L&P getting into gel products

David Perry -- Furniture Today, October 29, 2012

CARTHAGE, Mo. - Leggett & Platt, a major supplier of innersprings and other products to the mattress industry, is entering the specialty sleep category with a line of gel bedding components.
     The new products, which will be produced by L&P's Bedding Group in Carthage, will be unveiled early in 2013, the company said.
     The diversified manufacturer said it has entered into a partnership with EdiZone LLC, a product design and development company, to produce a gel-based specialty sleep product.
     "There's still a lot of growth left for gel sleep products," said Mark Quinn, segment vice president of marketing with Leggett & Platt. "Leggett & Platt's gel has a pressure-relieving quality that has already been proven in the health care industry. The gel space is so crowded today, but the unique properties of our gel components will stand apart from what is currently out there."
     The company said production of the gel is being moved to Carthage, allowing L&P's "supply chain advantage to create an exciting opportunity in the market."
     In a related announcement, L&P said Cody Messner has been named product manager for the Bedding Group, where he will focus on gel and other product development opportunities.
     "Our gel is a very demonstrable product at point of sale," said Messner. "In our research, we have seen consumers respond well to demonstrations that show how our gel reacts to pressure. In this industry, everybody wants an impactful demo - that ‘hand print-in-the-foam' moment - and we think we have that with our gel."