Wolf is at the door with new cotton cushioning
By Larry Thomas, Business editor -- Furniture Today, November 25, 2001
When Tony Wolf's great-grandfather founded Wolf Corp. in 1873, cotton fiber was cleaned with a process called carding, which in those days involved untangling the fibers with a wire brush or hand-operated spinning wheel.
Today, even though automated machines do virtually all the work, the basic carding process has changed very little. And Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Wolf Corp. remains a leading supplier of cotton fiber, in addition to being a futon and innerspring mattress manufacturer.
But Tony Wolf, the company's president, figured there had to be a better way to process cotton, so he was intrigued when he heard about a method a German scientist had developed in 1995 as part of a research project for the automotive industry.
The automotive folks weren't interested, but Wolf certainly was, so he played detective and tracked down the researcher. That began a five-year odyssey of e-mails, design meetings and testing that resulted in a new cotton-based cushioning called Aerolife, which the company unveiled at last month's High Point market.
Even the normally low-key Wolf couldn't contain his excitement about the new cushioning, describing it as "revolutionary" because no carding is involved.
"Carding has been done for probably 200 years," he said. "This is the first time anybody has developed an entirely new method of processing cotton fiber. I'm a marketing guy by training, not a scientist … but I just knew there had to be a better way to do it."
The big benefit of Aerolife is that it weighs significantly less than regular cotton fiber. That helps reduce freight charges and makes it easier for the consumer to convert a futon from a sofa into a bed. Plus, Wolf says the cushioning is more comfortable and more durable than traditional cotton.
"We're getting tremendous response to it … because retailers know it's something the consumer wants," he said. "Just about everybody who saw it at market wanted to know how soon they could get it."
Initially, supplies will be somewhat limited because Wolf's factory has the only machine in the world that makes the new cushioning. However, he's preparing to ramp up production quickly since enthusiasm is so high.
At market, the company displayed several Aerolife-cushioned futon mattresses that feature a blend of cotton and polyester fiber. But Wolf said the new process could also blend cotton with wool, a cushioning he believes would be appropriate for upper-end futon mattresses and some traditional innerspring mattresses.
Wolf and the group of German and Italian designers who worked on the project are seeking patent protection for the process and the machinery. That's because Wolf eventually hopes to sell Aerolife cushioning to other bedding manufacturers.
"It's a totally different way of thinking about a common padding element," he said. "We keep finding new uses for it all the time."
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Wolf set to unveil lighter futon mattress
Oct 14, 2001
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