Latex's new line rolls out sheets in big way
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 13, 2006
Shelton, Conn. — Bigfoot has been spotted at the Latex International plant here.
No, it's not the legendary creature of the wild. It's the name given a new latex pouring line with a big footprint in the company's state-of-the-art facilities. Mike Lorelli, CEO of Latex International, came up with the Bigfoot name last year.
The new pouring line ushers in a new era at North America's largest manufacturer of latex mattress components, and the largest Talalay latex pillow producer in the world.
The Talalay process is one in which foam is made much like a cake. The chemicals that go into the foam are assembled into what looks like a cake batter and then poured into molds in the shapes of mattresses. The ingredients are baked and white blocks of latex emerge when the molds are opened. The latex is thoroughly washed and checked for quality, and then is ready to be made into latex mattresses and toppers.
Bigfoot expands Latex International's production into the Dunlop process field. In that process, latex is rolled into long sheets, like cookie dough, that then are processed into rolls of latex. The rolls of quiltable latex are ready to go into the top layers of mattresses.
The Bigfoot project represents a $4 million investment by the company, and adds a 150-foot long, 13-foot wide production facility to the plant.
The Dunlop line is the only one of its kind in the United States, and it will enable the company to produce Dunlop mattress toppers and sheets on a continuous line, minimizing the need for fabrication. The topper material will come in thicknesses ranging from 0.4 inches to two inches, in a wide range of firmness levels.
Mattress manufacturers now will be able to source latex rolls manufactured domestically that can go directly into a mattress quilt, said Kevin Stein, vice president of marketing for Latex International. He said the new mattress/topper combinations "virtually eliminate body impressions," a key cause of product returns at retail.
Latex is calling the new quiltable latex EverCloud, and says it offers "endless comfort."
The new quiltable latex, which Latex International says represents "the future of latex," will help keep growth strong in the latex category, the company believes.
A study done for the company predicts the latex category will post a 65% growth rate from 2004 to 2008. Quiltable latex will be a key component in "hybrid" beds (those with an innerspring core and specialty foams on top) in the next several years, the company says.
By 2008, the study predicts, latex will be a $320 million portion of the hybrid bedding market at retail price points from $1,000 to $2,000. It will account for $125 million in the hybrid market at retail price points above $2,000, the study says.
