Product features include dual-coil system
David Perry -- Furniture Today, September 8, 2003
Newark, N.J. — Excel Bedding says it's Chinese-made mattresses offer U.S. retailers some unique features.
One of the innerspring units has a 9.5-inch high dual-coil system that has 1,199 coils in a queen-size model and three border wires. The coils are arranged in two layers, a coil-on-coil construction. With that much of the mattress devoted to steel, there is less need for the buildup of upholstery layers that can sag with time, said Ira Leibowitz, Excel's vice president.
Another innerspring unit is 7.5-inches high and features 911 coils in a queen-sized model.
Most of Excel's high-count innerspring units are not available in the United States, Leibowitz said.
The bedding, offered in one- and two-sided models as well as pillowtop versions, features tack-and-jump quilting. Other product features include foam-encased models, natural rubber latex toppers, high-density convoluted foam toppers and individually wrapped coils.
The mattresses come in varying firmness levels and in heights ranging from 11 inches to 17 inches.
The matching box springs will be made in the United States using fabric from China. At this point it's not economical to import box springs from China, Leibowitz said.
The mattresses are coming from a large, modern plant in China with which Excel has a joint venture to serve the U.S. market. The factory is vertically integrated and makes its own innerspring units, pours its own foam and produces its own ticking, said Steve Kuo, an Asian-American who works for Excel at the plant.
The costs of raw materials and labor are significantly less in China than in the United States, Leibowitz said, offsetting shipping charges which range from $37 to $84 per queen-sized bed for delivery to Newark.
"We are offering great values," Leibowitz said. "Our margins are very low. We're looking at this as a volume business."
