On the flammability front
David Perry -- Furniture Today, January 25, 2004
Time for a quick mattress flammability quiz: Who has annual sales of more than $26 billion, is anxious to sell fire-resistant products to mattress manufacturers, and has a history of touting safety?
Answer: The three FR suppliers we are profiling in this special flammability section.
Most of that whopping $26 billion – a figure that is more than five times the wholesale size of the U.S. bedding industry – is being generated by DuPont, the $24 billion, worldwide science company that recently announced its entry into the FR arena. DuPont's Advanced Fibers Systems unit, based in Richmond, Va., is now marketing DuPont's FR products to bedding producers around the country, a development we announced in a page 1 story in our Dec. 22 issue.
In this issue, we take a closer look at DuPont's impressive history with products that protect people and property. From the very beginnings of the company in the early days of our nation, safety has been paramount at DuPont. We also will take you inside a ballistics lab at DuPont, where yours truly donned a bullet-resistant vest and helmet (see picture above) in the line of duty.
From Richmond, our tour of FR producers moves down Interstates 95 and 85 to High Point (my hometown), where Vita Nonwovens is based. Vita is part of British Vita PLC, a $1.5-billion company that is a world leader in polymer technology, with facilities in 21 countries. We will tell you how Vita Nonwovens is enlarging its product portfolio with the addition of FR materials for mattresses. British Vita has been meeting companies' FR needs in the European market for years, so this is not a new field for the company. Vita Nonwovens is taking some impressive steps to serve the FR market in the United States.
Finally, our supplier tour for this issue moves deep into the heart of Texas (Dallas and environs), where Elk Corp., a $600-million public company, has facilities. Elk is best-known for its roofing products, but its Elk Technologies unit has a strong entry in the mattress FR arena. We will tell you how Elk developed the technology that now protects mattresses from open flames. You will learn that marketing safety is nothing new for Elk.
Each of these companies has an impressive history in products with a safety story. And these are some very substantial operations, as we've noted.
We also will bring you the latest FR news, including a recent product announcement and a look at how Serta is telling consumers about its new FR bedding lines.
We also have a thoughtful question-and-answer presentation featuring the comments of FR experts Bob McKinnon and Frank Land.
We round out the section with insights from industry leaders about the key variables that could affect business this year.
This is only the first of several special bedding sections on tap for 2004. We are glad you are along for the ride.
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