Spring Air marks 80th anniversary
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 26, 2006
Elk Grove Village, Ill. — It's appropriate that for a company like Spring Air, which still has a "spring" in its name, its history began with a unique innerspring design.
Francis Karr, Spring Air's founder, launched the company in 1926 with a patented free-end coil design, which adjusted to individual weight differences to provide optimal comfort and support.
The Karr unit and some savvy marketing helped Spring Air find its niche as the company survived the Great Depression, a world war, and a bedding marketplace that has seen major shifts over the years.
Spring Air enters its 80th anniversary year as the industry's fourth-largest bedding brand, and one that has enjoyed its share of success against its bigger rivals. It is also the largest brand to be owned by its licensees, and that gives it a significant advantage, according to Jim Nation, Spring Air's CEO and president.
"The market-driven spirit of our licensees gives us the distinct advantage of being able to make decisions closer to our customers," he said.
As Spring Air officials look back over their history, they say that innovation will always be an essential part of the company.
Here, according to Spring Air officials, are some notable highlights from the early days of the company up to the present:
-
1930s: Spring Air's aggressive national advertising campaigns take off, beginning with print ads in National Geographic, Good Housekeeping and American Magazine, among others.
-
1940s: Spring Air introduces button-free technology. The result, the company says, is "a smoother, quilted surface for a firmer, more comfortable sleep."
-
1950s: Spring Air's Health Center construction features a zoned innerspring that provides different comfort zones for different parts of the body.
-
1960s: Spring Air introduces its flagship Back Supporter line, still being offered today. The line debuts with zoned comfort and support, with extra reinforcement for the lumbar area.
-
1970s: The producer introduces its Pillow Top mattress, with inserts of contour foam, to help reduce pressure points that cause tossing and turning.
-
1980s: Spring Air becomes the first mattress manufacturer to use natural fibers such as silk and wool for natural comfort.
-
1991: Spring Air introduces Conforma, an anatomically designed foam that allows the sleeper to lie in a more natural position.
-
1993: The company's Four Seasons mattress features silk on one side for cool summer sleeping and wool on the other side for winter warmth. The bed is later named a "Best Buy" by Consumers Digest.
-
1995: Spring Air continues to stress adjustable support. Its Back Supporter mattress features a design that adjusts to a sleeper's weight and shape with seven zones in the cushioning, five zones in the innerspring, and three zones in the foundation.
-
1999: Sales of the Back Supporter line are up 40% since 1995. Consumers Digest names the Back Supporter mattress as a "Best Buy."
Since 2000, Spring Air has introduced Foam Encasement, which expands the sleeping surface of the mattress, and its NeverTurn Advantage — featured in single-sided bedding. Spring Air was an early adapter of that design after Simmons successfully launched it in the market in 2000.
What makes Spring Air different?
Company officials say their group is nimble and stays in close touch with its customers.
"No other major national manufacturer can react as quickly and effectively to the changing needs of the marketplace," said Nation.
"Because Spring Air is closer to its dealers and better understands their needs, we can give them unrivaled local service and products that set them apart from their competitors."
And, Nation added, "Spring Air has always been renowned for building more value in their product."
He asserted that Spring Air makes "better mattresses" than its competitors.
"Unlike other major manufacturers, whose first priority is making products that move through their plant faster and cheaper," he said, "Spring Air is driven by making products that are best for its dealers' customers."
Spring Air combines "old world craftsmanship" with "the latest in pressure-relief and support technology," he added.
Nation cites the company's performance in a national Mattress Challenge as demonstrating that consumers prefer Spring Air mattresses. For five consecutive years, Spring Air has won the challenges, conducted by independent national research companies.
The testing, performed in malls, pits unmarked Spring Air mattresses against unmarked mattresses made by its competitors.
Spring Air's slogan is "Just Right." The company says its legacy, customers, quality, company structure and marketing are all "Just Right."
Francis Karr would be proud to see that the company he founded in 1926 is still alive and well in its 80th year.
-
Hickory Springs offers foam, spring products
Mar 15, 2012 -
BodyMatch technology determines Sleep iD
Feb 1, 2010 -
South Bay debuting line of memory foam bedding
Jul 30, 2008 -
New products, outlook put FXI back on track
Apr 17, 2010
Featured Company
-
FurnitureCore.com
FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
