World Sleep Products Inc.
According to Tempur-Pedic, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued
Patent Number 7,507,468—titled “Laminated Visco-Elastic Support”—to the
company on March 24.
“This patent is directed to a variety of mattress constructions utilizing layers
of visco-elastic and other foam materials,” Tempur-Pedic said. “The patent grants
Tempur-Pedic exclusive rights to make, use and sell products incorporating the
inventions claimed in the ‘468 patent.”
According to Tempur-Pedic, the patent and lawsuit are not related to the formulation of the company’s proprietary Tempur material.
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Sealy restructures debt to improve liquidity
Archdale, N.C.-based mattress maker Sealy has paid off its existing debt and replaced
it with senior secured credit facilities with longer dated maturities, eliminating quarterly maintenance-based covenants.
According to the company, the refinancing plan, which was unanimously approved by Sealy’s board of directors, strengthens its capital structure
and enhances its liquidity.
“This recapitalization plan accomplishes several key objectives: recapitalizing the company for the long term, putting in place a capital structure
that is flexible enough to weather a downturn, permitting the company to
grow when the economic environment improves and treating all stockholders fairly,” said Larry Rogers, Sealy chief executive officer and president.
Under the new plan, Sealy will enter into a $100 million, asset-based
revolving credit facility maturing in 2013 and issue approximately $350 million in senior secured notes due in 2016. It also will issue about $177 million
in senior secured notes that could be converted into Sealy common stock.
Short
High Point attendance dips
Brian Casey, president and chief executive officer of the High Point
Market Authority in High Point, N.C., said that an 8% drop in attendance at the spring furniture market is a sign of the market’s strength
and relevance when compared to double-digit attendance declines
seen at some other trade shows in the past year. “In tough economic
times, people turn to what they know, and they know that for the past
100 years the High Point Market has been the source for new products,
new ideas and new solutions,” he said. More than 75,500 people registered for the spring market in April.
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43
IndustryNews
Suppliers pick up Interzum awards
F
our bedding industry suppliers
were winners of Interzum awards
presented at the Interzum Cologne
furniture components fair held May
13-16 in Cologne, Germany.
DesleeClama, based in Beselare,
Belgium, won three awards, including
Best of the Best for its EcoFair ticking
made from organic cotton that the
company says is 100% ecologically
cultivated and purchased according
to fair-trade principles. DesleeClama
earned two awards for high product
quality: one for Thermic, a ticking
with phase-changing material, and
another for Celliant, a hollow-fiber
knit that the company says allows
sleepers to absorb more oxygen and
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Bekaert, which has headquarters in
Waregem, Belgium, also was a threetime winner. The company earned
two awards for intelligent material
and design. One was for Purotex,
a ticking embedded with what the
company describes as “friendly, foodgrade bacteria” in spore form that is
released by friction to work as a bed
cleanser and deodorizer. The second
was for Cambric, a sportswear-inspired, moisture-wicking ticking collection with a breathable honeycomb
mesh construction. Bekaert’s multilayer knit, Meditiss, received a high
product quality award. The fabric
repels dirt, is temperature regulating
5/22/09
8:32 AM
and waterproof.
Bodet & Horst, based in Elterlein,
Germany, won a high product quality
award for Ultrasound, an ultrasonically bonded and perforated ticking
with filled channels that acts as a
breathable comfort layer for the mattress.
Spühl AG, headquartered in Wittenbach, Switzerland, won an intelligent material and design award for
CS 525 Dual, an electronic Bonnell
innerspring fabricating machine
that the company says runs at 20%
faster speeds while simultaneously
incorporating two wire gauges. The
wire-forming machinery company is
owned by Leggett & Platt.
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Dove Mattress joins
Comfort Solutions
Mattress licensing group Comfort Solutions has signed a licensing deal with White Dove Mattress in Cleveland.
“We are very pleased to have this outstanding
fourth-generation, family-owned manufacturer become part of our U.S. licensee network,” said Dave
Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the
Willowbrook, Ill.-based licensor. “White Dove’s
operating principles and practices, focused on value,
integrity and partnership, are very much in keeping
with our organization’s own business philosophies.
This is a great match and an excellent opportunity for
both companies.”
Founded in 1922 by the Goodman family, White
Dove operates a 150,000-square-foot facility where
it manufactures innerspring, latex, foam and adjustable beds.
As a Comfort Solutions licensee, White Dove will
serve customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West
Virginia.
“We view this as a great opportunity to get
involved with what we believe to be the strongest,
most progressive and forward-thinking licensing
group in the country,” said Bruce Goodman, White
Dove president. “Our partnership will be an excellent complement to our existing brands and programs.”
Short
Dunlopillo unveils high-tech bed
Dunlopillo Indonesia, a mattress
manufacturer based
in Jakarta, Indonesia,
has introduced the
D’Ultimate, a fourmotion adjustable
bed with vibration
massage and built-in
entertainment and work center. The bed’s footboard holds a 42-inch LCD display that functions
as television, as well as a monitor for the bed’s
built-in computer. Other features include stereo
speakers and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
The bed frame’s upholstery can be customized.
The D’Ultimate carries a suggested retail price of
$15,000 for a queen set.
45
IndustryNews
Green Ideas
Jamison steps up sustainability efforts
Mattress maker Jamison Bedding, based in Brentwood,
Tenn., is strengthening its recycling efforts and laying plans for additional sustainability projects. Jamison
already recycles most post-industrial waste at its manufacturing facilities and now is recycling office waste, as well.
The company recruited a “Green Team” to help
motivate employees to participate in recycling efforts.
Paper, plastic and aluminum office waste is collected
and processed by Earthsavers, a recycler in Nashville,
Tenn. The company eliminated the use of Styrofoam
cups and is decreasing energy use by turning off lights,
computers and machinery when not in use and installing motion sensors to operate some lighting.
Jamison also is in the process of creating more environmentally friendly mattresses and is investigating the
implementation of a mattress recycling program.
“This is something we have wanted to do for a long
time,” said Frank Gorrell, Jamison president. “We already recycle much of our manufacturing materials. We
thought it was important to practice this not only in the
plants, but in the offices, as well.”
Jamison operates three divisions: residential, hospitality and Hypnos USA, the U.S. licensee of the highend U.K. bedding brand.
Hypnos, headquartered in Buckinghamshire, England, already had in place office recycling programs
and created a mattress recycling program, purchasing
machinery that automatically separates steel, fiber and
wood for recycling.
Natura World enters blogosphere Natura World, a producer of organic and natural mattresses and sleep accessories based in Cambridge,
Ontario, has taken its sustainability message one step
further with the launch of a blog to complement the
company’s social media efforts. It can be found at
www.naturaworld.com/blog.
“We want to reach our customers and we want to do
it with the least possible environmental impact,” said
Ralph Rossdeutscher, Natura World president. “Because
of my role in ISPA, our membership with the Sustainable
Furnishings Council and our other sustainability efforts, I
felt it was important to look at how we’re communicating
with the world.”
Natura has been on Facebook and Twitter since 2008,
holding regular contests and interacting with consumers.
Hickory Springs broadens ‘green’ efforts
Hickory Springs Mfg. Co., a components supplier based
in Hickory, N.C., has announced a broadened corporate
sustainability initiative with the goal of increasing efficiency, reducing waste, easing environmental impacts
and boosting workplace safety companywide.
“Along with providing quality products, showing a
good return on investment and striving to be a good
employer and community neighbor, Hickory Springs is
working diligently to reduce its impact on our environment,” said Don Coleman, Hickory Springs president
and chief executive officer.
Hickory Springs has long been involved in recycling
and waste and energy-reduction efforts. The new initiative will increase the effectiveness of its sustainability
management practices, the company said.
Hickory Springs will build on its line of sustainable
products, which includes Preserve—foams with biobased content—as well as other eco-friendly components that the company now groups under the new
EarthCare Inside umbrella.
The company created a Web site,
www.earthcareinside.com, to support such products.
Wright gets 2 certifications
Wright of Thomasville, a supplier of labels and pointof-purchase materials based in Thomasville, N.C.,
has received certification from the Forest Stewardship
Council. The certification is a third-party guarantee that
the wood used in Wright’s product line is sustainably
harvested from certified, well-managed forests. The
company also received the Rainforest Alliance Certification. The alliance says its seal of approval ensures
that goods and services were produced in compliance
with strict guidelines protecting the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities of the rainforest.
47
IndustryNews
Lemoyne outfits 9/11 memorial warship
L
emoyne Sleeper Mattress Co.,
which is based in Lemoyne, Pa.,
has been chosen to supply bedding for
the officers quarters aboard the U.S.
Navy’s newest ship, the USS New York.
The amphibious transport dock
ship is a floating Sept. 11 memorial.
Its bow stem is forged from steel re-
covered from the World Trade Center
towers. The vessel is named in honor
of those who died in the terrorist
attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and for the
“courage and compassion shown by
countless New Yorkers” in the aftermath, according to the ship’s Web site.
Lemoyne Sleeper has supplied the
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“The Navy wanted everything
about this ship to be first-class and of
the highest quality, so we were thrilled
when we found out they had selected
our bedding for the USS New York,”
said Andy Pearlman, Lemoyne
Sleeper president. “We are obviously
proud to be associated with this ship.
And we take pride in knowing the
products we manufacture are used
to provide comfort for those who
bravely defend our country and our
freedom.”
Short
Serta starts new campaign
Bedding producer Serta
in Hoffman
Estates, Ill.,
has launched
a national
print advertising campaign for its
Vera Wang
by Serta
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The ad, with
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Home and other shelter and
bridal publications through
the end of the year. “This new
print campaign will continue
to grow brand awareness for
Vera Wang by Serta while
helping our retail partners
drive more store traffic,” said
Maria Balistreri, the vice president of brand management for
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IndustryNews
Comfort Solutions revamps Web site
C
omfort Solutions, the Willowbrook,
Ill.-based mattress maker and
licensing group, has given its Web site a
makeover. From the new home page at
www.comfortsolutions.com, consumers can click through to minisites showcasing each of the company’s brands—
Perfect Contour, Natural Response,
Laura Ashley, eXtended Life, Reaction
and King Koil.
The new branding message is, among
other things, intended to help define the
relationship between the Comfort Solutions and King Koil names.
“The new site makes it clear that
Comfort Solutions is our company
name while King Koil is a quality mattress brand within our family of product
brands,” said Dave Roberts, Comfort
Solutions president and chief executive
officer.
Comfort Solutions’ retailers will be
able to access a password-protected sales
training section and a gallery of brand
images and logos. Comfort Solutions’
own sales representatives will have the
ability to order promotional materials
for their retail customers online, streamlining collateral service and delivery to
stores.
“We are very committed to helping
retailers drive more business, whether
it’s through a more effective online
presentation of the Comfort Solutions
brands or through development of new
site-based services that directly address
what retailers need and how quickly
they need it,” Roberts said. Other Web
site features include links to international licensees’ Web sites, a mattress
glossary for consumers and an interactive dealer locator.
Shorts
Verlo Skokie relocates
Verlo Mattress Factory Stores of
Skokie in Skokie, Ill., has moved
into a new 2,600-square-foot
space and celebrated with a grand
opening in June. Owner Kerin
Thomas-Smith, who has operated the franchise for more than
15 years, said benefits of the new
location include being close to a
mall and having better parking.
Serta teams with Barcalounger
Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Serta
has partnered with Barcalounger
Home to produce upholstery
cushioning. Barcalounger is using
Serta’s patented Comfort Quilt
convoluted foam with Dacronwrap technology.
Anatomic Global signs deal with Relax the Back
M
attress maker Anatomic Global has inked a retail distribution agreement with Relax the Back for the distribution of
Ecomfort, a line of environmentally friendly memory foam beds.
Relax the Back has 120 brick-and-mortar stores in the United
States and Canada and also sells online.
Jeff Scorziell, president of the Corona, Calif.-based manufacturer, said the deal is an important first step in the new mattress
brand’s national introduction.
“The Relax the Back relationship gives us the opportunity to
serve the retailer well in both our key competencies, which are
our national drop-ship delivery and our superior back support
technology,” he said.
The beds have bamboo covers, use pre-consumer recycled
materials in the core and have a patent-pending Neutral Posture
Support System that allows the spine to relax. Vacuum compressing the mattresses saves retailers space and helps reduce the company’s carbon footprint by saving fuel used in transportation.
Relax the Back will carry Ecomfort mattresses under a private
label, PureFit. The beds have suggested retail prices from $1,299
to $2,999 for queen size.
Eco-friendly bedding
Anatomic Global will
be selling its Ecomfort
line of environmentally
friendly memory foam
beds though Relax the
Back retail locations.
51
IndustryNews
Comfy Covers remakes
itself as Novo Textiles
C
omfy Covers, a producer of pillows, mattress protectors and linens based in Surrey,
British Columbia, has changed its name to
Novo Textiles Ltd.
“The time had come to refresh our company name. We wanted to choose a strong, easily
recognizable
name, which
would help us
grow and build
our brand in
years to come,”
said Jason Zanatta, company president.
The 15-year-old company, which serves
hospitality and retail channels, recently relocated to a new 22,000-square-foot facility and
is in the process of rolling out its new Novo
Sleep Systems brand. A summer launch of the
Web site, www.novotextiles.com, is planned.
L&P offers retailers 2 programs
Carthage, Mo.-based Leggett & Platt is providing retailers two new programs
to help them sell the benefits of better sleep. The L&P Retail Solution is
designed to help bedding dealers increase revenue using turnkey marketing
solutions. The L&P Home Collection is a new brand of bedding accessories. Both are offered through the company’s Consumer Products Group.
L&P Retail Solution provides “all the tools retailers need to effectively
engage and assist their customers—from point-of-purchase display systems
and signage to marketing collaterals to sales aids and training and performance management systems,” the company said.
In addition, L&P Retail Solution includes a complete range of bedding
merchandise, such as ornamental beds, bedding support products and
adjustable beds. It also features the L&P Home Collection of bedding accessories, including MicroPlush mattress and pillow protectors, sheet sets
and a range of pillows for back, side and stomach sleepers.
“By offering these unique tools and products in a comprehensive
package, we can help the retailer sell the benefits of better sleep,” said
Rob Woods, L&P Consumer Products Group president. “Dealers who take
advantage of our Retail Solution will increase their revenues with the sale
of additional bedding accessories, while simultaneously improving the
experience for their customer.”
Verlo named top 100 franchise
Verlo Mattress Factory Stores, a factory-direct franchise
based in Fort Atkinson, Wis., has been named a top
100 franchise in the third edition of Bond’s Top 100
Franchises: An In-Depth Analysis of Today’s Top Franchise Opportunities. The publisher, Source Book Publications, said it
examined hundreds of North American franchise operations in three categories: food service, retail and service.
Selection of the top 100 list was based on several variables, including historical performance, brand identification, market dynamics, franchisee satisfaction, level
of initial training and ongoing support and financial
stability.
“It is an honor to be acknowledged and recognized
as one of the premier franchises among over 3,000 franchises available in the marketplace today,” said Keith
Mackey, Verlo Mattress Factory Stores vice president.
Verlo franchises are concentrated in the Midwest
with some as far west as Colorado and as far south as
Texas.
New mattress e-tailer opens
F
indMyMattress.com, a
new mattress e-tailer,
has launched its business. Based in Massapequa Park, N.Y., the
company sells memory
foam mattresses—manufactured in the United
States by Jeffco Fibres Inc.—via a Web site and call center.
There are plans to add innerspring and eco-friendly beds to
the product lineup in 2010.
“We are totally virtual. I and my staff are utilizing our technical backgrounds to work from home and manage the business,” said William Kane, company founder and chief executive officer. “All of our customer service representatives—we
call them ‘sleep health specialists’—also work from home. It
opens up the manpower pool to some highly educated, retired
and handicapped individuals—those who want or need to
work from home.”
The company donates $10 from every mattress sale to a
charity for disabled veterans.
53
NewsMakers
Natura promotes Miller, hires Patten
M
attress and sleep
products maker Natura
World has promoted Scott
Miller to the newly created
position of senior vice president for U.S. sales.
Prior to joining Cambridge, Ontario-based
Natura last year, Miller was
senior vice president of sales
for International Bedding
Corp. Before that, he spent
nine years with Simmons.
“Scott’s tireless passion for connecting with long-standing and new
clients has led Natura down new
and exciting paths this past year,”
said Ralph Rossdeutscher, Natura
president.
In the new role, Miller provides
strategic direction, guidance and
Scott Miller
oversight of the company’s U.S.
sales efforts. He reports to Rossdeutscher.
Reporting to Miller is new hire
Robert Patten, who has been appointed vice president of sales for
the eastern United States.
Previously, Patten was with
Kingsdown names regional VP
Mattress maker Kingsdown
has named Peter Schmidt
regional vice president of
sales for the central United States. The position is a
new one for the Mebane,
N.C.-based company.
Schmidt joins Kingsdown from Tempur-Pedic,
where he served as a
divisional vice president.
Prior to that, he held a
Peter Schmidt
range of sales and marketing management positions in the energy, transportation
and manufacturing sectors.
“We are very pleased to have Peter as the newest
member of our Kingsdown management team,” said Chris
Henning, president of North America sales. “He brings extensive industry experience, as well as proven leadership.”
Schmidt’s responsibilities include expanding the
company’s customer base in the central United States,
growing business with existing accounts and overseeing
sales team development. He reports to Henning.
Robert Patten
Spring Air as a senior vice
president of sales. His background also includes sales
and management positions
with Simmons and Rooms
to Go.
“Robert brings a wealth
of experience and is the
perfect fit for Natura as we
continue to expand,” Rossdeutscher said. “His passion
for product innovation and
customer service will be
key driving forces as we continue
to push toward making Natura a
household name.”
Patten’s key responsibilities are
to guide and support the regional
U.S. sales force and to identify and
develop new opportunities with key
accounts.
Classic Sleep adds sales VP
S
pecialty sleep products
maker Classic Sleep has hired
Justin Gannon as vice president
of sales, a newly created position.
Gannon joins Classic Sleep
from Mattress Discounters,
where he worked for seven
years, most recently as vice
president of merchandising and
marketing. Prior to that, he was
a corporate account manager
with Sealy.
Justin Gannon
“As we went through the
process of looking at who the next head of our sales division should be, we realized that retailers don’t need another
salesperson, but rather a real partner who understands their
business and what they need to generate new sales and profits,”
said Mike Zippelli, chief executive officer of the Jessup, Md.based company. “There was no question that person was Justin,
as he is widely credited with remerchandising and growing one
of the best retail brands in the country.”
Gannon’s initial priorities are to add sales associates to
certain regions of the country and to fine-tune a new training
program for retail sales associates. He reports to Zippelli.
55
NewsMakers
Industry veteran Charles Pike dies
Charles Pike, founder of Superior Mattress Co. in Evansville,
Ind., died Feb. 7. He was 75.
Along with his wife, Virginia, Pike owned and operated Superior Mattress for more than 40 years. The Pikes
also owned Motel Mattress Distributors, Mattress Factory
Showroom Inc. and Mattress Distributors, all based in
Evansville. In addition, Pike was a partner in and chief
executive officer of Mega Matt Enterprises, MSF Performance.com and Mattress-Factory.com.
His family said Pike “loved the mattress business and
the challenges that came with business in general.” He
enjoyed serving as a mentor and, over the years, offered
assistance to many people seeking to open their own
businesses.
Pike was a U.S. Army veteran, who was named a
Kentucky Colonel in the 1970s. The honorary title is
bestowed by the governor of Kentucky on individuals
and organizations in recognition of their merit and high
achievement.
Survivors include his wife, son Steven, sister Teresa
Ling and many nieces and nephews.
Shorts
Nord steps down from CPSC chair
Nancy Nord has resigned as acting chairwoman of
the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, but
will continue to serve out her term as a commissioner, which expires in 2012. Nord was appointed
by President George W. Bush. As a result of her
resignation, Thomas Moore, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, will become acting chairman until
Obama administration nominee Inez Tenenbaum is
confirmed.
Leggett & Platt adds board member
Robert E. Brunner has been elected to the board of
directors of Leggett & Platt, a components supplier
and manufacturer based in Carthage, Mo. He fills a
vacancy created by the expansion of the board to 10
members. He also was elected to the board’s Audit
Committee. Brunner is executive vice president of
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
Baron Styles, Inc
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Shop products and services in a focused
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Join us for this key industry event
planned for manufacturers, retailers,
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FLORIDA
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for more details
November 4-6, 2009
TradeShowTips
Avoid 15 costly mistakes at trade shows
Keep these in mind for Industry Conference & ISPA EXPO
By Phillip M. Perry
A
ttending a trade show, exhibition
or conference requires a commitment of both time away from the
office and money. But these events offer
tremendous business opportunities
that make those costs more than worth
it—particularly for attendees who plan
ahead.
Here’s how you can enjoy a solid
return on your investment in time and
money by avoiding the most common
and costly errors made by trade show
visitors.
Neglecting advance planning Most
consultants cite the lack of sufficient
advance planning as the No. 1 reason
trade show visitors spin their wheels.
Preshow preparation should be of paramount importance to any trade show
attendee. Gone are the days when you
could just show up at a show and start
shopping.
BedTimes always provides advance coverage of the ISPA Industry
Conference and Exhibition, held
this year Nov. 4-6 in Bonita Springs
Fla., and the biennial ISPA EXPO,
held next March 3-6 in Charlotte,
N.C. Look for upcoming issues of
the magazine in the mail or online at
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes.
Information about the events and
exhibitors also can be found on the
International Sleep Products Association’s Web site, www.sleepproducts.org.
Details are updated regularly so plan
to check back often. In addition, you
can use the BedTimes Supplies Guide at
www.bedtimessuppliesguide.com to
learn more about many exhibitors and
their offerings.
Defining goals that are too general
When deciding what you want from
the show, avoid thinking in general
terms such as “seeing what’s new” or
1
2
“seeing our suppliers.” At the end of the
show you will feel as though you failed
to accomplish all you could.
Here’s a better way: Ask yourself,
“What is the biggest problem I have in
my business?” Some examples would be
“How can I get more reliable sourcing in the XYZ category?” “What new
marketing programs will suppliers provide to move the XYZ line faster?” and
“What steps can we take to solve our
customers’ increasing complaints about
XYZ quality?”
Write the question—or series of
questions—down on a piece of paper
➤ Upcoming events
Nov. 4-6
ISPA Industry Conference
& Exhibition
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
Resort & Spa
Bonita Springs, Fla.
March 3-6, 2010
ISPA EXPO
Charlotte Convention Center
Charlotte, N.C.
For information about both events,
check www.sleepproducts.org or
call 703-683-8371.
or enter it into your BlackBerry. Then
take it to the show with the idea of
getting answers from company representatives in the booths. This will keep
you focused on what you really need to
accomplish at the show.
Not developing a strategy to
reach goals You may fail to reach
your goals because you don’t plot a
detailed strategy. Define a game plan
so all your steps are laid out before
you arrive at the show. For example,
“See X number of vendors to find the
best sources for a specific component”
or “Call our top six suppliers prior
to the show to set appointments to
discuss ways to reduce costs.”
Part of a successful strategy is to
allocate tasks among co-workers who
will be attending the show. Do this early
enough to avoid the duplication of effort that can result when various people
try to accomplish the same goals.
Failing to get a floor plan and booth
directory Exhibitor directories
for the ISPA Industry Conference and
Exhibition and ISPA EXPO are available
in the show issues of BedTimes and on
ISPA’s Web site, www.sleepproducts.org.You
also can find floor plans for EXPO in
both places. Use them to plan your days.
Cross-reference the directory with the
floor plan to lay out a walking plan that
3
4
59
TradeShowTips
maximizes the time you spend at the
show. The time savings will assure that
you reach your goals. Most people just
turn to the right and go down the aisle
to start the show.
Not prioritizing the show floor Try
to estimate how many booths you
will be able to visit during the time you
will attend the show. The average attendee spends about 13 minutes at each
exhibit targeted for a visit, according
to the Center for Exhibition Industry
Research in Dallas. To that, you must
add the time you will spend walking
from place to place, attending seminars
or visiting with colleagues in the aisles.
Considering that slack time, figure
you can visit maybe three booths each
hour. Remember, these are the booths
of exhibitors you specifically want to
see—not ones you spontaneously stop
by for a quick look while walking the
aisles. That comes to 18 exhibitors in a
six-hour period.
Using the exhibitor list or floor plan,
mark your “Priority 1” selections with
a green marker. You want to see these
exhibitors without fail. Then select a
number of “Priority 2” exhibitors and
mark them with yellow. You can visit
these booths during time between visits
to your Priority 1 booths. Then use a red
marker for vendors you’re not familiar
with but would like to check out.
Now you have a visual aid for walking the floor. You can check off the
booths as you see them and monitor
your progress.
5
➤ Common mistakes
1. Neglecting advance planning
2. Defining goals that are too
general
3. Not developing a strategy to
reach goals
4. Failing to get a floor plan and
booth directory
5. Not prioritizing the show floor
6. Not previewing the show
7. Making too many
appointments
8. Not picking up important
literature
9. Following the crowd
10. Ignoring the new and smaller
exhibitors
11. Not steering the conversation
at booths
12. Writing sloppy notes
13. Not exploiting slow hours
14. Not monitoring exhibitors’ promises to follow up
15. Failing to update co-workers
6
Not previewing the show Schedule
some time to scope out the show
before you start the walk that you have
laid out. Walk the entire show floor
quickly, looking for unexpected exhibitors or products. Take notes on what
looks interesting. Then sit down and
adjust your color-coded floor plan and
walking path to include them.
Making too many appointments
Don’t get carried away when you
7
make appointments. Trying to squeeze
too many into one day can actually
make you less effective on the floor.
That’s because you can easily fall behind
and start rushing from one appointment to another before you have all the
information you need.
Rather than setting definite appointment times, I suggest you tell exhibitors
you will drop by during windows of
time. Say something like, “I’ll drop by
between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Thursday.” If the person you want to see is
busy when you drop by, don’t waste
time hanging around. Leave word about
the next window of time in which you’ll
drop by, then move on.
Not picking up important
literature The first morning of the
show, stop by the ISPA booth, where
you will find lots of information about
the programs and services available to
the association’s members.
Gather it up, check it out and then
pack up any brochures, pamphlets or
other pieces you don’t need immediately for the show. You won’t have missed
anything and you won’t weigh yourself
down with material nonessential to
buying.
One thing you’ll want to review right
away: BedTimes. Scan the magazine for
show information and exhibitor listings.
Check the advertisements and other
product announcements of interest
then mark the exhibitor and the booth
number on your list so you can hit it at
an appropriate time.
Following the crowd You are showing your independence from the
mob by planning a productive trade
show visit. Take that one step further:
Walk the show in reverse. You’ll get
faster attention from exhibitors if you
walk against the traffic and you’ll be able
to visit more booths right off the bat.
Ignoring the newer and smaller
exhibitors The newer and
smaller exhibitors can provide leads
for new products and services that can
make your visit even more successful.
You’ll see lots of interesting stuff from
these exhibitors and their booths are
great for generating creative ideas. Don’t
8
9
10
MARK
YOUR
C ALENDAR
!
Stay on Track!
And be prepared for the global
economic recovery!
�
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Build and strengthen your
business connections
See the industry products and
services you need
Stay on top of current
trends and industry news
www.sleepproducts.org/ISPAEXPO
ISPA EXPO...the only trade show in
the world devoted exclusively to the
mattress industry!
March 3-6, 2010
Charlotte, North Carolina
USA
For information about exhibiting, contact Kerri Bellias,
[email protected] or call 336-945-0265.
TradeShowTips
make the mistake of ignoring them.
If you follow the advice above about
working against the traffic, you may be
hitting a lot of these exhibitors early in
the morning because you are starting
at a slower section of the floor. That’s
good. You can cover more of them.
Not steering the conversation at
booths As the buyer, you are the
one in control. Never forget that. Don’t
be afraid to exercise your control by
steering the conversation with exhibitors.
That may mean interrupting an
exhibitor who is going on about a
product feature that doesn’t concern
you and navigating the conversation
toward benefits that will help you make
more money. What marketing plans is
the vendor offering to help move the
product? What has market research
shown about how the product will help
you better meet customer needs?
11
Here’s where your goal questions
really come in handy. Write your key
question on several dozen 3-inch by
5-inch cards. When you get to each
booth, hand a card to a rep and ask how
the company can answer your question.
If the exhibitor doesn’t have an answer
right away, say you’ll return later for the
information.
Alternatively, use a statement such as
“I need to make a business decision” to
readjust the exhibitor’s pitch away from
product features and toward your needs.
Explain what the business decision is,
then ask how the exhibitor’s products
can help you make that decision.
Also, find a way of verifying what
the booth staffer says the product can
do. Get the name of designers or other
technicians you can call on the phone
after the show.
Writing sloppy notes Where
do you jot your notes? On the
12
backs of business cards? In the margins
of show directories? Along the tops
of product literature sheets? Show attendees can think of as many ways to
confuse themselves as there are blank
spots on paper.
Avoid them all. If you return to the
office with a bunch of notes on slips
and bits of paper, you’ll never get them
Check out BedTimes online!
➩ Complete issues—
all articles and
advertisements—
posted every month
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anytime, anywhere
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appointments—especially with the Priority 1 companies you really must see.
Not monitoring promises to
follow up Don’t let exhibitors get
away with breaking a promise to contact
you with requested information. Many
exhibitors fail to follow up as promised
after the show has closed its doors. That
means a lot of wasted time. You never
get the information that you need to
make better buying decisions.
Try creating a “buyer’s guide” using
a small notebook or index cards. Divide
individual sheets of paper or each card
into sections—products or services seen,
type, quantity, delivery terms, etc. At
the bottom of each, write “What is the
action step agreed to after the show?”
Examples include a telephone call, sending literature or a personal visit. At each
booth, pull out a card and fill it in with
answers that exhibitors give you. By using such a guide, you have a clear record
14
organized enough to achieve the goals
you set for the show. Type your notes
into your BlackBerry, speak them into
a tape recorder or write them all in a
single small notebook.
Not exploiting slow hours
Every show has its hours when
the aisles are quieter and exhibitors
less busy. This is the best time to make
13
of what the exhibitor promised to do.
Two weeks after the show, go through
your cards and call anyone who did not
do what they promised.
Failing to update co-workers
Prepare a brief report for your
co-workers who could not attend the
show. What trends did you spot? Applications? New products and technology?
Your sharing will not only spread useful
information, but will reinforce your
learning process, as well.
There you have it: The most common—and costly—mistakes made by
trade show goers. How many do you
make?
Tuck a copy of this article into an
advance folder for the IPSA Industry
Conference and Exhibition or the ISPA
EXPO and keep its guidance in mind
as you make your plans to attend the
shows. You’ll save time and money and
get the most out of those events. BT
15
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Calendar
July
July 15-18
AWFS Fair 2009
Las Vegas Convention
Center
Las Vegas, U.S.
Phone 323-838-9440
Fax 323-838-9443
www.awfsfair.org
July 16-19
Furnitex
Melbourne Exhibition
Centre
Melbourne, Australia
Phone 613-9654-7773
Fax 613-9654-5596
www.aec.net.au/ftex
September
Sept. 9-12
Furniture China 2009
Shanghai New
International
Expo Center
Shanghai, China
Phone 86-21-64371178
Fax 86-21-64370982
www.furniture-china.cn
Sept. 14-17
Las Vegas Market
World Market Center
Las Vegas, U.S.
Phone 888-416-8600
Fax 702-599-9622
www.lasvegasmarket.com
Sept. 18-22
Index Furniture
MMRDA Exhibition
Center
Bandra-Kurla Complex
Mumbai, India
Phone 91-22-28302870
Fax 91-22-28216140
www.indexfairs.com/
event_mum.asp
Sept. 9-13
Habitare
Helsinki Exhibition &
Convention Centre
Helsinki, Finland
Phone 358-9-150-9717
Fax 358-9-142-358
www.finnexpo.fi/habitare
October
Oct. 1-4
ZOW Turkey
Istanbul Expo Center
Istanbul, Turkey
Phone 90-212-3249610
Fax 90-212-3249609
www.zow.com.tr
Index Furniture The
exhibition will
be Sept. 18-22 in
Mumbai, India.
Oct. 17-22
High Point Market
International Home
Furnishings Center &
other locations
High Point, N.C., U.S.
Phone 336-869-1000
www.highpointmarket.org
November
➤ Nov. 4-6
ISPA Industry
Conference &
Exhibition
Hyatt Regency Coconut
Point Resort & Spa
Bonita Springs, Fla., U.S.
Phone 703-683-8371
Fax 703-683-4503
www.sleepproducts.org
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ISPAAdvocacy
Obama makes pre-emption an issue
I
n issuing the federal open-flame mattress standard in 2006, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission took
the position that a manufacturer whose
mattress fully met the 16 CFR Part 1633
requirements should be immune from
a lawsuit seeking damages for injuries
resulting from a fire involving that
mattress. In other words, the federal
standard pre-empted state product
liability lawsuits involving compliant
mattresses, said Ryan Trainer, executive vice president and general counsel
for the International Sleep Products
Association.
On May 20, President Barack
Obama issued a memo to all federal
executive branch agencies, instructing
them to review all federal pre-emption
findings during the past 10 years to determine whether they are justified under
applicable legal principles governing preemption and, if not, to rescind those findings.
Unlike cabinet-level agencies over
which the president has direct legal control, the CPSC is a quasi-independent
government agency controlled by its
appointed commissioners so the president’s action doesn’t technically apply to
the CPSC, Trainer says.
“Nevertheless, we expect that federal
pre-emption will become an issue once
two new Obama appointees to the
CPSC are confirmed,” Trainer says. “If
that occurs, ISPA will argue that despite
the Obama administration’s strong
opposition to federal pre-emption findings, the 2006 decision was correct.”
Short
ISPA opposes current N.Y. bill
A bed bug bill that would require
used mattresses to be sanitized
before they can be transported,
stored or sold alongside new mattresses has passed out of committee in the New York Legislature.
While the bill includes several
provisions that would help combat unscrupulous mattress renovators, the ban on transporting
used mattresses with new ones
could create additional costs for
retailers. The International Sleep
Products Association opposes the
legislation in its current form, but
is discussing alternatives with the
bill’s sponsors.
Expand Your Network and Build Business Relationships
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The Annual Forum for Mattress Industry
Executives & Management
The only trade show in the world devoted
exclusively to the mattress industry!
November 4-6, 2009
March 3-6, 2010
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa
Set the stage, start conversations, and network with influential
mattress industry executives.
Show your full line, launch new products and services, and
increase your market share.
Bonita Springs, Florida USA
Charlotte, North Carolina USA
Visit www.sleepproducts.org/SpecialExhibitDiscount for details.
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1 Porter GPT-1000 AC ruffler machine
1 Galkin flanging 3301 machine head
Contact Sleep Rite Barbados. Phone 246-437-5337;
Place your classified ad today!
Reach mattress industry professionals around the world with your
advertising message through the BedTimes Classifieds. Rates: $3
per word for the first 100 words and $2.50 thereafter; minimum
charge of $75. “Blind” box number: $50 per insertion. Ad copy
and payment must be received by the first of the month preceding
publication. Send ads and payment to BedTimes Classifieds, 501
Wythe St., Alexandria, VA 22314-1917. Contact Debbie Robbins
for additional information. Phone 336-342-4217;
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AdvertisersIndex
Natura World
Michael Pino
908-410-1257
www.naturaworld.com
25
New England Needles Inc.
Thomas Lees
800-243-3158
www.newenglandneedles.com
40
C3, 6
Plastic Monofil
Calvert Kogan
802-893-1543
www.plasticmonofil.com
64
47
P.T. RubberFoam Indonesia
Andreas Janssen
62-21-53662190
www.rubberfoam.co.id
46
2
SABA North America LLC
Jim Turner
810-824-4964
www.saba-adhesives.com
4
A. Lava & Son Co.
Steve Appelbaum
800-777-5282
(800-777-LAVA)
www.alavason.com
38
Enriquez Materials & Quilting Inc.
Silvia Enriquez
323-725-4955
www.enriquezquilting.com
23
Amelco Industries Ltd.
Costas Georgallis
82-43-877-1881
www.amelco.com
27
Flexible Foam Products Inc.
Michael Crowell
419-647-4191
www.flexiblefoam.com
42
Arch Chemicals
Damali Noel-Lockett
770-805-3294
www.purista.biz
56
Global Systems Group
Russ Bowman
954-846-0300
Atlanta Attachment Co. Inc.
Hank Little
770-963-7369
www.atlatt.com
C2-1, 43
Hengchang Machinery Factory
Belinda Lau
769-83307931
www.hcjixie.com
Baron Styles
Dave Williams
262-473-7331
www.baronstyles.com
56
Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.
Rick Anthony
828-328-2201
www.hickorysprings.com
Black Bros.
Frank Kobilsek
815-539-7451
www.blackbros.com
63
Hodder Lumber
Calvin Hodder
412-884-9100
34
John Marshall & Co. Ltd.
Peter Crone
64-3-341-2004
www.joma.co.nz
57
Soltex Inc.
Larry Starkey
864-234-0322
www.soltexusa.com
45
Springco Inc.
Carlos Luna
305-887-3782
62
Bloomingburg Spring 53
& Wire Form Vickie Schwarm
740-437-7614
www.bloomingburgspring.com
Simalfa
Darren Gilmore
973-423-9266
www.simalfa.com
49
8
BLR
Martin Leroux
819-877-2092
www.blrlumber.com
11
Jomel Industries Inc.
Phil Iuliano
973-282-0300
www.jomel.net
52
17
Starsprings International
Kai Christensen
46-513-17800
www.starsprings.com
48
Boycelik
Erol Boydak
90-532-274-3193
www.boycelik.com
Kenn Spinrad Inc.
Randy Weinstock
800-373-0944
www.spinrad.net
52
31 Subiñas Confort S.L.
Javier Subiñas
34-94-416-04-40
www.subinas.es
66
Boyteks Tekstil AS
M. Nebi Dogan
90-533-685-6041
www.boyteks.com
Keynor Spring Mfg.
Raymond Shao
604-267-1307
www.keynor.com
39
44
Therapedic Sleep Products Gerry Borreggine
800-314-4433
www.therapedic.com
41
Chicago Tape & Label
Kristy Enger
262-473-0323
www.ctlabels. com
Latex International
Kevin Stein
203-924-0700, Ext. 347
www.latexintl.com
12
66
Tietex International Ltd.
Wade Wallace
800-843-8390
www.tietex.com
C4
Costa International
Manuel Vazquez
305-885-9761
www.costa-international.com
Latex Systems Christophe de Laforcade
66-2-326-0886
www.latexsystems.com
33
53
Vertex Fasteners Inc.
Tom Fowler
847-329-8530
www.vertexfasteners.com
54
Diamond Needle Corp.
Abe Silberstein
800-221-5818
www.diamondneedle.com
Latexco U.S. LLC
Kevin Callinan
866-528-3926
www.latexco.com
50
35
Vintex
Customer Service
800-846-8399
www.vintex.com
36
Edgewater Machine Co. Inc.
Roy Schlegel
718-539-8200
www.edgewatermachine.com
Maxime Knitting
Lorne Romoff
514-336-0445, Ext. 27
514-265-8782
www.maximeknitting.com
Weifong Industries Sdn. Bhd.
Tevin Na
603-8739-1990
www.getha.com.my
51
67
TheLastWord
Shhh! The French are sleeping
As hundreds of cyclists take to France’s hills and valleys for
the 2,175-mile Tour de France, chances are many of
the country’s residents will be sleeping in, or perhaps
enjoying a nice nap.
According to a survey of social habits around the
world conducted by the Paris-based Organization for
Economic Cooperation & Development, people in
France spend more time sleeping than in any other
industrialized country—530 minutes, or more than 8.8
hours a day. In contrast, Americans sleep about 518
minutes (8.6 hours). People in South Korea sleep the
least, averaging just 469 minutes (7.8 hours) of sleep
each day.
Workers’ work mounts
A winning idea
W
e like Margherita Porporo’s plans
for some of her recent lottery
winnings. The Toronto resident, who
won $8.2 million in a lottery drawing
in May, told City News that one of her
first purchases will be a new mattress.
“There are a few things this
79-year-old grandma wants to do with
her newfound fortune,” the Toronto
television news station reported. “She
plans to buy a bungalow. And she’s
going out to purchase a new mattress,
something her family has been telling
her to get for some time. Now, at last,
she seems sure she can afford it. It
doesn’t appear, though, that she plans
to keep the money there.”
N
early half of all workers say they have taken on
more responsibilities at their companies because
of recent layoffs, with 37% saying they are handling
the work of two people, according to a survey of 4,400
workers conducted by CareerBuilder, a global human
resources consulting firm.
The extra work has employees stressed: A third say
they feel burned out. And it’s no wonder. Some 34%
of employees report they are spending more time at
the office and 17% are working at least 10 hours a day.
“Companies today are having to do more with less
as they contend with shrinking budgets and staff levels,” says Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder vice president of human resources. “Employees are feeling
added pressure as they shoulder heavier workloads and strive to maintain
productivity levels. It’s critical that managers and employees work together to
prioritize and set realistic expectations so work demands feel attainable and
less overwhelming.”
Better sleep for soldiers
By 2012, all South Korean soldiers will be sleeping on their
own beds, according to the Korean Times.
In an April 27 story, the newspaper reported that the
plan is part of an effort to improve the welfare of the
military—a force 655,000 members strong.
“Under the plan, the military will complete providing a total of 1,084 military residences nationwide with
individual beds over the next three years to ‘meet social
trends.’ Currently, most soldiers in the field still sleep on
heated floors in their barracks,” according to the news
outlet. “Critics argue that space on sleeping floors is
scant for soldiers used to beds before enlistment and
even infringes on their basic human rights because it
generates unnecessary physical contact.”
Mattress Factory Survival Tool
The Paragon® M+ has the most useful benefits of
any multi-needle quilt machine in the world.
Easy Loop Take Time button shows
needle/looper alignment
Sews dense quilt packages
up to 6” (155mm) thick
POSI-TRIM™ system eliminates
Tack & Jump® “tails”
Equi-Stitch and Pattern Compensation
technology ensures accurate stitching
and true pattern definition.
AutoLube system for
prolonged machine life
Rated for sewing speeds
up to 1500 spm
Encoders record sewing motions
to resume exact position after an
interruption in sewing
Adjustable presser foot height changes at the
touch of a button.
Pre-loaded with 300 pattern shapes,
all of which can be modified on the
machine in seconds!
Gribetz Batch Mode and AutoSchedule software
produce great savings for the manufacturer.
Considering all the unique benefits of the Paragon
M+, this is the best mattress quilter value in the
industry. Best of all, it is backed by the dependable
reputation of Gribetz. That means this versatile tool
is ready to work when you need it most.
Contact your GSG rep today and ask for your free knife when you ask about the Paragon M+.
Thanks for making our participation at Interzum great!
800-326-4742
GRIBETZ INTERNATIONAL
PORTER INTERNATIONAL
Limited time offer. Knives are available while supplies last.
954-846-0300
SYD-REN
SPUHL ANDERSON
GATEWAY SYSTEMS
GSG PARTNERS: TEKNOMAC
KSM
NÄHTEC
MERELLO

BedTimes Supplies Guide

Transcription

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