Share this on

Start now on FR bedding lines, expert urges

By David Perry -- Furniture Today, January 30, 2006

At The Market — Bedding producers must act now to ensure their lines will meet a stringent new federal fire-resistant mattress standard, a nationally recognized flammability expert said here.

Gordon Damant, director of Inter-City Testing and Consulting Corp. of California, made that point at a seminar on FR compliance here hosted by Leggett & Platt.

The Monday seminar kicked off the first day of L&P's freestanding trade show, which it's billing as Leggett Presents.

Damant said producers have no time to waste if they want to comply with the federal standard, expected to take effect sometime in 2007.

"Start now," he said. "Every mattress producer that has begun this process has underestimated the time to implement" new FR lines. A "very concerted effort" will take nine months of work, he said.

He advised mattress producers to choose their FR suppliers wisely, implement a quality control program, and use resources that can be of assistance. Also, he said, producers should attend burn tests in person. "No test report or video can substitute for you," Damant said.

At Leggett Presents, the bedding components major is showcasing a broad range of products from its stable of bedding-oriented companies. The show is being held through Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center in South Hall 2.

The show features machinery from L&P's Global Systems Group, and innersprings, foam and fiber from the L&P Bedding Components and Hanes units.

L&P officials said the show is shaping up as a well-attended event.

Educational sessions are set for all three days of the show. The FR session, featuring Damant and Robert Backstrom, a fire protection engineer at Underwriters Laboratories, will be repeated at 2 p.m. today.

Randall Wood, L&P's director of optimization-operations, will present sessions on the global supply chain and lean manufacturing techniques. His presentations are set for 10 a.m. today, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Share this on

Start now on FR bedding lines, expert urges

Feb 2, 2006

Also by this author

Also by David Perry

Featured Company

Brandwise Inc.

Brandwise serves a model - not just an industry - by integrating, automating, and optimizing the entire sales channel, from wholesale Suppliers to their Reps and the Retailers they service. In short, our software helps Reps and Suppliers sell more and create... more