HIGH QUALITY DOWN FOR SLEEPING BAGS ... - eBroschuere

DOWN MADE IN NATURE.
outdoor
close to nature
HIGH QUALITY DOWN FOR SLEEPING BAGS & DOWN CLOTHES.
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

WELCOME TO KARL SLUKA
1
1 Goose Trade 1930
2 Goose Market 1920
3 The Founders
2
Sluka FAMILY
in the feathers business
3
For four whole generations now, the Sluka family
has handled poultry and the by-product feathers ,
and the origins of the business can be traced back
to 1880.
The starting point was a fl ourishing trade in geese,
in Reichenberg, Bohemia – founded by Ignaz
Sluka, who at the time already did business with
raw feathers. Ignaz had fi ve sons, and two of
them, Karl and Adolf, joined him in the business of
geese, ducks and feathers. For operational reasons,
they relocated to Coswig in Saxony. This is
recorded in documents dated 22 June 1912. The
other three brothers remained in what was then
Czechoslovakia.
During World War II the business was shut down
for being “an enemy of the people”, and returned
in 1945. As a result, two branches developed: one
in Coswig, Saxony, and the other in Nittenau, Bavaria.
Again, the operation in Saxony had to deal
with the chaos of the post-war period. This meant
that they were transformed into a “people-owned
company” during the time East Germany existed.
But there was always at least one member of the
Sluka family working as a manager in the business.
In May 1990, still before reunifi cation, it was
reprivatised.
company
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

Sluka FAMILY
in the feathers business
The Bavarian branch in Nittenau was founded in
1952 by Karl Sluka, the grandson of the founder
Ignaz Sluka. Since the death of Karl senior in
1991, the business is managed by his son, also
Karl Sluka, the fourth generation. And so in 2012
we could celebrate the 60-year anniversary of the
Bavarian business. Today, many family members
still work in both branches, from grandchildren to
grandmother.
Best greetings from Bavaria,
Karl Sluka
company
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

HIGH QUALITY DOWN
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3
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1 Two washing Facilities
2 Cooling and Sorting
3 Sorting Facilities
4 Shipping
5 Filling Department
We have a classic feather and down factory
with 1.200 m 2 of production area and 2.000 m 2
of warehouse space, equipped with state-ofthe-art
technology.
Around 100 tons of raw feathers and down are
processed every year, still leaving signifi cant
reserves in capacity. A total of 16 employees
guarantee a smooth operation, from order acceptance
to delivery by truck.
We offer grades of high-quality down from the
traditional supply countries, like Poland, Russia,
Ukraina and even from Germany.
After expert and environmentally friendly processing
the down is sold, either loosely fi lled in sacks
or as covered bedding.
Furthermore, we`ve been able to increasingly
gain customers in 12 countries. We have been
delivering the fi nest down-comforters to clients in
Japan for more than 30 years already.
5
company
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

The OUTDOOR and
APPAREL section.
Premium fi llings for sleeping bags
and down clothes are mainly shipped to Asia,
or fi lled with our own fi lling equipment.
Outdoor Team
outdoor
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

The OUTDOOR and
APPAREL section.
Carmen Bennewitz, Team Leader
outdoor
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

INTERESTING FACTS
ABOUT DOWN
Karl Sluka feathers and down come exclusively
from geese and ducks, i.e. water fowl. Nature has
provided geese and ducks with a unique protection
against heat loss, their plumage, in order
to withstand adverse weather conditions.This
plumage, by the way, consists of a horn-like substance
like our hair. When it comes to plumage,
one distinguishes between down and feathers.
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3
2
4
1 Goose Feather
2 Duck Feather
3 Goose Down
4 Duck Down
A down is three dimensional. From a punctiform
core, delicate branches storing air appear to
spread out in rays. Air is a poor conductor of heat
and thus a barrier to heat loss. Especially large
down have a greater storage capacity. They can
store more air and thus insulate better. A down
weighs about 0.001 – 0.002 grams. Therefore,
when you are sleeping in a sleepingbag you are
being kept snug and warm by app. 1 million down.
What’s more, they are hygroscopic, i.e. they take
up moisture and release it again to the environment
in combination with a suitable shell. One
speaks of moisture absorption, creating an ideal
microclimate in bed.
ADVANTAGES OF DOWN
► snug and warm
► provide an ideal microclimate
► super light-weight
► extremely compressible
► washable
► suitable for those with allergic reactions
to dust mites
► 100% natural
► sustainable
facts about
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

Inhouse Laboratory
ADVANTAGES ARGUING
IN FAVOUR OF
KARL SLUKA DOWN
1. Established know-how since four generations
2. The use of our in-house well allows us to spend
up to 250 litres of water in order to wash 1 kg
raw down. We can reach thus a very high turbidity
(up to 1000 mm). Special technologies
for the antibacterial equipment or improvement
of the washability of the sleeping bag or the
down clothes can be used on request.
3. Use of biodegradable washing agents.
4. We have our own laboratory in order to check
the down quality in terms of down content and
fi ll power. We can reproduce the fi ll power when
in a steamed state.
facts about
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

PROOVED QUALITY
5. Close collaboration with the IDFL. When
purchasing more than 500 kilos the customer
receives an IDFL-certifi cate for free which gives
details on fi ll power and composition of the
down supplied. Other parameters
such as oxygen number, fat content,
turbidity etc. can be tested
on request at IDFL.
6. We use large bags (120 x 220 cm) in which we
fi ll 10 kilos down at most.The down has thus
sufficient space to develop.
Karl Kraus, Plant Manager
7. We load 20-feet containers with a maximum of
600 kg down and 40-feet high cube containers
with a maximum of 1.200 kg down. The bags
are thus not pressed too strong, which is of
benefi t to the ʺloftʺ.
8. In case of container shipping, e.g. to Asia, it
goes without saying that we prepare any documents
such as veterinary certifi cate, certifi cate
of origin, etc. and provide for the making available
of containers.
9. We can seal each bag with plombes upon
disposition.
facts about
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

We are member of
► VDFI (Verband der
Deutschen Daunen-und
Federnindustrie e.V.)
► EDFA (European Down &
Feather Association)
► Pro Down Alliance
(www.feather-downinitiative.com)
See our
Eiderdown-homepage
► www.eiderdowns.info
we take
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY

Hof
Nürnberg
Nittenau
Karl Sluka
Regensburg
Ingolstadt
Thanner Straße 28
D-93149 Nittenau/Germany
Tel.: +49(0)9436-8338
Fax: +49(0)9436-1829
kuscheldaune@t-online.de
www.slukaoutdoor.com
Friedrichshafen
München
Bodensee
DOWN MADE IN NATURE.
company
FEATHER -AND DOWN COMPANY