Bedding Industries of America, the licensor of the Eclipse International and Eastman House brands, has hired former Leggett & Platt Inc. executive Russ Bowman to oversee and implement a new, companywide quality control and process improvement initiative.
He reports to Stuart Carlitz, president and chief executive officer of the North Brunswick, New Jersey-based company.
Bowman is a 43-year veteran of the bedding industry, an engineer and an expert in textile and mattress manufacturing machinery. He retired from L&P after a long tenure as president of sales and market development for machinery division Global Systems Group. Bowman’s expertise includes total quality management and lean manufacturing.
“We believe our investment in the overall licensing framework will help our partners be more successful and ultimately help us grow the Eclipse and Eastman House brands,” Carlitz said. “By providing excellent support and a strong support organization, we are positioning our licensees to be best in breed in the sleep industry. No other licensing brand is making the investment in people and driving real business to its licensees as are we.”
“Through our SOPs (standard operating procedures) and continuous improvement programs, we’ll be able to ensure consistency and product quality throughout our organization,” he continued. “Russ’ leadership, experience and relationships within the industry will be a great asset to our licensing partners and customers.”
Carlitz said quality assurance programs for production of the online brand Saatva, as well as for the Eastman House and Eclipse brands, are being finalized, and the company plans to send each licensee a SOP manual and quality assurance portfolio. Bowman will be visiting factories to assist in implementations.
Bowman will attend Interzum Cologne May 16-19 in Cologne, Germany, to help promote the international expansion of the Eclipse and Eastman House brands.
