Spring Air tests Chinese-made mattresses
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, February 6, 2005
Elk Grove Village, Ill. — Bedding major Spring Air continues to test the market for promotional mattresses produced in China.
"We brought in a number of containers and we had no problems selling them," said President Jim Nation. "We are definitely in a test phase. We are sticking our toe in the water and seeing what the temperature of the water is."
He speaks from growing first-hand experience. Nation already has made two trips to China and he's impressed with the rapidly increasing sophistication of Chinese businesses. He's also acutely aware of the impact Chinese manufacturers have made in the U.S. furniture industry.
"Probably 40% to 50% of the wood furniture industry has moved to Asia, so that is obviously important," he said. "Now there is more emphasis on upholstery. If you can ship a sofa across the ocean and distribute it in the United States, and it ends up at a lower retail price for the consumer than what it would be if it were U.S. made, can you do the same with a mattress?"
Nation said Spring Air remains committed to domestic production, noting it's considering importing only "the very low end" of its assortment. The initial imports of Chinese-made beds, which did not carry the Spring Air brand, were at $399 retail.
Spring Air is looking at a number of options vis-a-vis China. "We are investigating sourcing components from China," Nation said. "We have an obligation to look for the best prices possible for our components, but also have to look at other issues like timing and logistics and what the final costs will be."
He is intrigued about the possibility of selling Spring Air-branded bedding in the vast and growing Chinese market.
"We have been receiving proposals from groups that would like to be a Spring Air licensee for China," he said.
That prospect remains under consideration.
Spring Air currently is tweaking the Chinese-made mattresses it's bringing here, but Nation emphasized the program remains in a test mode only at this point.
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