Latex International to triple foam fabrication capacity

New plant in Texas set to open Sept. 1

David Perry -- Furniture Today, August 19, 2010

SHELTON, Conn. — Latex foam producer Latex International is undertaking a major expansion of its foam fabrication operations with the opening next month of a new 100,000-square-foot mattress component fabrication facility in Texas.

The plant in Wichita Falls, two hours northwest of Dallas, will enable the company to triple its fabrication production, even as it closes two smaller plants in Georgia and California.

Latex International, based in Shelton, continues to pour latex foam at its facility there. The company also has a fabrication facility there, which will continue to service customers in the Northeast.

With the Texas plant set to open on Sept. 1, the company has announced it will close a will close a smaller foam fabrication operation in Atlanta. In December, it also will close another fabrication facility in La Mirada, Calif.

"As part of the company's growth plans, we broke ground in June on a new latex manufacturing plant in Malaysia," said Kevin Coleman, president and CEO of Latex International. "Combined with additional latex capacity, the company is also focusing on its fabrication capabilities. LI's ability to centralize our latex inventory, produced in our Connecticut foam-pouring plant, will create greater production efficiencies, minimize stockouts, and provide more consistent and improved on-time delivery."

Meanwhile, Latex International also has contracted with supply chain company Unisource Logistics Solutions to provide warehousing, cross-docking, inventory management and distribution systems to deliver LI products to customers.

Unisource will give the company greater flexibility in meeting customers' needs, officials said. Unisource has a fleet of more than 500 vehicles and has 80 warehouse distribution centers around the country that will help LI quickly supply stocked products to customers.

LI said it will conduct a transportation analysis for each customer to ensure the company delivers on time and provides the best values.

"For LI's truckload customers, Unisource will provide extremely competitive rates as backhauls are quite abundant coming out of Texas," Coleman said. "This provides great values to our customers in the west, central and southeastern parts of the U.S."

Current plans call for Latex International to expand its operations in Texas in 2013 with the addition of Talalay latex pouring capacity at the Texas plant.