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Foamex's VPF process virtually emission-free

By David Perry -- Furniture Today, April 14, 2005

Cornelius, N.C. — The Variable Pressure Foaming technology that Foamex employs at its plant here produces huge blocks of foam hundreds of feet in length.

While that sounds unusual, it's common in many foam plants across the country. The "buns" are cut into more manageable shapes and sizes, which go into everything from mattresses to upholstered sofas.

What isn't common, however, is the VPF process, which is proprietary to this foam producer. VPF makes foam in vacuum chambers that are virtually emission-free, which is a good thing for the environment, Foamex officials say.

And that's a message that Foamex is now incorporating more aggressively into its marketing campaign. The producer has developed a logo that calls attention to the environmentally friendly nature of the process. "Good for you. Good for the globe," is the new tag line for a logo that bears a drawing of a green leaf.

Foamex, which operates four multimillion-dollar VPF facilities across the country, also has a new marketing theme: "Cleaner. Smarter. Better."

"That pretty well says it all," said Vishal Malhotra, director of marketing and strategy for foam products at Foamex.

"We have an environmentally friendly process, advanced technology and better products than our competitors can supply."

He was seated in a conference room at the Foamex plant just outside Huntersville, N.C., a growing Charlotte suburb. He and plant manager Pete Barr were conducting an overview of Foamex's VPF operations, which are responsible for the growing array of new and branded foams that are driving the company's business.

VPF is a patented technology. Foamex launched the first VPF system in the United States in 1993 at its Tupelo, Miss., facility.

In the VPF process, foam is produced in high-tech, closed pressurized chambers that control environmental conditions and hold them virtually constant. Those controlled conditions, combined with what Foamex describes as a unique foam chemistry, enable the company to produce foams that conventional plants can't match, according to Foamex officials.

Malhotra said the VPF foams provide better performance at the same density as other foams, or equal performance at reduced density.

In both cases, VPF foams enable bedding producers to enhance comfort and durability at lower prices, he said.

Since the foams are produced in closed chambers, emissions are contained, constantly removed, and then treated in sealed carbon beds that help to protect the environment.

The Foamex portfolio includes the PillowFlex, Quiltflex, Reflex, Resilitex and Sensus brands.

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Foamex VPF offerings 'redefine' foam

Mar 21, 2004

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