The International Sleep Products Association reported exhibitor numbers were up and attendance was strong at ISPA EXPO 2012, the biennial mattress industry trade show held this year in Indianapolis March 14-17. The show attracted nearly 200 exhibitors (60 of those first-timers) and nearly 3,200 mattress industry representatives from 62 countries. The mood in the Indiana Convention Center was upbeat and booths were busy.
View from the top: The ISPA EXPO 2012 show floor at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis was busy on opening day.
“This is the best EXPO we’ve participated in in the last eight years—the quality of products, people, the conversations,” said Gerry Borreggine, president and chief executive officer of licensing group Therapedic International. “Overall, there’s a positive attitude throughout the show that’s stronger than it’s been in recent memory.”
Throughout the 3 ½-day show, there was much to see and learn: ISPA EXPO offered mattress makers the opportunity to stay on top of evolving mattress construction trends and abreast of key issues affecting the industry.
Those who shopped the show floor found plenty of reasons to give their mattress “sewing baskets” a complete overhaul—and many did.
As one major machinery supplier reported, “This was our best show ever—people weren’t just looking, they were buying.”
“Just take a look at the mattresses of today,” said Abe Silberstein, vice president of Diamond Needle Corp. in Carlstadt, N.J., “They’re assembled and sewn completely different from the bed you bought 20 years ago. This industry is constantly changing and adapting to new materials—new tapes, new foams, new thread, new fabric constructions, new fibers, new innersprings.”
Many of the innovations in components and machinery related to the growing popularity of foam constructions, as well as the widespread use of knit covers on today’s mattresses. There was new machinery for handling and wrapping heavy foam cores, for tailoring unquilted all-foam beds and for creating new border treatments and mattress handles. There also was cutting equipment to deal with gel foams and other new foam formulations, new adhesive technology and new twists on traditional and pocket springs.
Here is a sampling of what BedTimes editors saw and heard at ISPA EXPO 2012.
Springs
Many of the innersprings at the show were under wraps—fabric wrap, that is.
Texas Pocket Springs in Cleburne, Texas, showed a new pocket spring unit with patented Quad-Coil construction that has a lower-gauge perimeter wire, effectively doing away with the need for a foam encasement. There also was a prototype on display that mimicked the feel of memory foam with a triple layer of coils in differing sizes and gauges.
“In high-end beds, pocket springs are the way to go,” said Martin Wolfson, Texas Pocket Springs president.
At Leggett & Platt, the focus was on four additions to its Comfort Core collection of encased springs. Quantum is a narrow diameter, fine-wire coil that provides more conformability. Hi-Low is a varying height coil system that allows for zoning, checkerboard effects and the use of fill materials. Combi-Zone can be configured in any number of patterns to create a zoned bed using 17-gauge Quantum coils and 13.75-gauge Bolsa coils. Softech Mini offers all of the features of L&P’s traditional Softech spring, but at a lower, 1.5-inch height.
Up and down: Leggett & Platt's Mark Quinn say mattress makers can build the 'ultimate hybrid' with this Hi-Lo Comfort Core spring unit.
Cool cubism: Flexible Foam Products Inc. introduced its G Flex visco-elastic foam.
The Carthage, Mo.-based supplier aims to inject some fun and “hipness” into the innerspring category with an upcoming hip-hop music video that will make “hybrid” a household word and “position the innerspring closer to the specialty category” in the minds of consumers, said Mark Quinn, L&P segment vice president of marketing.
“The innerspring has more technology in it than any other mattress component,” he said. “Mattress makers can build the ‘ultimate hybrid.’”
Hickory Springs Mfg. Co. in Hickory, N.C., paired its new ProACT innerspring unit, which has InCheX alternating checkerboard support, with the smallest pocket springs—1.5-inch tall Posturfil and 0.5-inch tall HD—for use in a bed’s top comfort layer. The tiny springs are made by Leeds, England-based Harrison Spinks and take the place of other comfort layers in a mattress.
Build-a-bed: Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.'s display layered Preserve VG gel foam, Posturfil and HD microcoils and the ProACT innerspring unit.
The Infinity Sleep Support System and Infinity Coiler machinery of the Bacup, U.K.-based company with the same name offer a new take on the traditional innerspring. The body-conforming, continuous coil unit tells a “green” story with its lightweight Micro Gauge Wire Technology that requires half the steel of a typical Bonnell unit. It also has an increased height that requires fewer comfort layers. The unit offers zoning options and perimeter edge support.
And in some pillows, springs are the way to go, too. At least that was the case at Soff-Art, a pillow supplier based in Terni, Italy. Its Viscospring Wonderpillow contains its proprietary Morpheus Spring System, a fine-gauge 3.5-inch tall innerspring unit that’s wrapped in visco-elastic foam. The vacuum-packed pillows ship 3,000 pillows to a 20-foot container. They’re very breathable and retail for $50 to $75 in the United States, the company said.
Flat-pack: Soff-Art launched its unusual Viscospring pillow. It ships flat and bounces back on arrival.
Foams and latex
Latex and foam exhibitors made browsing fun with their array of eye-catching cuts, colors, convolutions and layerings, not to mention new gel formulations.
New at Hickory Springs was Preserve VG, a visco-elastic foam with high bio-based content and vivid kelly green swirls. The 4-pound foam can be used in toppers or cut into quilt rolls.
Flexible Foam Products Inc. put the focus on “cooling down” foam-core beds with special, high air flow, visco-elastic foams and G Flex gel-infused foam, said Michael Crowell, vice president of marketing for the Spencerville, Ohio-based company. G Flex is a marbled sky-blue color and was displayed in a contour cut for the bed’s top comfort layer.
Tielt, Belgium-based Latexco LLC offered a layer cake of latex choices at ISPA EXPO—some of which launched globally at Interzum Cologne in Cologne, Germany, in May 2011. In the Latexco booth, there were multitiered latex sandwiches with gel-infused middles, slow-return latex with the properties of memory foam and sheets of perforated latex iced with different vibrantly colored gels.
Carpenter Co., based in Richmond, Va., showcased its U.S.-made, finished foam mattress program at promotional price points.
“We do large programs for the majors and are now introducing complete, customizable foam mattress lines to the industry’s second tier,” said Bob Steelman, Carpenter vice president of sales and marketing. “We build the complete bed for them and have brought the cut-and-sew (operation) in-house, too. Part of the allure is the entire bed is U.S.-made and retailers can get their product in days instead of weeks.”
Carpenter also displayed Euro-style engineered foam cores and “cool” contour-cut, posturized foam comfort layers.
Showgoers were treated to an unusual new mattress component at JSP, a foamer based in Madison Heights, Mich. The company offers completely recyclable, expanded polyethylene or polypropylene bead foam that can be used in a mattress core, as base foam or in a foundation. The component already is used in a multitude of industries and products, including automotive bumpers, and is resilient and lightweight, with good compression and rebound properties, said Mike Carley, JPS engineering manager.
Good gig: Models lounged and snoozed on Orsa Foam S.p.A.’s engineered foam cores.
The Orsa Foam S.p.A. booth was a real “snoozer”—on purpose. Throughout the show, attractive models slept soundly and lounged comfortably on a glassed-in platform atop engineered foam cores made from the company’s signature foams. Orsa’s BB foam has 34% to 41% total bio-based content. Its “i-foam” specialty foam collections feature phase-change material, natural scents, activated carbon and more. It was the Gorla Minore, Italy-based company’s first appearance at EXPO.
Another Italian company, Ovattificio Fortunato in Bellizzi, made its first EXPO appearance. A supplier of polyurethane and visco-elastic foams, felts and Mistral spacer fabrics, the company displayed a range of engineered cores, including the new Box Baby Mistral with a construction designed to promote ventilation and breathability.
Fabrics and fibers
Fashion-forward ticking and tapes with stepped-up design and color options were attention-getters in Indianapolis. Suppliers added ever more treatments and finishes and some offered ways to help manufacturers streamline mattress upholstering, too.
Bekaert Textiles U.S.A. in Winston-Salem, N.C., made a splash with its whimsical “road trip” showroom theme and an array of fabrics with vivid design motifs. Standouts included everything from antique postage stamps to feathers to pixelated versions of traditional florals.
Thick “self-quilted” fabrics, such as Bekaert’s new Dreamloft, are a growing trend on today’s high-end, unquilted mattresses, said Lynn Papas, Bekaert product portfolio manager.
Wide and colorful decorative zippering may be coming soon to mattresses if Ideal Fastener Corp. has any say in the matter. In addition to a group of FR zippers that do away with the need for an FR barrier behind the zipper, the company displayed zippers and pulls designed to embellish mattress borders, not hide beneath the bed.
With the growing popularity of slip-on, cut-and-sewn covers for specialty sleep, the use of zippered closures is not just utilitarian, it can be decorative, said Jeff Gut, director of the Concord, N.C.-based company.
Mattress tape continues to get “more colorful, graphic, wider and bolder,” said Bob Lawson, president of AEC Narrow Fabrics in Asheboro, N.C. And they aren’t just for tape-edging anymore—mattress makers are finding new ways to incorporate tapes and ribbons into mattress borders and handles.
Jeff Miller, vice president of business development at BRK Group, a supplier of tapes, ticking and embroidery based in Pico Rivera, Calif., said that mattress handles continue to get less functional and more decorative.
Flair: BRK Group offered fashion-forward tapes and textiles.
“Mattress makers are fashioning handles from a combination of border fabrics and tapes,” he said. “And in the last couple of years, we are seeing more of the fabric and tape used on mattresses applied to the top-of-bed treatments.”
In addition to manufacturing yarn-dyed tapes, BRK Group is pad-dyeing finished goods to increase the color palette to “just about anything you can think of,” Miller said.
Textile supplier Culp Inc., based in High Point, N.C., launched a custom border laminating and slitting program about six months ago, said Steve Bond, Culp vice president of design and innovation. The goal is to help manufacturers streamline their production of smooth-sided mattresses that have no quilt in the side panels. The company also recently introduced 90-inch upholstery goods specifically for mattress makers.
“Tailored and textural upholstery looks are definitely building steam and manufacturers are not feeling the need to quilt everything,” said Laura Allred, design director for fabric and tape supplier CT Nassau in Alamance, N.C.
CT Nassau offered lustrous “rope-look” tapes in deep tones to complement rich upholstery fabrics, as well as a revamped knit line and some higher-end damasks.
Fabric and fiber supplier Springs Creative Products Group in Rock Hill, S.C., highlighted its Firegard FR solutions and its phase-change material from Devan Chemicals, which can be paired with all of its fabrics, as well as its Sleepskin and Airskin fabric lines. Sleepskin and Airskin offer “fluid stretch” on foam beds and moisture-wicking properties. Airskin has 20 times the air permeability of typical fabrics, according to the company.
Recycled fiber supplier Leigh Fibers Inc., with headquarters in Wellford, S.C., has added an FR-inherent shoddy to its mattress industry offerings. Its SafeLeigh product is 100% recycled material containing flame-retardant aramids sourced from items such as recycled Kevlar vests.
Jones Fiber Products Co. Inc. in Memphis, Tenn., which specializes in FR barriers, introduced organic cotton and wool fibers for mattresses—products that are gaining momentum in upper-end bed sets, said Alan Posner, Jones Fiber vice president of sales and marketing.
In addition to its FR fiber business, Vita Nonwovens has added an array of specialized, branded products, said Dennis St. Louis, director of sales and marketing for the High Point, N.C.-based company. Soft Embrace is a quiltable fiber with gel-like resiliency; ClimaWatt is a moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating fiber. The company also is producing “one-stop” finished borders—“perfect for popular unquilted border looks,” St. Louis said. Manufacturers can purchase rolls of circular knits ready for the bed border, with FR fiber laminated to the back and then covered with a lightweight stitch-bond scrim.
Top-of-bed offerings
Linens, pillows and protection products were well-represented at ISPA EXPO, which welcomed category suppliers for the first time.
Gabriel Scientific, based in Dublin, Ireland, addressed concerns about allergens, germs and disease with its Sleep Angel brand of pillows containing the patented PneumaPure filter. The filtering technology was originally designed for medical settings. It allows air to flow into the pillow but keeps pathogens out. The pillows retail for $99 to $129. The technology also is available in other sleep products, including toppers.
In addition to an array of new mattress fabrics, Creative Ticking in Gastonia, N.C., debuted Caress the Curves knit sheet sets, which are designed to be paired with all-foam mattresses. The sheets are made with a combination of specialty and performance yarns—from Tencel to CoolMax—and incorporate a range of fabric treatments—from scented to anti-bacterial silver. Queen sets retail for $165 to $200 and will begin shipping to retailers in mid-July.
“With woven sheets, you lose the benefit of a foam bed. These allow the bed to conform to your body,” said Ron Sytz, Creative Ticking chief executive officer.
Circles in the square: A. Lava & Son wowed the crowd with a mattress prototype that showed its cut-and-sew acumen.
‘Value-added’ features
Soft goods and sleep accessories suppliers, as well as technology companies, showcased a number of new products with value-added features to enhance the sleep environment.
Fabrictech International in Cedar Grove, N.J., making its first ISPA EXPO appearance, highlighted its dust mite mattress protection products and a collection of anti-bacterial silver PureCare Plush pillows with MiteTight seams that shield sleepers from allergens, dust mites and other pests.
Lenzing Group had a successful show because “success begets success, and Tencel has been doing well in the bedding market,” said Nina Nadash, home furnishings merchandiser for the Lenzing, Austria-based manufacturer of cellulosic fibers.
“More people are seeing the possibilities for enhancing the sale with the use of cooling, moisture-wicking Tencel in diverse products—mattress protection, mattress fabrics, sheets, linens and filled products,” she said.
Deslee Textiles U.S.A. in Inman, S.C., a division of DesleeClama in Zonnebeke, Belgium, unveiled a fabric treatment that it says “neutralizes bedbugs in 96 hours.” The treatment Santeol is derived from natural plant oils and is described as completely safe for humans. It lasts for five years on natural and synthetic fabrics, according to the company.
Innofa, which has world headquarters in Tilburg, the Netherlands, offered an addition to its award-winning AirVent line. AirVent BioBalance is a stretch knit collection with signature AirVent breathability via “minigrids” and a probiotic fabric treatment that fights odor and bacteria buildup.
The use of temperature-regulating, phase-change material in textiles, fibers and foams continues to be a strong industry trend. A number of new mattress components feature phase-change material, and BedTimes spoke with a biotech exhibitor that produces the material.
Joe Wehrle, director of sales for Microtek Laboratories Inc., a supplier of encapsulated phase-change materials based in Dayton, Ohio, said that “the use of PCM technology— with its cooling/warming effects—in foam and other bed components is helping mattress makers create that perfect sleep experience.”
Latex International in Shelton, Conn., put a focus on its new Talalay GL with phase-change material mixed into the liquid latex before pouring. The new latex can be used in pillows, toppers and mattresses. The company also unveiled a new marketing program with the tagline “Lift, Relax, Relieve” to help mattress manufacturers promote the benefits of all-latex beds.
Jim Turner of SABA USA demonstrates SABA 12.0 Hybrid adhesive
Machinery and adhesives
Helping manufacturers work with foams, stretchy knits and all-wood foundations are just a few areas that machinery makers sought to address with their ISPA EXPO innovations. While some introductions were focused on increased automation and speed, others were aimed at greater simplicity and providing small to mid-size manufacturers with more affordable versions of existing machinery.
Adhesives suppliers focused on helping mattress makers save time and reduce cost through greater automation and specialized equipment updates.
Adhesives producer SABA North America LLC introduced SABA 12.0 Hybrid, a water-based glue that creates a strong bond with less product when applied to a single foam surface. It can be used with a catalyst for a faster set.
“This is the next generation of water-based adhesives in that not only does it provide unprecedented initial tack and bonding performance, but it saves time, saves money and is more versatile than previous generations,” said Jim Turner, president and chief executive officer of the Kimball, Mich.-based company.
Adhesives maker Simalfa showcased its overspray-free product chemistry, which creates less waste and is cleaner to work with because less product is airborne. It also introduced On-Demand, an add-on kit for existing application equipment.
Atlanta Attachment Co. Inc., based in Lawrenceville, Ga., introduced several new machines that offer greater precision and speed when working with knits and foams. The Keep It Simple Spreader/Cutter (1393KISS) cuts and stacks knit panels with precision; the Mattress Stuffer (1458) and Sock Closer (1458200) make it easy to slip mattress cores into an FR sock and seal them. Other innovative equipment included an Automated Parts Management System (APS1) for better inventory control and a number of workstations that provide solutions for sewing borders and handles.
Edgewater Machine Co. Inc., a quilting machinery manufacturer in College Point, N.Y., added the feature-filled, advanced EMCO 9000-3, a three-axis, chain-stitch quilter engineered for operator convenience. The U.S.-made machine includes an automatic “needles up” feature when the machine halts, push-button looper positioning and a small electronic handwheel on the computer console.
Leggett & Platt’s Global Systems Group also showcased several new machines. Gribetz International held the Americas launch of both its B45 Border Quilter, a 45-inch wide quilter for fashionable decorative borders, and the V16 Quilt with Velocity super high-speed quilter for mattress panels. Other new machinery, such as flip tables and zipper-set machines, focused on the next generation of foam-core mattresses. Differentiated-feed sewing machines allow operators to sew wovens to knits, knits to knits, or unquilted knits to quilted knits with puckerless, flat seams.
The company also introduced EZ Plant, a Wi-Fi system for mattress factories that allows managers to check up on machinery via iPhone and Android smartphones and tablets, making it easy to monitor production when away from the plant.
Foam-cutting machinery maker Albrecht Bäumer GmbH & Co., which is based in Freudenberg, Germany, built in innovation to help foam producers and mattress makers deal with the difficulties of cutting stickier gel foams, said Terry Borchard, sales and key account manager for Bäumer of America Inc., based in Towaco, N.J. With interest in foam growing, more mattress makers are investing in their own foam-cutting equipment, he said.
D.R. Cash Inc., with headquarters in Louisville, Ky., displayed simple-to-use, U.S.-made machinery aimed at smaller manufacturers. The THS-12 mattress bag heat sealer and the fully electronic DTE-11 tape-edge machine are cost effective to operate and maintain and come at affordable prices, said Tommy Johnson, chief engineer.
Some lumber suppliers and machinery companies have come up with ways to facilitate construction of the all-wood foundation. Rock Island Industries in Rock Island, Ill., displayed the Alltruss Foundation, which allows operators to properly assemble a foundation in a few minutes.
Viking Engineering & Development Inc., a new machinery supplier to the bedding industry based in Fridley, Minn., offered the Viking Bed Machine that automates assembly of all-wood foundations.
- Special machinery report
BedTimes will present an in-depth look at trends in major mattress-making machinery in its July issue and that report will include more new product introductions made during ISPA EXPO 2012. Watch for the July BedTimes in your mailbox in early July or online at www.bedtimesmagazine.com.
Other product trend reports coming up this year: adhesives (October) and temperature-regulating products (November).
- Do you have EXPO news?
If you introduced new products or services at ISPA EXPO 2012 that haven’t been reported in BedTimes, we still can include them in upcoming issues of the magazine. Send news releases and photos to [email protected].
