SleepTech January/February 2019

www.sleeptechmagazine.com

January - February 2020

www.elektroteks.com.tr

P: +90.224 443 46 28 - 29 F: +90.224 441 99 90 Nilüfer Bursa TURKEY info@elektroteks.com.tr

4

8

Devan promotes body positivity

with upgraded health &

wellness range, including new

additions to their Hemp CBD

range

Boycelik: “Turkey will reach

500 billion export target in

2023”

22

INDEX ADS

Boyteks.............................................Back cover

Boyçelik................................ Inside back cover

Elektroteks............................. Inside front cover

Elektroteks.......................................................... 1

Durak Tekstil....................................................... 2

Nova................................................................... 5

Aydın Tekstil.....................................................6-7

Artilat........................................................... 10-11

Comfytex.................................................... 12-13

Kırayteks........................................................... 15

Kosmoz............................................................. 17

Gemba............................................................ 19

Özen İplik......................................................... 21

Gasan............................................................... 25

Nano Yay......................................................... 31

BedCovers...................................................3435

GizGrup.......................................................36-37

Bedco Textile................................................... 41

Akdemir Makine.............................................43

Akkoza..............................................................45

Feryal................................................................ 47

İpeker...............................................................49

Nerteks............................................................. 51

Allbeco.............................................................59

Allbemak......................................................... 61

Histeks...............................................................63

Seral..................................................................65

İnterzum...........................................................83

Ersan Madeni.............................................92-93

Şiteks................................................................. 97

32

66

88

Nano Springs: “We can

continue to increase our

exports by taking the right

steps

“If the developments in the US-

China trade war are supported

by political relations, the Turkish

mattress industry can benefit

from this situation”

52

Elektroteks: “Turkey still has

a potential of being one of

the key successions for US to

struggle against China amid

the trade war”

Mert Makina: “Turkey has the

potential of filling the gap that

will happen in the USA with

its location, labor costs and

product quality”

78

interzum guangzhou 2020 to

serve up multitude of “Belt

& Road” opportunities for

upstream furniture production

industry

Felt manufacturing

and its usage in

mattresses

100

6

From The Editor

w w w . s l e e p t e c h m a g a z i n e . c o m

Heimtextil

goes beyond

the limits!

Its name suggests home textiles but it has more in store. It covers

all indoor, outdoor, home and contract sector textiles but

it never gets satisfied with these…

Heimtextil is good for window applications, accessories, hard

and soft materials. These are still not enough for the giant. It

needs more!

Publisher

Managing Editor

(Responsible)

Editorial Consultants

ISTMAG

Magazin Gazetecilik Yayıncılık

İç ve Dış Ticaret Ltd. Şti.

Adına sahibi

H. Ferruh IŞIK

Mehmet SOZTUTAN

(mehmet.soztutan@img.com.tr)

Prof. Dr. Ismail KAYA

Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Ali OZBUDUN

Recep SAHIN

Omer Faruk GOrUn

Chris France, Leggett & Platt

Domestic Sales Manager

Omer Faruk GORUN (omer.gorun@img.com.tr)

Advertising Coordinator

+90 224 211 44 50-51

International Sales Manager

Ayca SarIoglu (ayca.sarioglu@img.com.tr)

Tel: +90 212 604 5100 Fax: +90 212 604 5135

Art Director

Finance Manager

Tolga CAKMAKLI

(tolga.cakmakli@img.com.tr)

Yusuf DEMIRKAZIK

(yusuf.demirkazik@img.com.tr)

Heimtextil dares to act as a mattress machinery and technologies

fair. It attracts different machineries and technologic

applications for manufacturing sleep products. When you go

through Hall 12 you think this is a whole sleep and technologies

fair. And it is successful.

Subscription

Zekeriya AYDOGAN

(zekeriya.aydogan@img.com.tr)

Celebrating its golden year, Heimtextil is a legendary show for

many industries and it opens the way, it leads the way it pushes

the button for a successful year for those who are involved

as exhibitors or visitors. I, myself, attend this show for more

than three decades not skipping one single edition. I will do so

more as long as I am in business. I love going to Frankfurt for a

successful show. We display and distribute 6 magazines in this

lovely show. Must be as Heimtextil, we are not satisfied with

less either. Our home textile magazine is HTE but we go beyond

the limits and cover with FURNISHING FABRIC FASHION,

SLEEP WELL, SLEEP TECH, CONTRACT BUSINESS and DÉCOR.

Many happy and successful returns Heimtextil.

HEAD OFFICE

İHLAS MEDIA CENTER

Merkez Mah. 29 Ekim Cad. No:11

Medya Blok Kat:1

34197 Yenibosna / İstanbul / Turkey

Tel: +90 212 454 22 22

Faks: +90 212 454 22 93

LIAISON OFFICE: BURSA

Buttim Plaza A. Blok Kat:4

No:1038 Osmangazi / Bursa

Tel: +90 224 211 44 50-51

Fax: +90 224 211 44 81

PRINTED BY

IHLAS GAZETECILIK A.Ş.

Merkez Mahallesi 29 Ekim Caddesi İhlas Plaza No:11 A/41

Yenibosna-Bahçelievler/ISTANBUL

Tel: 0212 454 30 00

Mehmet Soztutan

10

Devan promotes body positivity with

upgraded health & wellness range,

including new additions to their

Hemp CBD range

Belgian firm to highlight health & wellness solutions at Heimtextil-Frankfurt

RONSE, BELGIUM – Devan

Chemicals, the Belgium-based

developer of finishing technologies

for textiles, plans to showcase

some of its latest health

and wellness solutions at the

upcoming Heimtextil trade show

in Frankfurt, Germany. The new

solutions are an expansion of

Devan’s R-Vital® range of microencapsulated,

organic active

ingredients.

CBD+

After the successful launch of

R-Vital® Hemp CBD at Heimtextil

2019, Devan says they are

working on an upgrade of their

11

Hemp CBD range in accordance with the

latest trends in the overall CBD markets.

Think of CBG, terpenes and other organic

ingredients that enhance the properties

of CBD. Devan’s CBD range, sourced in

the US, is organic, GMO- free, pesticide

free and contains no THC.

Super Moisture Boost – Love the skin you’re

in

Most of us have already heard of body

positivity, the movement that advocates

the acceptance of all bodies no matter

the form, size, or appearance. This challenges

the ways in which society presents

and views the physical body. For

Devan, feeling comfortable in your skin

also suggests taking care of your skin.

R-Vital® ‘Super Moisture Boost’ is a carefully

composed organic blend of avocado

(a popular ingredient in keto-diets) and

amaranth seed oil (containing squalene)

that helps to soften and hydrate the

skin. The natural oils deeply penetrate

into the skin, and contain fatty acids

known to delay the appearance of

premature aging and to moisturize and

tighten the skin.

Cold Proof

Every year, millions of people are affected

by ‘a cold’ with an average of 2-3

colds per year. Most people get colds in

winter and spring, but it is possible to

get a cold any time of the year. Furthermore,

during cold weather people suffer

more from skin dryness and skin irritation

due to the drop in temperature and

humidity.

R-Vital® ‘Cold Proof’ is a unique solution,

releasing organic ingredients such as

camphor and echinacea to protect people

from the ailments of colder times.

Heimtextil, the world’s largest international

trade fair for home and contract

textiles, takes place this Jan. 7-10 at the

Messe Frankfurt, where Devan will occupy

Booth B28 in Hall 11.0. Some of Devan’s

innovations will already be presented in

the Heimtextil collections of customers

such as Standard Fiber and Trident.

As a world leader in latex foams, Artilat helps you

build the perfect mattress, ensuring a good night’s

sleep. From cores over toppers to cooling and

other features, Artilat is the place to be. Thanks to

decades of knowledge in the bedding industry, we

are able to provide you with top quality products.

Artilat nv

Koningsbaan 79,

2560 Nijlen, Belgium

www.artilat.be

info@artilat.be

T +32 (0)3 410 13 00

FOLLOW US

DISCOVER

www.artilat.be

16

New converting center for

technical foams

FoamPartner is expanding its manufacturing capacities in Duderstadt, Germany

FoamPartner Fritz Nauer AG,

with headquarters in Wolfhausen

(Switzerland), is building a

converting center for industrial

foams at the company’s site

in Duderstadt (Germany). The

new center is scheduled to go

on-stream in the first half-year

of 2020 and will lead to the

creation of several new jobs.

“There is a rising demand for

custom-tailored technical foams

in specialized industrial application

areas,” says Dr. Michael

Riedel, CEO of FoamPartner. “For

this reason, we have decided

to build a new converting center

that meets this trend and will

significantly expand our supply

capacities for industrial foam

products.”

The new center will be equipped

with state-of-the-art technology

to provide customized technical

foam solutions for various

applications. Solutions are

particularly aimed at acoustics,

sealing and filtering, as well as

in household, surface treatment

and packaging segments. The

center will mainly process foam

materials from the company’s

own three European production

sites in Leverkusen, Duderstadt

and Wolfhausen.

Several different manufacturing

cells in the new converting center

will deliver customer-specific

products in FoamPartner’s proven

best-in-class quality. It will be

using advanced control and

process technologies amongst

others in cutting, stamping,

milling, drilling, laminating and

packaging. In addition, there

will be a small-scale machining

center for customized specialty

products in lower volumes.

With a surface area of 8,500

square meters, the new converting

center for industrial specialty

foams represents an overall

investment of approximately 10

million euros. Following the construction

approval by the local

authorities, work on the new

center has already started, with

inauguration scheduled for the

first half-year of 2020. Moreover,

Duderstadt will also take over

most of the production business

of the group’s site at Stadtallendorf

(Germany), which is expected

to close operations by end of

June 2020 for infrastructural and

technical reasons. The consolidation

of FoamPartner’s European

manufacturing sites will strengthen

the company’s competitive

standing in the market and will

have no impact on the reliable

supply of products to customers.

FoamPartner, with headquarters

in Wolfhausen (Switzerland) and

14 Centers of Competence across

Europe, America and Asia-Pacific,

is a global leader in foam

technology. The company offers

its customers a broad portfolio

of best-in-class foam and other

material solutions engineered to

the highest standards of form,

function and quality. More than

1,100 employees worldwide

develop, manufacture, process

and distribute custom-tailored

polyurethane foam products

focused on three market segments:

Mobility, Specialties, and

Living & Care. FoamPartner was

founded in 1937 and has been

a member of the Conzzeta Group

since 1980.

18

Pilozzz launches one of the

world’s first CBD infused

pillows

Direct-to-consumer bedding brand, Pilozzz LLC, released one of the world’s

first CBD infused pillows via their website Pilozzz.com this week. Consumers

finally have access to a luxury CBD sleep product that offers comfort and quality,

providing an alternative solution to stress and anxiety.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) – Pilozzz,

a luxury comfort pillow brand releases

its first revolutionary CBD

pillow that has a luxurious down

alternative inner fill with 100%

recycled polyester providing

unparalleled comfort and support

for all sleep positions with a

removable outer zippered cover

that is infused with a proprietary

microencapsulation of CBD oils.

The infusion stays active for

at least 10-15 washes, and if

you’re one to use an additional

pillow case, you can still achieve

the CBD benefits. CBD has been

known to help manage anxiety,

promote relaxation, and lead to

an incredibly restful sleep.

Pilozzz specializes in innovative

and socially responsible sleep

technologies. Our mission is to

produce comfortable, yet mindful

pillows that combine sustainable

materials with natural technologies

to help build towards a

healthier, happier planet for all.

“My sister and I grew up in the

bedding trade and want to

make a difference by delivering

solution-based products that we

know will provide our customers

with a peaceful night’s sleep,

while also benefitting the environment.

We call it Pilozzz with

a Purpose!” remarks Amanda

Spinella, co-founder of Pilozzz.

com. “With our deep roots in the

industry, we are excited to bring

our innovative, high-quality

products to our community and

can’t wait for them to have a

better night’s sleep because of

it!” Pilozzz is changing the way

we think about sleep and relaxation.

Pilozzz encourages their

customers to sleep away their

stress and anxiety just by resting

their heads on a well-crafted

product designed to improve

sleep and quality of life.

20

Malouf introduces new

series of adjustable bed

bases

LOGAN, Utah—Malouf recently

launched its 55 series of adjustable

bed bases, which consists

of four customized models ranging

from promotional to luxury.

This new series brings the company’s

lineup to six adjustable

bases and provides solutions for

every retail price point.

“We’ve upgraded the features

and technology on our

adjustable bed bases to provide

better comfort at an even

better value,” said VP of Sales

Mike Douglas. “We continue to

innovate and find new ways to

give customers the best sleep

solutions on the market.”

Bringing elevated comfort and

convenience to consumers,

each adjustable base in the 55

series features a modern design,

zero-clearance construction, and

preset memory positions (including

Zero Gravity, Anti-Snore,

and Flat). Plus, the bases are

foldable for easy transportation

and storage.

Malouf adjustable bed bases

with Bluetooth® capability can

also be paired with the industry-leading

Malouf Base App—

developed by the company’s

in-house software engineering

team. Premium features on the

Malouf Base App include Partner

Control, hands-free voice activation

via Siri Shortcuts, and a dark

mode display option.

“The intuitive ordering portal,

quick shipping, low minimum

orders, and MAP price protection

make the vast lineup of Malouf

adjustable bases the go-to

choice for any concept,” said

Wes Manley, general manager

for Mattress Man.

22

MADE IN GREEN by

OEKO-TEX ®

MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®

is a traceable product label

for all kinds of textiles (e.g.

garments, home textiles) and

non-textile components (e.g. accessories).

The MADE IN GREEN

label verifies that an article

has been tested for harmful

substances. This is carried out

through certification in accordance

with STANDARD 100 by

OEKO-TEX®. It also guarantees

that the textile

product has been

manufactured using

sustainable processes

under environmentally

friendly

and socially

responsible working

conditions.

This is carried

out through

certification

in accordance

with STeP

by OE-

KO-TEX®.

You can

use a

unique product ID on the label

to trace the countries and

production facilities in which the

labelled article was produced.

What does the label mean?

Each item labelled with MADE

IN GREEN can be traced using a

unique product ID or QR code.

The

label gives

access to

information

regarding

production

facilities

in which the

textile was

produced,

the stage of

production

to which the

fabrics belong

and the countries in

which manufacture

took place.

The MADE IN GREEN label gives

you the certainty of knowing

that the textile product is made:

•with materials that have been

tested for harmful substances

•in environmentally friendly

facilities

•in safe and socially responsible

workplaces.

Which products can be labelled?

All kinds of textiles can receive

the MADE IN GREEN label. This

includes garments, home textiles,

fabrics, non-wovens, textile

accessories and non-textile

components. The condition for

the issue of the MADE IN GREEN

label is that the article has been

tested in accordance with the

STANDARD 100 and manufactured

in STeP certified facilities.

24

Boycelik: “Turkey will reach

500 billion export target in

2023”

Export is extremely

important in the

development

of a country’s

economy and

trade wars upset

the balances. Feridun

Tosun, Export Manager

of Boycelik, one of the most

important exporters of Turkey,

spoke to Sleep Tech magazine

about trade wars between China

and the US.

How do you interpret the

impact of trade wars

between China and

the US in the mattress

sub-market? How do

you think the Turkish

mattress sub-industry is

affected by this situation?

As everyone knows, the USA

has the most powerful economy

in the world. The second one

is China. China is the country

which has been following the

USA continuously, due to the

power it has achieved especially

in technological fields in recent

years. Because of that reason,

the USA wouldn’t be glad if

they lose on leadership against

China. In order to stop the

Chinese economy just a bit, the

USA began to impose customs

duties on Chinese products in

2018. Although the steel issue

is taking place between the USA

and China, I think this should be

considered as an economic war

that America has opened globally

to all countries. 60-70% of the

25

mattresses produced as spring

bearings in the world. One

of the most common inputs of

spring bearing is the steel wire

used in spring production. The

economic sanctions imposed by

the USA on China has negatively

affected the bedding sector and

semi-finished product supply.

It’s getting harder to manage

this market because of the USA

actions. Especially, the European

Union is introduced steel

wire quotas in 2018 to protect

its local producers. The USA

would impose firstly 25% tax on

steel imports from Turkey and

then they increased the amount

to 50% tax rate. These both

actions have caused increased

steel market prices and reduced

Turkey’s steel export figures.

By and large, it caused the

European Union’s imposing

quotas on steel imports, which

increased prices. Many countries

have turned to new markets and

they are exploring alternative

markets.

What are the precautions to take in

Turkey’s import-export issues?

Turkey was a country which

imports the raw material for

many products over the years.

Increases in exchange rates in

recent years have significantly

raised import costs. Imports

Feridun Tosun, Export Manager

have become much more expensive.

In fact, this situation seems

to be negative and increases

the production costs of firms, but

it paves the way for domestic

production. Specifically, Turkey’s

to reach to 70% production of

its production in the defense

industry. And production of IHA

and SIHA. Also it is an extremely

important development which

is currently ongoing domestic

automobile production.

Turkey in particular has managed

to increase almost every year in

exports since 2001. Turkey will

reach 500 billion export target in

2023. Increasing the incentives

that will increase the competitiveness

of exporting companies

in international markets, carrying

out works to reduce transportation

costs, making export

customs clearance processes

simpler, the adoption of Turquality

processes by companies

to increase the importance of

brand awareness, highlighting

especially innovative products,

increasing exports of high value-added

products and sustainability

are needed.

26

Which country do you export most

as a company? Which factors

do you think play a role in these

countries choosing a Turkish

company?

In general, European Union countries

and North and South American

countries have an important

place in our exports. As Boyçelik,

our pre-sales and after-sales services,

product quality and brand

awareness are the main factors

in choose us.

What kind of suggestions can you

offer to companies that want to

expand their export network?

Export is extremely important in

the development of the country’s

economy. Companies should not

be only satisfied with domestic

sales and marketing activities,

they also need to operate in

international markets and to be

on the way to branding. Companies

should not settle with the

existing markets in the international

markets, but should seek

new markets. Although companies

sometimes try to maintain

market share with lower profit

margins by increasing their

promotion activities in markets

with intense competition, this

situation will not be sustainable

in the long term. Therefore, companies

are missing many opportunities

in markets where they

have not reached yet and where

competition is less intense. In

order to increase export turnover,

to turn to more profitable

markets and to increase market

share, they must constantly seek

new markets.

28

Trevira wins

Brandenburg Innovation

Award for its new flame

retardant, UV-resistant

polyester yarn

Copyright © Agentur Medienlabor Adam Sevens

Trevira has been named winner

of the “Brandenburg Innovation

Award for Plastics and Chemistry

2019” by the Brandenburg

Ministry of Economic Affairs for

its new flame retardant, UV-resistant

polyester yarn. The yarn,

which is available in a variety

of colours, is specially designed

for outdoor applications. It was

selected for the award by a jury

of five, with the prize-giving

ceremony taking place at the

Cluster Conference Plastics and

Chemistry on 21 November.

29

Trevira GmbH’s innovative new

yarn combines multiple qualities

in a way never before achieved

for a polyester textile. The yarn

features permanently integrated

flame retardancy and UV protection,

along with durable colour

that is highly resistant to washing.

It has immense potential for

numerous applications in highly

regulated outdoor sectors – for

example in areas such as lounge

furnishings for cruise ships.

CEO Klaus Holz said, “We are

extremely pleased that our innovative

development has been

recognised by the jury of the

Brandenburg Innovation Award.

Our product demonstrates the

enormous talent and potential of

our development department.”

Five companies were nominated

for this year’s innovation award,

which carries a €10,000 prize.

As part of the selection process,

each company was invited to

meet the jury in person to talk

about their product. The Brandenburg

Ministry for Economic

Affairs describes the prize as

rewarding outstanding ideas

and solutions by Brandenburg

start-ups and companies, along

with creative solutions from

cross-sector partnerships between

companies and research

institutions.

Trevira GmbH is an innovative

European manufacturer of

high-value branded fibres and

filament yarns for technical applications

and hygiene products

as well as for home textiles,

automotive interiors and functional

apparel. Two production

sites and a Marketing and Sales

office with a total of approx.

1,100 employees are located in

Germany. These are supported

by an international marketing

and sales organization. In 2018,

sales amounted to around 235

Copyright © Agentur Medienlabor Adam Sevens

million Copyright Euros. © Agentur Medienlabor The head Adam office Sevens

of the company is located in

Bobingen near Augsburg. Owner

of Trevira GmbH is Indorama

Venture PCL, Thailand.

Trevira has a worldwide reputation

for fibres and yarns for

flame retardant polyester home

textiles (Trevira CS), for its fibre

specialties for hygiene products

and technical applications

as well as for low-pill fibres for

functional apparel.

30

Latest technology trends, innovative

ideas and product developments at

India Mattresstech + Upholstery

supplies Expo 2020 (IME 2020)

For the first time ever, NuernbergMesse’s

latest acquisition,

INDIA MATTRESSTECH AND UP-

HOLSTERY SUPPLIES EXPO (IME

2020) will be co-located with

INDIAWOOD 2020 with new

pavilions featuring mattress and

upholstery production technology,

machinery & supplies at BIEC

in February next year.

In its 5th edition, the show will

feature 5,000+ sqm. of space,

host over 7,000 visitors, 130+

exhibitors with international

representation from Turkey, Germany,

Sri Lanka and China. The

exhibition will be focussed on

mattress production machinery

and supplies, mattress finishing

machinery and supplies, production

tools and equipment,

upholstery production technology,

machinery and supplies, bed

systems, new materials, trade

associations, business services

and media.

According to the Industry experts,

the Indian mattress

31

market has been forecasted to

attain the value of INR 140 Bn

million by 2021. To stand tall

and ride this wave, this emplacement

of India Mattresstech

and Upholstery Expo (IME 2020)

to be co-located with India

Wood 2020 will be the most

ideal blend for showcasing the

latest technology trends, innovative

ideas and product development

in one of the fastest

growing sectors in the Indian

economy.

India’s most definitive expo and the ONLY

B2B trade fair for mattress and upholstery

production technology, machinery &

supplies at BIEC, Bengaluru on February

27 – March 1, 2020.

Highlights

• India Mattresstech + Upholstery

Supplies Expo 2020

(IME 2020) to present 5,000 +

square meters of space, 7,000

+ visitors, 130 + exhibitors with

international representations

from Turkey, Germany, Sri Lanka

and China.

•Professionally conducted Hosted

Buyer Programme.

32

• Large display of the latest

working machineries, technology

and supplies.

• Technical seminars by Indian

Sleep Products Federation (ISPF)

• Held in Bengaluru, the home

ground for most key brands in

the mattress industry, offline as

well as online.

• India Wood 2020 exhibition,

the 11th edition of the show will

be held concurrent to IME 2020

during 27th Feb – 2nd March for

the first time at the Bangalore

International Exhibition Centre.

• The 4-day show will attract

buyers from across India, the

neighbouring countries (Nepal,

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & Bhutan),

Middle-East, Africa and the

South East Asian countries.

Key sectors such as machinery

& technology, materials &

supplies, fittings, hardware &

components spaces will be the

driving factors for the mattress

manufacturing + upholstery

industry in India.

Key indicators for the development

and progress in the mattress

industry

• Innovative strategies by both

the offline and online industries

have led to increase in the customization

of mattresses.

• Rising awareness regarding

mattress types and brands has

brought about new techniques

enabling brands to utilize their

resources and technologies

better.

• Rise in demand for good quality

mattresses in India has led

to positive advancement in the

organized sector.

34

Nano Springs:

“We can continue

to increase our

exports by taking

the right steps

Serkan Kır, The company official

of Nano Springs interprets US

trade war between China and

export-oriented trade wars.

How do you interpret the impact

of trade wars between China and

the US in the mattress sub industry

market?

Both low-cost production and

high exchange rate make China’s

foreign trade competitiveness

are increasing. Chinese goods,

which are already cheap due

to low costs, become more and

more cheaper and attractive in

dollar trades due to the high

exchange rate. Import demands

for those cheaper goods will increase,

so China’s foreign trade

competitiveness will increase,

while the foreign trade balance

of other countries will be negatively

affected. However, we can

continue to increase our exports

by taking the right steps in this

process, we can diversify the

market by opening to new ones.

How do you think the Turkish

mattress sub-industry is affected

by this situation?

Today, there is nearly no country

that can compete with China

because of its technology,

production capacity, manpower

and low working standards. And

Turkey, because it is included

in China’s Silk Road project has

been affected more directly.



More stringent inspections are

required. Government intervention

in the foreign exchange market

for foreign exchange control

should increase.

35




countries choosing a Turkish

company?

We mostly export goods to

United Kingdom and many more

countries. I believe that they

prefer us for quality products

and honest trade.




Due to trade wars, new customs

duties or sanctions may

be imposed every day. So the

importance of being able to

receive payments from customers

becomes more important in

this period when risks increase

so much. First of all, companies

should be substantial about

their assets’ so that new investments

can be made.

They can seek help from future

investments by researching and

utilizing government subsidies.

40

The youngest mattress

covers manufacturer

BEDCO TEXTILE on the

way to be the strongest!

Established in March 2019,

Bedco Textile has already exported

its products to 7 countries.

The company is getting its

power for being in the mattress

raw material industry for over

fifteen years and dedication to

produce the highest quality with

best possible pricing.

The CEO, Mr. N. Selcuk Sahin

has stated that the company

is established in Freezone of

Kayseri as their main aim is to

serve international companies,

which also gives an opportunity

to offer better prices than any

Turkish company located in regular

industrial areas.

He also indicated that the company

is just a place that experience

and new talents has met.

The new generation is creating

the most innovative models

with unique ideas and fashion.

Whereas the experienced tailors

are creating the product with

handcraft.

The company is also very unique

in name of machinery and activeness.

The machines used in production

is all the latest models

of trusted machinery producers.

41

Mr. Canan, sales & marketing

manager, has informed that

company achievement of the

company is far beyond the first

quarter goals. The manager

has informed that this success

is a result of being a reliable

supplier for many years and the

knowledge that was transferred

to the company both from the

managing team and the production

team.

Mr. Canan continued to state

that the joint of experienced

production people, and innovative

young talents resulted as a

leading success in a very short

time.

He believes that the customer

satisfaction, great products

with great pricing will keep the

success growing.

The company is also prominent

with their raw material suppliers.

They only work with the

companies who have proved

themselves in the international

area, and could supply the quality

certification as needed.

The production of the company

is not only focusing on conventional

mattress covers but also

some unique items such as

organic fabrics and raw materials

(GOTS certificated), semi-finished

mattress with pillow top

or euro top.

Mr. Sahin has informed that the

company is also active in bedding

supplies such as mattress

protectors, pillows and quilts.

And they are already supplying

their customers with innovative

anti-cellulite mattress protectors

for ladies and cooled mattress

protectors for men, organic latex

pillows both in France and USA.

Another good thing about the

company is that both is possible

to have sewn mattress covers

42

with mattress components

in the same shipment.

Mr. Canan has stated that

they sometimes serve as

a raw material supplier

according to the customers’

needs. “Sometimes

our customers informing

us that they need the

materials to fill inside the

mattress covers, so we

help them to find the required

products with the best possible

prices. Then they are just having

the fun of getting a fully loaded

container with sewn mattress

covers, and the materials to

finish the mattress.”

“I remember we supplied one

of customers the roll packing

machine, foam, spring units,

packaging plastic bags and even

company logo printed boxes together

with the zippered covers.

Then he wanted us to make the

photo shooting for their products

with their logo etc. the Turkish

photo shooting studios are awesome.

They did great job, and

now our customer is just having

fun of being one of the best online

mattress seller in Greece.”

Plant manager Mr. Yavuz Canan,

“We are trying to be great

supplier to our customers. We

provide them the sewn

covers and semi-finished

mattresses with the latest

technology mattress

ticking. We are closely

working with the R&D

departments of the mattress

ticking manufacturers

to make the better and

innovative product in the

market. Our design team’s

origin is women clothing

so we can say that we are the

most unique company paying

attention on the fashion too.”

The company has seemed to

be very active in the production

technologies, human resources

and marketing. They seemed to

be loving the job they are doing,

and dedicated to serve to their

customers. We wish them to

keep the success going that

they got until now.

44

American Blossom Linens

introduces dye free bedding bade

from naturally grown Colored

Foxfibre ® organic cotton

American Blossom Linens, a direct to consumer brand of

bedding, made by family owned Thomaston Mills, introduced

a new color called Latte Linen to their line of organic cotton

bedding. Latte Linen is made from a blend of West Texas

organic cotton and Foxfibre ® naturally grown colored cotton.

American Blossom Linens, a

direct to consumer brand of

bedding, made by family owned

Thomaston Mills, introduced

a new color called Latte Linen

to their line of organic cotton

bedding. Latte Linen is made

from a blend of West Texas

organic cotton and Foxfibre®

naturally grown colored cotton.

Thomaston Mills has been

making bedding for over 115

years in the town of Thomaston,

Georgia. While nearly all textile

manufacturing and production

moved overseas, decimating

factories and jobs, Thomaston

Mills stood resolute and kept

manufacturing here in the USA.

Thomaston Mills brought back

American Blossom because of a

46

need for sustainable products,

impeccably made in the USA by

friends and neighbors. These are

products that will last and last

and never go out of style.

What makes Latte Linen different

from any other bedding

product on the market is that

it is made from a base fiber

of natural West Texas organic

cotton combined with Foxfibre®

Coyote Brown heirloom cotton.

Foxfibre® is organically grown in

a rich color which is integral to

the fiber itself. These linens are

completely dye-free, not a drop

of dye is needed to give these

sheets their beautiful shade.

Dyed fabrics start to fade after

a few washings but the color of

Foxfibre® will bloom deeper and

richer over time. The touch will

even grow softer, the more you

use it and wash it. Natural variations

in the fiber cause each

set of bedding to be as unique

as the plants it comes from. This

makes a fabric that has the look

of linen and the performance

of the most luxurious, percale

bedding.

This wonderful cotton called

Foxfibre® was developed by

Sally Fox, a “cotton pioneer” for

her efforts regarding organic,

colored cotton. In the 1980’s she

was the first one to develop the

systems to grow and promote

organic cotton in the USA, which

started the conversation about

organic textiles. The naturally

colored cottons that Sally works

with have existed for centuries

and are traced back at least

4300 years and originated in

48

the Americas. Heirloom cotton

was once abundant and grew in

a rainbow of shades including

green, yellow, blue and brown.

She did what no one thought

was possible. She hand bred

ancient, naturally pest resistant

varieties that can be grown

using organic and biodynamic

farming methods. She was able

to develop long staple lengths

that allowed the cotton fiber to

be spun into high quality yarn.

Naturally colored heirloom

organic cotton is also more

vigorous, drought tolerant,

pest and disease resistant

and requires less water. When

Foxfibre® cotton is used there is

no need to dye fabric in order to

obtain a rich color. It is free from

harmful chemicals. This saves the

environment from water wastage

and chemical exposure in the

dyeing process. Toxic chemicals

are often used to dye cloth in

developing regions with little

environmental regulations or

worker safety protections. Most

commercial non-organic varieties

of cotton use GMO seeds that

have been bred for homogeneous

characteristics like white

color. They require tremendous

amounts of water and are highly

dependent on the use of herbicides

and insecticides.

The Latte Linen collection,

available now on the American

Blossom Linens website, includes

sheets sets, duvet sets

and pillowcase sets. The linens

are generously sized with extra

deep pockets to provide an excellent

fit on almost any height

mattress. “Top or Bottom” labels

act as visual cues to help you

place the fitted sheet correctly

on the mattress.

Developer Sally Fox describes

the quality best when she says,

“I believe that it’s the suppleness.

The smallest amount of

Foxfibre® added in with the

white cotton gives it a softness

that no white cotton that I have

found has. You lay down on

those sheets and you feel it.

Not only that, these fabrics last

a long time, much longer than

white cotton.” American Blossom

Linens are 100% made in

the USA using traceable organic

cotton grown by family farmers.

All the components of American

Blossom Linens bedding are

grown, processed, finished and

sewn in the USA, supporting

American workers and dramatically

reducing the carbon footprint.

The linens are American

all the way from the farm to the

bed.

50

UK’s first plastic free

mattress launched: My

Kind Mattress, by The

French Bedroom Company

Made from naturally flame

retardant organic materials, the

mattresses are 100% recyclable,

100% biodegradable, 100%

chemical free and made from

sustainable materials, reducing

the pressure on already over-capacity

landfill sites across the

UK.

Reducing landfill

The average mattress is made

from 60% plastic-based materials

which means it can take up

to 120 years to biodegrade.

The National Bed Federation

recommend consumers change

their mattress every 7 years.

Mattress mountains are an all

too familiar sight on the UK’s

landscape; between 5.9 and 6.2

million mattresses are sent to

landfill each year*, weighing an

estimated 167,000 tonnes, the

equivalent to 92,800 cars. They

take up 3.6 million cubic metres

of landmass, the equivalent of

32,000 double decker buses

every year.

Out of all mattresses disposed

of, an average of 16% are recycled,

73% are sent to landfill,

and the remaining 11% are

incinerated.

52

The French Bedroom Company’s

My Kind Mattress is 99.87%

plastic free**, meaning it will

biodegrade entirely within 1-3

years.

Chemical free

Britons are being exposed to

harmful chemicals from birth,

with UK mothers’ breast milk

containing the highest concentration

of flame retardants in

Europe.

A Commons environment audit

committee has issued a report

raising concerns about flame-retardant

chemicals used on home

furnishings. Committee chairwoman

Mary Creagh said: “Most

people assume that they aren’t

at risk from toxic chemicals but

the reality is different. Mums in

the UK have some of the world’s

highest concentrations of flame

retardants in their breast milk,

some of which have now been

banned. Chemical flame retardants

are still being widely used

in our furnishings from children’s

mattresses to sofas. We want

consumers to make an informed

choice when choosing their mattress,

knowing the health risks

associated with FR chemicals.”

The French Bedroom Company’s

My Kind Mattress is 100%

chemical free as it contains NO

fire retardant chemicals; the

wool layer nestled just beneath

the cotton surface is naturally

fire retardant. So, each night

you and your children can sleep

knowing you are not breathing

directly next to a layer of toxic

chemicals.

The sustainable layers

The My Kind Mattress is made

from layers of organic natural

materials: flax, cotton, and wool,

with draw steel metal springs,

all 100% biodegradable.

The French Bedroom Company has

launched the UK’s first Plastic Free

Mattress to mark this year’s National

Recycling Week.

Wool is used because it is

sustainable, sourced from a

regulated industry, produced

globally, durable, breathable,

moisture-wicking and temperature

regulating, in addition to

this, wool is a natural barrier

to fire, eliminating the need for

harmful chemicals in order to

meet the UK requirements for fire

and flame retardancy.

Commenting on the launch of

the UK’s first Plastic Free Mattress,

Georgia Metcalfe, Founder

of The French Bedroom Company

said:

“We are delighted to be launching

the UK’s first Plastic Free

Biodegradable Mattress and excited

about what this means for

reducing the burden on landfill

sites across the UK. In addition,

we’re pleased to be doing our

bit towards making mattresses

chemical free. As a mother, I

want my home as chemical-free

as possible, knowing my children

aren’t breathing in toxic chemicals

as they sleep each night,

and I know I speak for every

mother in the UK.”

From glad rags to sleeping bags

The French Bedroom Company

is working with clothing recycling

centers to create bags for

protecting the mattresses during

delivery. These bags are made

from recycled clothing, which are

then be donated to charities

and used as sleeping bags for

the homeless.

54

“If the developments in the US-China trade

war are supported by political relations, the

Turkish mattress industry can benefit from

this situation”

Reflections of trade wars between

the US and China, the two

major countries that determine

the world’s trade balance, are

noticed in every sector. The

developments have some effects

on the mattress industry in Turkey,

where a remarkable growth

is expected.

We asked the questions on

US-China trade war issue we

prepare to Semiha Ulusoy,

International trade specialists of

Nerteks Yarn company, Turkey’s

a leading industrial sewing

thread firm. Ulusoy said, “The

commercial war with China, the

most important player in the US

market, may start an advantageous

process for Turkish goods,

when the extra import duties imposed

by the US are taken into

account. Of course, the part that

will be effective in this process

is where we will be positioned

in political relations with the

United States.”

How do you interpret the impact

of the trade wars between China

and the US on the mattress supplier

industries? How do you think the

Turkish mattress supplier industry

is affected?

As the escalation of trade tensions

between the US and China

has been overshadowed by the

confidence and expectations of

the markets, there is concern

that global economies will turn

from slow growth into recession

phase. When companies lose

55

confidence in global trade policies,

they also postpone plans

such as investment, expansion

and employment. This situation

naturally affects every sector as

well as the mattress industry.

How did the developments

between China and the US in the

supply of raw materials reflect on

the market?

Although trade wars are aimed

at protecting the economies

of the country, in the long run,

the global economy is slowing

down. There are tragic effects

such as an increase in costs due

to the increase in the cost of imported

intermediate goods and

the decrease in profitability.

What do you think about the

precautions to be taken by Turkey

in import-export fields?

The spread of trade wars

between countries signals a

serious slowdown in the global

economy. Turkey’s exports to the

EU market accounts was 83 billion

dollars at the end of 2018

and accounts for 50 percent

of total exports of the country.

However, the latest data show

that the EU region is expected

to grow by 1.1 percent with the

most optimistic figures. In this

case, the extra quota in the US

56

market in Turkey and the applied

tax gap arising from the country,

With an aim to close the gap

caused by the quota and extra

taxes imposed in the US markets,

chambers of commerce has

started some precautions to get

the opportunity in the right political

basis. The trade war with

China, the most important player

in the US market, can begin an

advantageous process for Turkish

goods, given the extra import

duties imposed by the US. Of

course, the part that will be

effective in this process is where

we will be positioned in political

relations with the United States.




countries’ choosing a Turkish

company?

Balkan countries, Eastern and

Central Europe, Middle East

countries, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus

are the main countries where

we have partners. I consider

some factors that contribute to

major development of welcoming

relations with these countries

among them are the geographic

proximity of Turkey, having the

necessary legal infrastructure,

57

the trust shown on Turkish goods

and competitive pricing policies.

What kind of suggestions do you



Some countries are rapidly

integrating into international

competition, becoming stronger

in the competitive ranks, while

others find it difficult to keep

up with change and to succeed.

It is seen that the successful

countries are superior to their

competitors in various branches

of industry, and they are constantly

making investments in

these industries and making

their name globally. Determining

competitive advantages and

putting them to the forefront

in international areas depends

on the effective use of scarce

resources and increasing the

confidence of the country. When

focused on these advantages of

exports, countries will be more

successful in the long run.

58

Biocrystal ® technology applied to

the most expensive and luxurious

mattresses in Russia

Highly efficient Biocrystal ® technology based on scientifically

proven mixture of 16 crystals, gold and silver has been applied

to one of the most expensive mattresses of all times, handcrafted

in Russia.

Elite mattress 009 by Mr. Mattress

is produced in Russia and

combines the finest technologies

provided from various European

countries. Biocrystal® technology

originally developed and

produced in Croatia is accompanied

by other natural materials

exclusively used for production

of this luxurious mattress.

Biocrystal® efficiency for luxury

sleeping adorers

Developed to give the perfect

comfort while sleeping, this

luxurious mattress 009 gives the

ultimate experience of re-energization

to its user, powered by

the unique Biocrystal® Technology

which is inserted between

the layers of mattress. According

to the numerous researches, Biocrystal®

impacts positively and

provides improved body energy

flow, reduced level of stress,

reduced fatigue and efficient

sleep.

Handmade components, organic

natural materials

Tne “009” elite mattress by

59

Mr. Mattress is powered by

Biocrystal® and made with

high-quality, all-natural materials,

handmade mattress

components, rare fabrics,

stuffing and stitching. The

most expensive Russian mattress

is handmade with layers

of organic natural materials

like Biocrystal®, cotton, wool,

feathers, and horsehair, all of

which has a proven functionality

when it comes to perfect

sleep environment.

Nine skilled craftsmen take

exactly 9 days each to produce

one mattress, and this is by far

the most luxurious and most

expensive mattress on Russian

market at present.

Exquisite technologies applied

Combining Biocrystal® Technology,

with triple tufted technology

and Garment dyed tech-

60

nology makes the production

pattern unrepeatable, therefore

each elite 009 mattress

is unique and represents how

all-natural materials, ultimate

form and unmistakable functionality

together give one

perfect aesthetic.

A price that promises

To get to sleep on this luxurious

mattress with Biocrystal®

inside, it takes to be a millionaire

in a Russian currency, as it

costs approximately 1.000.000

Russian rubles. Talking in

European currency, this elite

mattress costs around 15.000,

and the price is indicated by

its uniqueness, originality, production

time and procedure,

quality, efficiency guaranteed

by Biocrystal® and other

all-natural materials, as well as

the 30-years warranty.

62

Lenzing unveils REFIBRA

breakthrough technology

strengthening its commitment to the

circular economy in textiles

Frankfurt/Lenzing – Lenzing

Group announced today another

breakthrough for its pioneering

REFIBRA technology with the

industry’s first successful production

of TENCEL Lyocell fibers

using post-consumer cotton

waste as part of the recycled

raw material proportion.

Currently, REFIBRA technology

feature the upcycling of a substantial

proportion of pre-consumer

cotton scraps from garment

production and mixing with

virgin wood pulp, to produce

new TENCEL Lyocell fibers.

In September 2019, Lenzing

announced the first-phase of

REFIBRA technology upgrade,

by increasing the composition of

pulp made from upcycled cotton

scraps collected from garment

manufacturing process to up

to 30%. In the second-phase,

amongst the 30% of recycled

raw material content, Lenzing

can incorporate up to 10% of

post-consumer cotton waste into

64

the mixture of recycled materials

alongside pre-consumer cotton

waste. TENCEL Lyocell fibers

with REFIBRA technology are

produced on demand and capacity

can reach thousands of tons

for both generations.

“Our world’s forests and climate

need these kinds of Next Generation

Solutions at both scale

and speed in the cellulosic fiber

sector. Canopy applauds Lenzing

for the vision of making textile

waste recycling common place

and for launching this commercially

available product line with

the first steps of post-consumer

recycled content,” said Nicole

Rycroft, Executive Director of

Canopy. “We look forward to

Lenzing’s leadership as they

work to significantly increase

the volume of their raw material

that comes from Next Generation

feed-stocks, and we know

brands and retailers are looking

to preference producers who hit

Lenzing has unveiled their latest

REFIBRA technology breakthrough,

which features the industry’s first

successful scaled production of virgin

TENCEL Lyocell fibers using postconsumer

cotton waste.

66

the goal of a 50% post-consumer

recycled fiber line first.”

With growing interest around

the concept of ‘circular economy’

across the globe, the scaled

production of TENCEL Lyocell

fibers using post-consumer cotton

waste is a key milestone for

Lenzing’s pursuit to build a fully

sustainable textile ecosystem.

The second phase upgrade of

REFIBRA technology poses tremendous

business opportunities

and helps drive greater developments

for circular economy.

Lenzing believe that the growing

adoption of recycled textiles is

an essential part of the fiber

industry’s future growth strategy.

Such frontier production

model can help revolutionize

the fashion industry and empower

brands who are looking

for eco-responsible textile value

chains. It is the vision of Lenzing

to make textile waste recycling

a common process like paper

recycling.

Based on the UN Sustainable

Development Goal (SDG) 12,

Responsible Consumption and

Production, it is Lenzing’s clear

vision to produce fibers with

REFIBRA technology using

post-consumer textile waste as

raw materials. Being able to use

discarded garments consisting of

a wider range of materials will

greatly enlarge the raw material

basis for textile recycling. This

innovation is a groundbreaking

step towards tackling the global

issue of textile waste disposal.

At the same time it reduces the

extraction of wood as a raw material

and relieves the pressure

on global forest ecosystems.

Our vision includes recycling of

fabrics and garments from Lenzing’s

own materials. Lenzing is

the first producer of wood-based

cellulosic fibers offering Global

Recycling Standard (GRS) and

the Recycled Claim Standard

(RCS) offering perfect transparency

for the materials used

during production.

Produced in eco-responsible

closed-loop production process,

fibers produced using REFIBRA

technology are 100% bio-based.

The fibers will also feature properties

of enhanced breathability

through good moisture management,

silky smoothness and

strength.

By leveraging such innovative

breakthrough, Lenzing has been

working closely with brands and

industry stakeholders to pursue

a more collaborative driving

force for the transition towards

greater inclusive and circular

economic growth.

“For several years, we have

witnessed a rise of eco-consciousness

amongst consumers.

Consumers have been demanding

more sustainable product

options in their shopping list.

If a company wants to truly improve

its sustainability practice,

it needs to reexamine its current

business model and consider

introducing new products or

technologies with recyclability

and reusability in mind. At

Lenzing, sustainability is part of

our DNA, and we will continue to

stand at the industry forefront

to assist businesses with the

implementation of eco-practices

in their operations,” said Florian

Heubrandner, Vice President of

Global Business Management

Textiles of Lenzing.

68

Elektroteks: “Turkey still has a

potential of being one of the key

successions for US to struggle

against China amid the trade war”

Baran Ozis: “To assist the effects of this ongoing situation in

Turkey’s scale, Turkish Trade minister sees an opportunity to

boost trade with the United States reinforcing an ambitious goal

of quadrupling the bilateral trade to $100 billion a year which

would be promising enterprise for Turkey’s growth indeed.”

Baran Ozis, Sales Manager

of Elektroteks, interprets the

effects of US – China trade war

to the mattress sub industry in

an exclusive interview we conducted.

Full text of the interview

follows:

How do you interpret the impact of

trade wars between China and the

US in the sleep products market?

How do you think the Turkish

mattress sub-industry is affected

by this situation?

US - China trade war seems to

be inevitable and ongoing situa-

69

tion for long term. Regional economic

development is sustained

with again regional distinctive

economy models in the era of

China and US trade war. In order

to assist the effects of this ongoing

situation in Turkey’s scale,

Turkish Trade minister sees an

opportunity to boost trade with

the United States reinforcing an

ambitious goal of quadrupling

the bilateral trade to $100

billion a year which would be

promising enterprise for Turkey’s

growth indeed. Well, it wouldn’t

be so wrong by anticipating an

opportunity to be benefited.

Because the tariffs increase

the cost of import and reduce

the domestic competitiveness

pressure. In this phase, the

prices of products in the tariff list

also be pushed up. As far as I

know, some models of American

mattresses are manufactured

in China whose quality scale is

rather consist of cheap mattresses.

To tell the plain truth, all

prices will go up in the stores

for mattresses, bed frames and

other stuffs in the States. So this

aspires US mattress producers to

spare their production to Asian

countries since the labor costs

are undoubtedly lower. Actually,

Turkey’s got an important role

with its companies’ competitive

prices while having way better

quality in terms of providing

machinery equipment and raw

materials for mattress producers.

Although politically unstable

relationship between Turkey and

US, Turkey still has a potential

of being one of the key successions

for the US to struggle

against China amid the trade

war. Some manufacturers are

70

rushing to stock up products in

their US warehouses just because

the possible tariff effect.



Turkey needs to replace more

import goods with export ones.

Alternatively, making multilateral

trade deal with the countries

such as the UK would be great.

Turkey needs to establish politically

strong connections with the

EU although being a member in

customs union.

Which country do you export most?

Which factors do you think play a

role in these countries choosing a

Turkish company?

We are pretty much connected

to world by having customer

relations all across the globe.

So, particularly defining with

one country is impossible for our

customer portfolio. Our company

policy is rather consist of selling

whole package to customer

including after sale support

and being flexible on market’s

production demand and combining

it’s experience through the

years based on software and

product development. Once you

establish trade relation with the

scale of any massive producer to

individual small enterprises, we

believe it is endless in between

connection which will be everlasting

for long years.




It is hard to describe a certain

formula which leads you to

expand your network across the

world since it depends on so

much variable. However, it can

be said as being innovative, being

flexible about local customer

demand. Social media and marketing

are emphatic instruments.

71

72

31 st Mebel Expo

successfully held in

Moscow

Mebel Expo, an international exhibition for furniture, fittings and

upholstery was held for the 31st time at Expocentre, 18-22 November

2019. 838 exhibitors coming from 28 countries displayed their latest

products on a wide area as over 75 thousand square meters.

Being one of the largest trade

shows in Russia and Eastern Europe,

Mebel is an annual event

for professionals in the furniture

industry. Every autumn, the

world’s leading furniture manufacturers

and designers show

new collections and the best

pieces of furniture, generate

sales leads and sign contracts

on Mebel’s show floor.

The exhibition brought together

manufacturers and distributers.

It became an excellent venue

to see the state of the industry

73

and identify the current furniture

trends. The exhibits included a

lot of new products which can be

interesting to suppliers, retailers,

design studios, architectural

bureaus, construction companies,

developers, business

centres, hotels and corporate

buyers of furniture.

Supported by Russian Ministry of

Industry and Trade, Mebel Expo

is also supported by Russian

Export Center and The Union of

Architects of Russia. Association

of Furniture and Woodworking

Enterprises of Russia and Union

of Timber Manufacturers and

Exporters of Russia are also

assisting the show.

74

As a powerful exporting country

Turkey had a good participation

in the event. Some leading companies

in the mattress components,

sub-industry, materials

and technology exhibited in this

edition of the show including

Adalar Kimya, Allbemak Makina,

Arkopa Ahşap Panel, Aypol

Solvent, Boyteks, Cemobsan,

Çilek Mobilya, Duark Tekstil,

Ibavalresa Boya, Kapsan Mobilya,

Karebant, Kayalar Kimya,

Ligna Decor, Mesan Plastik, Mis

Plastik, Tarlasan, TDT Tekstil,

Tece Decor and Yataş.

Viktor Evtukhov, State Secretary

- Deputy Minister of Industry and

Trade of the Russian Federation,

commented: “Mebel 2019 is very

important for promotion of Russian-made

products in the global

market as it opens up new sales

markets and supplies new sales

leads. The show brings together

the interests of manufacturers

and suppliers of furniture, fittings

and upholstery materials,

wholesalers, retailers, architects,

designers and buyers of furniture

and related products.”

Alexander Shestakov, President

of the Association of Furniture

and Woodworking Enterprises

of Russia, praised the show by

saying, “Mebel continues to be

the main platform of the furniture

industry for networking of

Russian enterprises with a wide

range of partners and customers.

The show also helps to address

the most important issues of the

development of non-resource

export.”

Show Highlights

This year the Future Stars salon

of designer furniture, which was

launched last year, increased its

floor space and offers products

of many new designers.

75

The new special project Furnished

Apartments displayed

fully finished and furnished

apartments, which are a new

promising trend in the new housing

market. Its participants were

First Furniture Factory, Grafskaya

Kukhnya, Smolenskmebel,

Stolplit, Chisty List, Concept

Materials, Qmebel, Elegia along

with some others.

Events

Key topics of 2019 were development

of export potential of

Russian companies, issues of

the woodworking and board industries,

and attractive markets

for furniture manufacturers. As

usual a lot of events were devoted

to design.

The most relevant issues of furniture

production were discussed

during the RusMebel Forum

2019. Efficiency in Today’s Environment,

which was organized

by the Association of Furniture

and Woodworking Enterprises of

Russia and Expocentre AO.

The panel on Export as a Development

Driver for the Furniture

Industry was organized by the

76

Association of Furniture and

Woodworking Enterprises of Russia,

Russian Export Center AO,

Russian Chamber of Commerce

and Industry, Expocentre AO.

The important 19th Forum of

Directors of Small and Medium

Enterprises “Furniture as a Business”

offered various analytical

sessions, case studies, master

classes and the Purchasing Centre

for Retail Chains.

The Association of Furniture and

Woodworking Enterprises of

Russia and Expocentre AO held

panels on Furnished Apartments:

a Necessary Element in the Real

Estate Market and Development

Prospects of the Board Industry

in 2019–2021. FSC Russia

organized the panel on certifi-

77

Furniture,

interior, design....

All the best were

displayed in one

place!

cation in the Russian board and

furniture industries: constrains

and opportunities.

Expocentre AO and Artekey Eurasia

OOO held the PUSHKA International

Forum on Innovations

in Industrial Design. Archdialog

offered design tours around the

exhibition. The Furniture Franchising

Salon included workshops,

organized by Expocentre AO

and Mebelny Biznes Magazine.

The event program also included

lectures and master classes

of experts in industrial design

78

and interior design, as well as

presentations of the participants

in the Future Stars project. Various

workshops were held in the

Design Lounge area.

This year, Mebel introduced the

WoodworkingSkills championship,

organized by the Association

of Furniture and Woodworking

Enterprises of Russia,

WorldSkills Russia and Expocentre

AO. It is the first championship

for young professionals of

the furniture and woodworking

industries, held according to

WorldSkills standards. This largescale

competition helped to address

such an important issue as

training of qualified personnel

for the industry’s enterprises.

Mebel 2019 hosted the award

ceremony for the winners of

the 14th edition of the Russian

Cabriole National Award for

Furniture Design. Soyuzexpertiza

ANO of the Russian Chamber of

Commerce and Industry held the

15th International Competition

in nominations Best Consumer

Properties and Successful Promotion

of High Quality Goods.

Quality furniture competition

winners awarded at Mebel 2019

The finalists of the 15th international

quality product competition

in the nominations For the

Best Consumer Properties and

For Successful Promotion of High

Quality Goods were awarded

on the last day of the Mebel

2019 international exhibition at

Expocentre.

The competition promotes com-

79

petitiveness of furniture products

and accessories in domestic

and foreign markets, as well as

quality goods made in other

countries in the Russian consumer

market.

Director of the CCI of Russia’s

ANO Soyuzexpertiza Examination

Department Svetlana Mikhailova

said at the award ceremony that

Mebel 2019 had reaffirmed its

status of the biggest industry

show of Russia and the main

annual event of the furniture

industry. Globally known companies

introduced visitors to new

products and original designs.

Competition in the Russian

furniture market, which is tightening

every year, helps improve

quality of products and strengthen

the standing of domestic

manufacturers. She also said

that the commission made an

expert evaluation of properties

of 24 goods presented at the

competition.

The winners received 13 first-degree

certificates and 13 gold

medals in the nomination For the

Best Consumer Properties and

one certificate in the nomination

For Successful Promotion of High

Quality Goods, in addition, one

product mark was assigned.

80

Mert Makina: “Turkey has the

potential of filling the gap that will

happen in the USA with its location,

labor costs and product quality”

Mustafa Nebi Dogan, CEO of

Mert Makina that produces

all sorts of mattress machines

from A to Z, highlights Turkey’s

various advantages at this situation.

Full text of the interview

follows:

What are your opinions about the

trade wars that occur between the

USA and China in the sense of the

effect for bedding sub-industry?

How is Turkish bedding subindustry

affected from this case?

Trade wars are carried out to

protect the countries’ economies,

they cause high cost and

low profit depending on the

rising of the cost of the import

intermediate goods after the

slowdown of the global economy

in the long term and finally it

has tragic effects such as sectorial

diminution.

But, they have negative effect

for some countries, they enable

positive developments for some

countries as well. This is inevita-

Mustafa Nebi

Dogan: “The issue

that how bedding

sub-industry

in Turkey will

be affected is a

serious subject

that will be

correlated with the

well evaluation by

the manufacturer,

getting stepped

forward to the

USA by the

importer, that’s

to say by the

manufacturer

among the target

countries and

benefiting from

the opportunities

that are offered by

both the ministry

of economy and

the associations

of importer is a

current investment

issue.”

Mustafa Nebi Dogan, CEO

ble for our country to be evaluated

as positive in the sense of

our country because the importer

firms which will be in the search

of new sources, manufacturers

who perform import will be in the

search of alternative sources due

to the fact that the costs at the

home market are higher.

At this point, Turkey has the

potential of filling the gap that

will happen in the USA with its

location, labor costs and product

quality. Therefore, I am in

the opinion that it will cause a

rising acceleration in the imports

81

that are made to the USA by the

bedding sub-industry.

The issue that how bedding

sub-industry in Turkey will be

affected is a serious subject that

will be correlated with the well

evaluation by the manufacturer,

getting stepped forward to the

USA by the importer, that’s to

say by the manufacturer among

the target countries and benefiting

from the opportunities that

are offered by both the ministry

of economy and the associations

of importer is a current investment

issue.

82

How are the developments

between China and USA reflected

to the market at the raw material

supply?

Both the ministry of economy

and the associations of importers

and the directors of both

countries made statements

about the increase of the trade

and making the use of the

opportunities, and our part at

this point is to perform more

marketing activities as being

importer, as you know, the trade

volume is desired to increase to

100 Billion Dollar level mutually

and this is such a great figure.

Nothing has been reflected to

the market yet but these kinds

of steps are taken, I hope we,

as firms, will use this case better

in the name of our country.

that we can realize with short

term plans, the next investments

must be long term and with value-added

products, value-added

investments that we will make to

contribute export activities while

reducing imports.

We must reflect our opinions to

the field and we mustn’t fear

from the production. Our investments

at high technology products

need to be increased and

we need to be one step forward

In your opinion, what are the

precautions that Turkey must take

on import and export issues?

Of course, this is not a subject

83

at mechanization. We need to

collaborate with the people who

are more skilled at hyper-competition,

who are self-conscious

and who attain information

faster and we need to protect

this collaboration long time. In

short, we need to reduce foreign

dependency at raw materials

while performing these operations.

New investments have

started on this issue and I hope

we can see more and different

investments as well.

To which country do you export

most? In your opinion, which

factors are playing roles to prefer

a Turkish firm by these countries?

The question that ‘to which

country do you export most’ may

not be the correct question for

a machinery manufacturer or a

firm that carries out export to

many countries. Up until now

we have carried out exports

to 100 countries in total. The

variety of country is a very

important subject at export,

while positive developments

happen in some countries in the

meaning of economy, negative

developments happen in some

countries. And when we combine

all of these, it shows alteration

depending on time and conditions.

Here, there are some concurrent,

the demanded product,

the demanded quality and the

service of the firm; we can mention

the whole export operation

84

even the packing of the product

that we export when we are

talking about the service. Turkish

manufacturers are improving

themselves continuously about

this issue and we are trying to

do our best for our customers.

The best benefit that we offer

our customers is to provide the

maximum benefit with lower cost

and with higher quality.

What do you suggest for the firms

which want to widen their export

network?

The most important issue here

is the continuity of the trade,

activities to provide continuity

need to be carried out instead

of single-use trade with a foreign

firm.

The most important points are

the honesty to the customer,

establishing a strong firm profile,

selecting your teammates well

and being well-equipped about

the firm ability. In short, as the

martial art master Sun Tzu says;

“Know Your Competitor, Know

Yourself, Know Your Place!”

86

The chemicals sector

undersigns one success

after another

According to data from Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters’

Association (IKMIB), the chemicals sector broke a record in 11 months of 2019 with

the export value of 18.8 billion U.S. Dollars it achieved. Continuing the year as the

second sector with the highest export, the chemicals sector achieved one success

after another. The sector also came forward with its exports to the highest number

of countries among all sectors and occupied the top position making exports to 208

countries and regions in November.

Chairman of the Board of Directors

of Istanbul Chemicals and

Chemical Products Exporters’

Association (IKMIB), Mr. Adil

Pelister said: “Our chemicals

sector reached the export value

of 1.83 billion U.S. Dollars in

November which once again

made it the second sector with

the largest export volume while

breaking exports record with a

total export value of 18.8 billion

U.S. Dollars in 11 months. In

addition, we achieved a major

success by becoming the sector

with the highest number of coun-

87

tries on its export portfolio with

208 countries and regions we

exported to. The highest volume

of exports our sector reached

was 17,851,000,000 U.S. Dollars.

I would like to congratulate

our companies, followed by

all sector representatives and

partners who went beyond this

number in the eleven months of

this year with the export value

of 18.8 billion U.S. Dollars for

contributing to this significant

success and making us proud.

Hopefully we will surpass the

export value of 20 billion U.S.

Dollars that was our target for

the entire year and break another

record.”

Pelister also touched upon

growth figures declared on

December 2nd and continued

as: “We believe the 0.9 percent

growth rate for the third quarter

of the year is a reflection of

steadfast efforts of our financial

governance. These positive

developments give us hope for

the future.”

In November the largest volume of

exports was made to Holland

In November Holland received

the highest volume of exports

Monthly distribution of chemicals exports in 2019

MONTH 2018 VALUE($) 2019 VALUE ($) DIFFERENCE (%)

January 1,353,513,921.26 1,539,656,501.73 13.75%

February 1,265,531,849.44 1,645,324,186.38 30.01%

March 1,566,978,246.63 1,840,053,801.17 17.43%

April 1,353,909,699.99 1,771,329,274.17 30.83%

May 1,467,435,484.42 1,936,921,007.06 31.99%

June 1,423,543,817.85 1,297,776,596.28 -8.83%

July 1,477,096,084.78 1,739,062,327.22 17.74%

August 1,378,633,465.30 1,636,178,039.16 18.68%

September 1,534,992,828.12 1,651,185,452.30 7.57%

October 1,591,861,782.59 1,936,298,709.88 21.64%

November 1,494,497,728.63 1,836,164,283.28 22.86%

Total 15,907,994,909 18,829,950,179 18.37%

88

Drawing attention

with its increased

export performance,

the chemicals sector

achieved a 23 percent

increase in exports in

November 2019 and

reached 1.83 billion

U.S. Dollars. Eleven

months of exports by

the sector increased

18 percent and

reached 18.8 billion

U.S. Dollars. Thus

the chemicals sector

broke export record

of all times with its 11

months of export.

from the sector. Other countries

that followed Holland in top ten

in November were Spain, Iraq,

Egypt, Germany, France, Italy,

Greece, Algeria, and Russia.

Chemicals export to Holland

in November 2019 was worth

110,837,000 U.S. Dollars. In

November, Holland was exported

“mineral fuels, mineral oils and

products”, “plastics and plastic

products”, “inorganic chemicals”,

“volatile oils, cosmetics and

soap”, “rubber, rubber goods”,

“various chemical agents” and

“pharmaceuticals” the most.

Eleven months of chemicals export

to Holland this year reached

998,743,000 U.S. Dollars value.

Between January and November

of 2019, Holland, Iraq, Italy,

Spain, Germany, Egypt, the USA,

Malta, Greece, and England

were the top ten countries that

received the highest volume of

chemicals exports.

In the chemicals sector, the

most exported products were in

“mineral fuels, mineral oils and

products” sub-sector

Considering sub-sectors, in

November mineral fuels, mineral

Countries that received the highest number of chemicals exports in November 2019

NO Country NOVEMBER 2018 ($) NOVEMBER 2019 ($) CHANGE (%)

1 HOLLAND 54,966,404.13 110,837,930.26 101.65%

2 SPAIN 50,291,971.53 107,260,185.69 113.27%

3 IRAQ 91,600,909.45 97,677,397.83 6.63%

4 EGYPT 90,440,690.45 88,328,414.59 - 2.34%

5 GERMANY 80,360,615.25 72,169,034.00 - 10.19%

6 FRANCE 27,469,249.92 69,073,444.26 151.46%

7 ITALY 48,811,334.12 66,478,019.82 36.19%

8 GREECE 45,547,367.79 57,082,128.69 25.32%

9 ALGERIA 25,610,323.55 56,495,851.45 120.60%

10 THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 33,123,064.39 48,697,157.93 47.02%

89

Sub-sectors of chemicals exports in November 2019

oils and products occupied the

top place with the export value

of 553,229,750 U.S. Dollars.

Plastics and plastic products

occupied the second place with

the export value of 512,769,439

U.S. Dollars it reached while

exports in inorganic chemicals

occupied the third place with

176,612,455 U.S. Dollars. Other

sub-sectors in the top-ten following

inorganic chemicals were

‘volatile oils, cosmetics and

soap’, ‘rubber, rubber products’,

‘pharmaceuticals’, ‘paint, varnish,

ink and ink products’, ‘various

chemical agents’, ‘washing

agents’ and ‘organic chemicals’.

NOVEMBER

2018

NOVEMBER

2019

%

DIFFERENCE

PRODUCT GROUP VALUE ($) VALUE ($) VALUE

MINERAL FUELS,

MINERAL OILS AND 236,048,268 553,229,750 134.37%

PRODUCTS

PLASTICS AND

PRODUCTS

524,512,665 512,769,439 -2.24%

INORGANIC CHEMICALS 152,613,872 176,612,455 15.73%

VOLATILE OILS,

COSMETICS AND SOAP

107,856,110 113,169,017 4.93%

RUBBER, RUBBER

PRODUCTS

120,191,340 108,836,126 -9.45%

PHARMACEUTICALS 90,256,521 106,234,056 17.70%

PAINT, VERNICE, INK

AND THEIR PRODUCTS

70,794,466 76,221,158 7.67%

VARIOUS CHEMICAL

AGENTS

49,859,251 52,679,824 5.66%

WASHING PRODUCTS 39,621,870 48,554,551 22.54%

ORGANIC CHEMICALS 37,835,262 34,368,823 -9.16%

FERTILIZERS 47,639,501 31,080,474 -34.76%

ADHESIVES, GLUES,

ENZYMES

15,407,106 20,557,874 33.43%

PHOTOGRAPHY AND

CINEMATOGRAPHY 1,135,543 1,007,238 -11.30%

PRODUCTS

GUNPOWDER,

EXPLOSIVES AND 645,057 772,773 19.80%

THEIR PRODUCTS

GLYCERINE, HERBAL

PRODUCTS, DEGRA, 50,966 56,642 11.14%

OILY PRODUCTS

PROCEDDED AMIANT

AND MIXTURES, ITS

PRODUCTS

29,929 14,082 -52.95%

TOTAL 1,494,497,729 1,836,164,283 22.86%

90

interzum

guangzhou 2020 to

serve up multitude

of “Belt & Road”

opportunities for

upstream furniture

production

industry

China’s Belt and Road Initiative could not have come at a better time

for Asia’s largest and most comprehensive woodworking machinery,

furniture production and interiors trade fair. The industry is booming

and manufacturers are hungry for a coveted booth space at the event

every year.

91

Held in its namesake city from

28 – 31 March 2020, CIFM / interzum

guangzhou is regarded by

the industry as a key gateway

for foreign furniture suppliers

to enter the fast-growing China

market and an ideal place to

size up the competition.

With Guangzhou being an

important city for the Maritime

Silk Road in the hinterland of the

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau

Greater Bay Area as well as the

center of South China’s furniture

manufacturing powerhouse, a

growing number of buyers from

the region are expected to

descend at the event from 2020

and beyond.

The “Belt and Road” wave

Riding on the opportunities

brought about by China’s Belt

and Road Initiative, economies

along the trade route are stepping

up in expanding markets

and at the same time importing

high-quality resources, products

and technologies. The world’s

leading producers of furniture

raw and auxiliary materials are

jumping onto the bandwagon by

providing high-quality textiles,

wood, woodworking machinery

and furniture hardware for the

global furniture manufacturing

market. The Initiative has also

given impetus to alleviate

92

logistical issues - one of the

bottlenecks restricting the development

of the industry – with

rapid progress driven by China

to establish and better infrastructure

and connectivity.

Rise of custom furniture market

Spanning 5,000 square meters,

the expanded Custom Furniture

Suppliers zone in Hall 14.1 is

dedicated to showcasing a host

of products such as accessories

for upholstered furniture, textiles,

hardware components and

panels.

The welcomed move came

against the backdrop of stable

growth rates of China’s custom

furniture market at above 20

percent over the past seven

years. 2018 saw an increase of

20.2 percent over the previous

year to about US$41.4 billion.

It is predicted that by 2020,

the market size is expected to

exceed US$48.5 billion.

At present, market penetration

of custom furniture stands at a

low 30 percent, compared with

60-70 percent in developed

countries, like the U.S. and South

Korea. As the concept matures

among Chinese consumers, demand

is expected to extend from

the current custom cabinets and

wardrobes to the entire house,

paving the way for tremendous

growth.

93

Insatiable demand for upholstered

furniture

Yet another much-anticipated

enhancement made to the 2020

edition is a newly segmented

Hall 12.1 to center on machinery

for upholstered furniture production.

Some big names to be

featured include Duerkopp, Adler,

Mammut(Germany), Robatech(Switzerland)

and Baomo.

Data reveals that in 2018,

China’s sales of upholstered

furniture reached US$90 billion,

with the country becoming the

world’s largest consumer of the

product category. The boom has

driven the upstream supply chain

of raw and auxiliary materials

such as leather, sponge, wood

and pneumatic components to

prosper.

96

Opportunities in

recycling and smart

packaging

Accounting for 40% of the Turkish

plastics industry and 70%

of its exports, packaging plays

a large part in guiding plastics

out of the turbulent waters of

additional taxation and bans.

Developments in the packaging

industry impact everyone

from manufacturer to feedstock

supplier, machine operator and

distributor, yet each threat gives

rise to a new opportunity. At

this year’s International Plastic

Packaging Congress, PAGEV

enabled the discussion of current

threats and opportunities in the

industry. The Congress began

with introductory remarks by

PAGEV Chair Yavuz Eroğlu and

continued with the leading

names in the industry.

The Turkish Plastics Founda-

97

tion (PAGEV) held its sixth

“International Plastic Packaging

Congress” on October 22,

2019 at the Istanbul Swissotel

the Bosphorus. Subject matter

experts, industry representatives

and academics convened

around the theme of “Current

Threats and Opportunities in

Plastic Packaging”. Additional

taxes and bans appear to be the

greatest threats to the industry,

giving rise to opportunities such

as sustainability, recycling, and

smart packaging.

The anti-plastic winds that

sweep Europe are being felt

in Turkey too. European Commission

Policy Officer Werner

Bosmans gave firsthand information

about plastics being a hot

discussion topic in Europe. The

6th PAGEV International Plastic

Packaging Congress featured

distinguished speakers such as

EuPC Managing Director Alexander

Dangis, PlasticsEurope

Regional Director Giuseppe Riva

and INEOS Styrolution Director

of Global Strategy Johannes

Musseleck, who joined PAGEV

Chair Yavuz Eroğlu in a panel

discussion on “Circular Economy

and Zero Waste”.

Another keynote speaker was

Yoav Hoshen, Co-Founder and

Senior Vice President of Water.

io, known for creating IoT Smart

Packaging as one of the best

applications of digital packaging

in the world. Smart packaging

offers many solutions that make

people’s lives easier through

mobile applications and the

internet. Water.IO’s reusable

water bottles are equipped

with smart caps that let you

track how much water you need

to drink for the rest of the day

on your phone. The smart cap

also reminds you to take a drink

of water. Yoav Hoshen gave

98

examples to how packaging was

becoming smarter, and provided

a glimpse into what we might

expect in the future.

The plastics industry will grow

with sustainable products

In the introductory remarks to

the Congress, PAGEV Chair Yavuz

Eroğlu said, “The plastics industry

of Turkey is a great contributor

to the national economy with 35

billion dollars in revenue and 12

billion dollars in exports. One

of the largest subsectors in the

industry is packaging, which

accounts for 40% of production

and 70% of exports. Looking

into figures, we see that 3.6

million tons of plastics worth 12

billion dollars were produced in

2018. In the first half of 2019,

plastic packaging production

declined by 14% by weight

compared to the same period

previous year to 1.7 million

tons, and 21% by value to 5.4

billion dollars. According to our

forecasts, production volume

will drop by 7% to 3.4 million

tons, and production value will

decrease by 13% to 10.5 billion

US dollars by the end of the

year. The export growth of the

industry is also slumping. Last

year, we exported 2.6 billion

dollars of plastic packaging.

In the first half of this year, no

increase was recorded in comparison

to the same period in

2018. The industry’s exports for

the first 6 months stagnated at

1.3 billion dollars. Of course, we

believe this to be temporary.

Plastic is an indispensable material.

This will ensure that the

plastics industry and the plastic

packaging sector will continue

to grow. As we always say,

plastics have no place in nature,

but plenty of place in our lives.

The industry will develop with

new alternatives. Instead of the

one-way street of make-sell-consume-dispose,

we are transitioning

to a circular approach of

make-sell-consume-recycle-remake.

The plastics industry is

gearing for this revolutionary

new approach. Plastic packaging

will prevent food waste, contribute

to the national economy,

and achieve impressive

growth. The Zero Waste Project

in particular will be a boost to

the recycling industry in Turkey.

The plastics industry will succeed

in environmental protection and

economic development at once

with sustainable products. We

will keep growing while we keep

a watchful eye over the environment.”

100

Essence of sleep

with Essentia

“Perfecting the world’s only

natural memory foam took love,

science, testing and time. What

Essentia achieved in doing

was to take high quality natural

and organic ingredients,

turning them into a truly next

generation, latex-based foam

that sleeps cool, feels better,

and reacts faster than any other

foam you’ve ever experienced,”

the brand’s officials explain.

Essentia’s patented natural

memory foam starts with Hevea

milk that is mixed with other

essential natural and organic

ingredients that once combined

help to achieve the distinctive

feel and properties found only in

Essentia. Of utmost importance

to Essentia was sourcing the

right ingredients to make its

organic mattresses and natural

memory foam mattresses, but

also being transparent with

what ingredients are used. Here

you will find a breakdown of the

most used ingredients in Essentia’s

mattresses:

101

Hevea Milk

Milky white “sap” of the Rubber

tree, collected much like Maple

tree sap. The hevea milk used

at Essentia is sourced from

Indonesia, collected from rubber

plantations where acceptable

working conditions are maintained

and there is no practice

of child labor. This hevea milk is

processed to make Essentia’s

natural memory foam.

GOLS Certified Organic Latex

Essentia’s Lifestyle organic mattress

collection features GOLS

(Global Organic Latex Standard)

certified organic latex.

Dunlop Latex

A rubbery foam made from

Hevea Milk (rubber tree sap)

which is known for its durability,

support qualities, and purity. The

company uses natural Dunlop

latex foam, the finest natural

latex foam available as the support

core in many of its mattress

models.

Organic Essential Oils

A natural and healthy alternative

to man-made oils or petroleum.

Grapefruit seed, coneflower

essence and jasmine essence all

help us achieve proper consistency

in Essentia’s natural memory

foam while providing soothing

and rejuvenating properties to

the body and spirit.

Natural Plant Extracts

As a substitution to harsh toxic

chemicals used in conventional

memory foam, plant extracts

such as hydrolyzed corn help to

achieve the proper consistency

for Essentia’s natural memory

foam.

GOTS Certified Organic Cotton

Every Essentia mattress is covered

in an organic cotton cover

and the brand features only

the best organic cotton sheets.

Grown without chemicals, synthetic

fertilizers or pesticides,

organic cotton helps retain the

health of our planet and its

people by providing safe work

environments for cotton field

workers, eliminating the use of

damaging synthetic pesticides

ensuring soil fertility is main-

102

tained and improved. 25% of

the world’s chemical pesticides

are used to grow cotton when

only 3% of the world’s farmland

grows cotton. Choosing organic

cotton makes a huge difference.

How Essentia makes the best

organic mattress

Perfecting Essentia’s natural

memory foam was just the

beginning; the next step was

taking it to production. To ensure

a consistent product, a very

specialized foaming machine

was sourced. After months of

re-engineering and modifications

including adding a programmable

control center, chiller system,

robotic arm and injection mix

head it was ready to start making

mattresses. Essentia uses

two different types of molds to

make mattresses:

Layer Mold

Used to make a thick piece of

our natural memory foam. Once

baked and cured, it’s sliced into

1 inch, 2 inch, and 3-inch-thick

layers to be used on mattresses.

You’ll find these layers in all

models but featured predominantly

as comfort natural memory

foam layer of our Classic 8 and

Energie Opus models.

Essentia Patented Mold Technology

The specialized foaming machine

is mostly found working with

the mold to develop its Whole-

BodyTM Recovery mattresses.

The process is simple, a layer of

natural Dunlop latex and natural

memory foam that was sliced

from the layer mold are stacked

into this mold. The arm of the

foaming machine then pours

Essentia’s high-density natural

memory foam over the stack,

103

covering the top and all sides…

much like icing a cake. The mold

is then fully baked and the new

mattress is ready to go into

curing.

As 1 of only 2 latex foaming

companies in North America,

Essentia not only has complete

control over every ingredient

and component used to make

the healthiest mattress possible,

the environmental benefits of

foaming are significant. Instead

of importing latex foam components,

the company simply

imports the rubber tree sap to

make its natural memory foam.

This takes close to 80% less

space than importing finished

latex foam. It also significantly

cuts down on fuel consumption

in transportation, which allows

for better prices.

Curing & Testing

As much care is taken into

crafting a new Essentia mattress

as you would expect from any

James Beard Award-winning

baker. Essentia’s goal is to ensure

that each mattress reflects

what Essentia owners are meant

to feel which is fully refreshed

after a deep, restorative, truly

therapeutic sleep experience on

Essentia. To ensure that, there

are 2 more steps before a new

mattress begins its trek to you:

Phase 1 - Curing Like all baked

goods, Essentia products need

some time to cool. When it

comes to foam, the cell structure

and consistency changes after

a few hours, even after a few

days. All products cure on racks

for 7 days to ensure you always

get the Essentia feel it is

famous for.

Phase 2 - Testing All Essentia

mattresses undergo inspection

and testing before being packed

up and shipped to you. Including

ILD (indentation load deflection)

testing which determines firmness,

stiffness or load-bearing

capacity.

Made with Care

When it comes to how Essentia

memory foam mattresses are

made, it’s not just a company,

it is family. Health, safety, and

happiness go hand in hand at

Essentia. Everything gets tested,

from worker safety to the

final product. No gloves or other

forms of protective equipment

are needed for its team in the

factory given the nature of its

natural products. VOC testing

has been performed on both

work environment in its factory

and the final product. Essentia’s

factory is both GOTS (Global

Organic Textile Standard) and

GOLS (Global Organic Latex

Standard) certified.

104

Felt

manufacturing

and its usage

in mattresses

It is no secret that almost all textiles

are woven, however, this is not

the case for felt. Felt is one of the

oldest fabrics known to man, and is

manufactured from fur and/or fibers

which are matted and compressed

through pressure heat and moisture.

Felt may be the oldest fabric known to man, and there

are many references to felt in ancient writings. Since

felt is not woven and does not require a loom for its

production, ancient people made it rather easily.

Some of the earliest felt remains were found in the

frozen tombs of nomadic horsemen in the Siberian

Tlai mountains dating back to around 700 B.C. These

tribes made clothing, saddles and tents from felt

because it was strong and resistant to wet and snowy

weather.

105

Felt is a textile that is produced by

matting, condensing and pressing

fibers together. The pressed felt

process is the original felt manufacturing

method. Felt can be made

of natural fibers such as wool, or

from synthetic fibers such as acrylic.

Due to the fact that there are some

felts which are made up of more

than one type of fiber, they must

be mixed and then blended to get

a consistent composition before

anything else is done. The unprocessed

fibers are therefore placed

into a large enough opener which

contains a sizeable cylinder that is

studded with steel nails. This cylinder

then churns and mixes the fibers

together to form a uniformed mass.

Historically, felts were the only material

used for underlays but today

they represent only a little part of

the market while the urethane foam

accounts almost 80% and sponge

rubber, the reminder. Turkey has

some respectful felt manufacturing

106

brands such as Milkay, Şiteks,

Pinteks, Kayteks, Felturc, Simfelt,

Felteks, Kisbu, Berfa, Punteks, etc.

Felt underlays provide firmer

support and, therefore, are often

used in high traffic areas in commercial

establishments. They are

also used in conjunction with area

rugs. In mattresses they are used

for reinforcement.

Today, the mattress industry

reinforcement felts offer technical

characteristics which ensure an incomparable

bed comfort. Available

in a wide range of thicknesses,

stiffness, colors, compositions,

dimensions or numbers of layers,

felts are commonly used in most

mattress kinds. Felts and fibers

are also used to keep foams in its

form and as a protection material.

Felt may vary in width, length,

color, or thickness depending on

its intended application. This

matted material is particularly

useful for padding and lining as

it is dense and can be very thick.

Furthermore, since the fabric is

not woven the edges may be cut

without fear of threads becoming

loose and the fiber unraveling.

Felts include SAE, sheet, wiper,

sleeve, needled, filter, gasket,

high temperature, equestrian,

craft and percussion felts. Felt is

available in materials including

wool, rayon, and polypropylene.

High temperature felt materials

include Nomex, Kevlar, polyester

and carbon precursor felts. Felts

applications include dust shields,

wipers, grease retainer washers,

vibration mountings, polishing,

glue and wax applications, pressure

and cushioning rolls, lubricating,

padding, oil retention, seals,

spacers, harnesses and saddlery.

Capabilities include die cutting for

SAE grade wool and coated felts,

non-woven synthetic materials,

coated and impregnated felts,

corks, foams, and non-metallic ma-

107

terials. Kiss cutting is available for

felt dots and anti-skid foam pads.

Capabilities also include stripping,

slitting, and applying pressure

sensitive adhesives to materials.

Natural materials without toxic

emissions are becoming increasingly

important, especially in the

mattress industry. Felts made of

virgin or recycled wool and cotton

are examples of such materials.

100% pure wool felt needled

punched felt is made out of 100%

pure washed wool and is also

made without any Pes additives.

It is a natural, warm and fire retardant

product. Needled punched

felt is made out of various cotton

recycled textile fibers. It is used

for the filling of the mattresses for

economical types.

Felts can be produced from wool

and from some other animal fibers

such as goat, rabbit or camel

hair. The fibers are laid over each

other in layers until the desired

thickness, width and length are

achieved. This produces a webtype

structure which is then

beaten, pressed and squeezed

108

until the required level of felting is

reached. The felt can be strengthened

by stitching, melting or

dissolving small areas of fibers, or

by gluing with adhesives.

Another type of felt is called

needle felt. This can be produced

using almost any type of fiber.

Synthetic fibers are increasingly

used for this commercially. This

method uses felting needles

which are arranged together in a

needling machine. Fiber webs are

layered on top of each other and

are fed into the needling machine.

The needles are pushed through

the fiber webs in order to drag

a number of fibers to the bottom

layer of the webs. This makes

loops in the fibers which stitch the

webs together.

Properties of felt

All felts absorb water and are

good insulators. Felt can be

steamed and pressed and formed

into permanent shapes. This

means that felt can be used in

many different ways. Commercial

uses include hats, billiard table

coverings, insulation materials,

collar facings for coats and

jackets. Needle felts have additional

property of being elastic

and lightweight compared with

other nonwoven fabrics. Their

uses include interlinings, mattress

covers, upholstery materials and

wadding.

Products manufactured for the

bedding and upholstery industry

are in both out sizes and roll-form

with weight ranging from 750 gm2

to 1800 gr2. There is a range of

products from layered felt, heavy

needled felt through to bonded

felt, both unbacked and backed,

with a range of different backing

materials such as woven polypropylene

or Typar (DuPont).

Wool felts are a wonderful ‘felting’

109

between nature and humanity.

The felts provide a resilient yet

firm sleeping surface that we

can easily adjust by adding or

subtracting felts according to

our preferences. Wool felts feel

wonderfully supportive and firm,

yet yielding, and can easily be

adjusted by adding or subtracting

felts according to one’s needs.

For additional ‘give’, slats can be

padded with 2-inch latex strips

(these are glued to the slat using

non-toxic glue). The latex padded

slats reduce the number of felts

needed to provide sufficient ‘give’

while only a minimal amount of latex

is used. The latex can be protected

with cotton or wool sleeves

(wool is better because of it’s

resistance to molding.) It is a gift

of true comfort for humans. Felts

are available in different colors.

There are 100% wool pads that

are available in several sizes and

can be used as a mattress topper,

car seat pad, rug, camping pad,

massage pad or anything else

you can think of. Wool felts work

great as a top layer on a your bed

since they are hand washable.

Thick and cozy, wool felts are the

perfect addition to every bed.

Each felt is mainly produced

by pouring hot soapy water on

batting and then stomping on

the wool. It means you can start

making felt with nothing more

than some bubble wrap, warm

water and soap but once you’ve

started you’re likely to get hooked

and you will want to experiment

further. This process causes the

fluffy wool batting to shrink into

a dense solid pad. The process is

completed by washing the felt in

a washing machine. The result, is

a beautiful, thick, hand washable

wool pad that can be used in so

many ways…

Specialty fibers can also make

wonderful felt or can be combined

with wool fiber to give a luxurious

feel and a different texture. Fibers

such as alpaca, angora, bamboo,

camel, cashmere and silk are all

available. For color blending,

hand carders are useful, or if you

are working on a larger project a

drum carder is a very handy tool.

This will produce blended batts

of wool that can be used in many

different ways.

Ahmet İlhan, export manager of

Siteks, explains: “Mainly there

110

are 3 separate felts in a mattress.

First is the product combined by

heat processes and used on the

springs directly which is called

hard felt. These lessen the hard

effect of the spring and spread

it on the surface. They spread

the weight of a person given to

the mattress and prevent it from

being concentrated on a certain

point. Our Company can produce

hard Felt from 300 grams to 3,000

grams. Now, we have 8 production

lines. Our monthly production

capacity is 3,500 tons.

Another sort of felt is filling felts.

These are medium-hard felts used

between top cloth and hard felt.

They can be produced in different

grams and with different thicknesses

and they may show variation

depending on the countries

and their mattress cultures.

For the mattress, on the top layer

foam rubber or fiber is used so

that the quilting seems beautiful.

Here, the third type of felts, felts

for quilting begin to function.

These are softer that the others.

And they make the quilting seem

more beautiful. And these are also

produced in different grams and

with different thicknesses with the

needling technique. In fact, we

can classify the Felts for quilting

used by us in this area into 3, as

well. These are: recycled cotton

Felts, original wool Felts and original

cotton felts.”

Ahmet İlhan details the way of

Siteks, “We are producing a kind

of flame retardant felt. Especially

in the countries like England

and America, non-flammability is

preferred very much. Preventing

burning of the completed mattress

is a priority there. Besides, flame

retardancy is desired in hotels,

in military, in hospitals and in

prisons. And for that purpose, we

are producing special non-woven

clothes. These products are

used right under the completed

clothes. Materials like foam rubber

or fiber are located thereunder.

Thus, non-flammability of the

mattresses or non-growth of the

112

fire, in case of a possible fire, is

ensured. In a sense, it functions

as a barrier. You can ensure that

flame retardancy in two ways.

First, you can produce the fiber

with non-flammable chemicals. You

use carbon and non-flammable

fibers therein. Second, you get a

non-woven cloth with a feature of

less non-flammability and you may

inject a non-flammability liquid

into it. By that way, we produce

firebreak products.”

How many felt layers are enough?

This depends on whether you use

latex padded slats or bare slats.

With latex padded slats, stacking

4 to 6 bed felt layers is recommended.

With bare slats, it would

be better with 8-10 bed felts.

More can be added if needed.

The top felt is the protection layer.

It requires more care, especially

when sleeping right on the felt

with no sheet. Little woolen pilings

begin to form wherever your

body is directly moving/rubbing

against the wool. The pilings can

easily be picked off while sitting

on them. It makes for good contemplation

time.

Multiple felts for layered mattress

To produce a layered felt mattress,

simply stack the felts on top

of each other. Side lacing helps

reduce possible slippage between

felts, but is not absolutely needed.

Some people prefer no lacing

because of the ease of removing

layers for travel, or for seasonal

sunning and airing.

114

TDI, a problematic

but inevitable need of

foam manufacturers

TDI (Toluene

dilsocyanate)

is the vital raw

material for foam

manufacturers

but its availability

and market and

price stability are

headaches for the

manufacturers.

Processing the

item is also not

healthy…

TDI, or toluene diisocyanate, is a

key raw material used to produce

flexible polyurethane foam. The

TDI is consumed in the chemical

reaction that makes polyurethane

and is not released from the finished

polyurethane foam into the

air to make any harm.

Can TDI be handled and used

safely? Yes, when used in accordance

with current regulations

and industry practices, TDI can be

used safely. Engineering controls,

personal protective equipment,

and long-established workplace

practices are widely used throughout

the industry to protect workers

and the public.

Short supplies of this key ingredient

in polyurethane foam seem

not to be easing soon. There are

few manufacturers in the world

and when they have self-problems

they are reflected to users.

As the main input of foam, Toluene

Diisocyanate (TDI) is one of

the basic chemical ingredients

used in the manufacture of flexible

polyurethane foam. TDI is the

abbreviation for Toluene DiIsocyanate,

a mixture of toluene-2,4-di-

115

isocyanate and toluene-2,6-diisocyanate

with the 2,4- isomer

being the major component.

Polyurethane chemistry was first

studied and produced in Germany

in 1937. Polyurethanes represent

a family of polymers rather than a

single polymer. Urethane polymers

can be produced with a wide

variety of properties, ranging

from soft flexible foams and fibers

through to hard solids so that

they can be used in a diverse

range of applications. The TDI is

consumed in the chemical reaction

that makes polyurethane and is

not released from the finished

polyurethane foam into the air.

Flexible polyurethane foam is used

in mattresses, furniture cushions

and other common household

applications.

The development of elastic polyurethanes

began as a program

to find a replacement for rubber

during the days of World War II.

In 1940, the first polyurethane

elastomers were produced. These

compounds gave millable gums

that could be used as an adequate

alternative to rubber. When

scientists found that polyurethanes

could be made into fine

threads, they were combined with

nylon to make more lightweight

116

and stretchable garments. Polyurethanes

are linear polymers

that have a molecular backbone

containing carbamate groups

(-NHCO2). These groups, called

urethane, are produced through

a chemical reaction between a

diisocyanate and a polyol. Polyurethanes

are some of the most

versatile polymers. Despite these

differing properties, the polymers

have one common characteristic in

that they all incorporate the urethane

group (-NH-CO-O-) into their

structure. However, the polymers

differ from simple thermoplastic

polymers, such as the polyolefins,

in that they are not sold as readymade

polymers but as precursors

that are mixed at the conversion

stage. These precursors are commonly

polyols (compounds containing

multiple -OH groups) and

diisocyanates (compounds containing

-NCO groups). The primary

reaction during the production of

polyurethanes is of the form: -NCO

+ HO- → -NH-CO-O-

Polyurethane flexible foams can

be used for a diverse range of

applications including sofa, mattresses,

furniture cushions, carpet

underlay, padding for textile and

footwear, and automotive seats.

TDI is also used in the production

of coatings, sealants and elastomers.

Toluene Diisocyanate TDI

80-20 is an aromatic isocyanate

that is produced for reaction with

polyols to form polyurethanes. It

is widely used in the production

of polyester-based soft foam,

high-bearing sponges, semi-rigid

ester foam, and paint.

What does the presence of TDI

antibodies mean?

The presence of TDI antibodies

does not necessarily indicate an

adverse health effect, nor does it

necessarily mean you have been

exposed to TDI. The test for TDI

117

antibodies is neither simple nor

completely accurate. Some individuals

test positive regardless of

whether they have been exposed

to TDI or not. Additional testing

would be required to determine if

the positive reading was actually

the result of TDI exposure.

Environmental implications

TDI is a confirmed carcinogen. Its

emission is closely monitored by

the authorities. TDI tape detectors

are installed around the factories

it is produced. To minimize the

emission of TDI, most of the process

equipment is shielded.

Like many reactive chemicals, “TDI

products” can create hazards if

handled carelessly. When used

in accordance with current regulations

and industry practices, TDI

can be used safely. Engineering

controls, personal protective

equipment, and long-established

workplace practices are widely

used throughout the industry to

protect workers and the public.

Traditionally CFC (chlorinated fluorocarbons)

based solvents were

used as blowing agents. In the

late 80’s, the ozone layer depletion

effect of CFC based chemical

was established. The use of CFC

was gradually banned. Methylene

chloride, which is inert to ozone, is

used as a substitute for CFC.

Lots of “offcuts” are generated in

the foam cutting process. They are

118

collected and sent to the associated

recycle plant to produce a

lower grade flexible foam. This

type of foam is widely used in the

production of carpet backings and

packing materials. By this way the

net amount of waste produced in

the process can be minimized.

TDI should only be handled by

knowledgeable, well-trained

personnel who thoroughly understand

the hazards associated with

the transportation, storage, and

use of the chemical. Contaminated

clothing must be washed before

reuse. Severely contaminated

clothing should be discarded.

Contaminated footwear or leather

gloves should never be reused.

Eating and drinking should not be

allowed where TDI is handled or

stored.

POLYOL in polymer chemistry used

in mattresses

The other reacting species required

to produce polyurethanes

are compounds that contain

multiple alcohol groups (OH),

called polyols. In polymer chemistry,

polyols are compounds with

multiple hydroxyl functional groups

available for organic reactions. A

molecule with two hydroxyl groups

is a diol, one with three is a triol,

one with four is a tetrol and so on.

The polyols used in polyurethane

production are predominantly

hydroxy- polyethers, rather than

hydroxy-polyesters. They are produced

by alkoxylation. Depending

on the degree of cross-linking

required, the starting alcohols

used for hydroxy-polyethers may

be divalent glycols (ethylene,

propylene and other glycols) or

multivalent alcohols (e.g. glycerol,

sucrose). The epoxides used are

generally propylene oxide and

ethylene oxide.

Monomeric polyols such as glycerin,

pentaerythritol, ethylene

glycol and sucrose often serve as

the starting point for polymeric

polyols. These materials are often

referred to as the “initiators” and

reacted with propylene oxide

or ethylene oxide to produce

polymeric polyols. However, they

should not be confused with

free radical “initiators” used to

promote other polymerization

reactions. The functional group

used as the starting point for a

polymeric polyol need not be a hydroxyl

group; there are a number

of important polyols which are

built up from amines. A primary

amino group (-NH2) often functions

as the starting point for two

polymeric chains, especially in the

case of polyether polyols.

Polymeric polyols are generally

used to produce other polymers.

They are reacted with isocyanates

to make polyurethanes used to

make mattresses, foam insulation

for appliances (refrigerators and

freezers), home and automotive

seats, elastomeric shoe soles,

fibers (e.g. Spandex), and adhesives.

Polymeric polyols are usually polyethers

or polyesters. Polyether

polyols are made by reacting

epoxides like ethylene oxide or

propylene oxide with the multifunctional

initiator in the presence

of a catalyst, often a strong base

such as potassium hydroxide or

a double metal cyanide catalyst

such as zinc hexacyanocobaltate-t-butanol

complex. Common

polyether diols are polyethylene

glycol, polypropylene glycol, and

119

poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol.

The examples shown below are

fairly low molecular weight triols

based on glycerin (a triol) being

reacted with propylene oxide,

ethylene oxide or a combination

of the two. In reality, the chains

would not be of equal length in

any one molecule and there would

be a distribution of molecular

weight polyols within the material.

Polyether polyols account for

about 90% of the polymeric polyols

used industrially; the balance

is polyester polyols.

As is the case for all foam manufacturers

at almost all over the

world Turkish foam manufacturers

have also been suffering some

supply problems of this main input

of their manufacturing process.

Price hikes are also a big problem

for the industry. Depending on

this material for foam production

the industry is almost in a monopoly

of a main supplier. When it

suffers from any cause the entire

industry suffers because the producer

naturally reflects the loss on

prices, delivery and other factors.

Another class of polymeric polyols

is the polyesters. Polyesters are

formed by condensation or stepgrowth

polymerization of diols

and dicarboxylic acids (or their

derivatives), for example diethylene

glycol reacting with phthalic

acid. Alternatively, the hydroxyl

group and the carboxylic acid (or

their derivatives) may be within

the same molecule, as in the case

of caprolactone. The example

below is an idealized structure

that could be obtained by reacting

pentaerythritol (a tetrol) with

gamma-butyrolactone.

120

BASF develops the

world’s first particle

foam based on

polyethersulfone

The foam is characterized by its unique combination of properties:

high temperature resistance, inherent flame retardancy, and its

extreme lightweight coupled with great stiffness and strength. BASF

has outstanding expertise in foams that are successfully used in

numerous industries.

After two years of intensive

research, BASF is now able to

present prototypes of the world’s

first particle foam based on

polyethersulfone (PESU). The foam

is characterized by its unique

combination of properties: high

temperature resistance, inherent

flame retardancy, and its extreme

light weight coupled with

great stiffness and strength. It is

therefore particularly well-suited

for complex-shaped components

in cars, airplanes and trains,

which require excellent mechanical

properties together with the ability

to withstand high operating

temperatures or to meet stringent

flame-retardant requirements.

The expandable

PESU granulate

is

prefoamed

into beads

with low

densities between

40 and 120 g/L and can

be processed into molded parts

with complex 3D geometries

using technologies available on

the market. Ultrason E, the PESU

of BASF, is an amorphous thermoplastic

with an extraordinary

temperature profile: it has a high

glass transition temperature of

225°C and remains dimensionally

stable up to this temperature. Its

excellent mechanical and dielectric

properties are only slightly

dependent on the temperature,

too. Foams made of Ultrason E are

approved for use in aircraft. The

material, with its exceptionally

high limiting oxygen index of 38

(according to ASTM D 2863), distinguishes

itself because it meets

the requirements for commercial

aircraft with regard to combustibility,

low heat release and low

smoke density (fire, smoke, toxicity)

even without the addition of

flame retardants, which means it

is intrinsically flame retardant.

Particle foam for new lightweight

components

Despite its low density the PESU

particle foam enables extremely

stiff and strong components with

excellent dimensional stability

at high temperatures. Expanded

molded parts made from one

single material offer numerous advantages

compared to traditional

honeycomb structures coated

with phenolic resins: they offer

considerable flexibility in terms of

densities and shapes and therefore

greater freedom in design.

There are fewer processing steps

and therefore lower system costs.

Additional functional parts such

as inserts and screw threads

can be integrat-

ed

in the

complex geometries.

And, last but not

least, recycling of the parts can be

easily carried out as the polymer

is of one single origin. Thanks to

such weight-optimized, thermoplastic

foams for complex geometries

it is possible to realize new

lightweight components that,

compared to traditional thermoplastic

parts, have better properties

and are an answer to trends

such as e-mobility in automotive

construction, the modernization of

aircraft cabin interiors and increasing

flame-retardant requirements

in public transport. Ultrason is the

trade name for BASF’s product

range of polyethersulfone (Ultrason

E), polysulfone (Ultrason

S) and polyphenylsulfone (Ultrason

P). The high-performance

material is used to manufacture

121

lightweight components in the

electronics, automotive and

aerospace industries, but also in

water-filtration membranes and

in parts that come into contact

with hot water and food. Because

of their extraordinary property

profile, the Ultrason brands can

substitute thermosets, metals and

ceramics.

BASF: extensive expertise in foams

BASF has outstanding expertise

in foams that are successfully

used in numerous industries. In

1951, the company patented the

first-ever particle foam: the classic

white foam made from expandable

polystyrene (EPS) – Styropor.

Since then, it has set the standard

for insulation and packaging applications

and was further developed

into the high-performance

Neopor for

insulation

materials

in 1997.

BASF

was also

a pioneer

in block foam:

since 1964, it has

produced the insulation

material Styrodur, the

expanded polystyrene (XPS) for

use in construction. Since then,

the company has brought other

high-performance foams onto the

market: Basotect, a flexible, opencell

foam made from the thermoset

melamine resin for acoustic,

transportation and cleaning

applications, as well as Neopolen,

a polypropylene foam (EPP)

with high energy absorption and

good resilience. The latest innovations

are Infinergy, the world’s

first expanded thermoplastic

polyurethane (E-TPU), which has

been causing a sensation in the

sports shoes industry, and ecovio

EA, a certified compostable,

expandable particle foam with a

high biobased ratio for transport

packaging, which contributes to

the circular economy.

122

Mattress Industry

Terms

Source: ISPA, International

Sleep Products Association

Adjustable base: An electro-mechanical

or manual bed frame construction

that permits the raising

and lowering of the head and/or

foot portions of the mattress.

Airbed: An air mattress with a core

that is an air-filled vinyl bladder.

Better airbeds are multichambered,

covered with cushioning, upholstered

with ticking and sold with a

foundation.

Anti-microbial fiber and foam:

Treatment that inhibits the growth

of microbial contaminates.

Backing: Any fabric or sheeting material

that is used during quilting to

anchor the stitches.

Batting: See Cotton Felt.

Bedding: Commonly used as a

generic term for a mattress and

foundation set, but may also apply

to accessory items such as blankets,

sheets, pillows, comforters,

mattress pads, etc.

Bedding ensemble: A complete

sleep support system, consisting of

a metal frame or a bed, a foundation

and a mattress set.

Bed frame: A metal or wood

frame with legs used to support a

mattress and foundation. Conventional

height is 7-1/4 inches and

the low-profile version is 5-3/4

inches when measured from the

floor to the bottom of the foundation.

Generally a headboard

can be attached. Metal frames

are sometimes known as a “Hollywood”

frame.

Bedsprings: Open-spring or wire

fabric box springs without upholstery

materials or cover.

Binding tape: Fabric tape used

to bind and close the mattress or

foundation where the vertical and

horizontal panels of outer ticking

123

come together, providing the edge

trimming for the mattress or foundation.

See Tape and Tape Edge.

Body impressions: Indentations occurring

on the surface of a mattress

over time, due to the compression

of materials by the human body.

Bonnell: A knotted, round-top,

hourglass-shaped steel wire coil.

When laced together with crosswire

helicals, these coils form the

simplest innerspring unit, also

referred to as a Bonnell.

Border: The vertical side or edge

of a mattress or foundation. Prebuilt

borders are constructed by

stitching together the ticking, foam

or other filling materials and a

backing material. Commonly quilted

or vertical-stitched.

Border rod: A heavy gauge wire

rod attached to the perimeter of

the innerspring unit (top and bottom)

by means of a helical wire or

metal clips.

Boric acid: A chemical additive

applied during the garnetting of

cotton and/or other fibers to provide

cigarette ignition resistance

characteristics.

Box spring: Also referred to as

a “foundation.” A base for an

innerspring mattress, consisting

of coils or other forms of springs

mounted on a wood or metal frame

and secured with a wire-interlaced

or welded-wire grid, topped with

upholstery and insulating materials

(felt, urethane or other resilient

materials), and covered on the

top and sides with ticking and on

the bottom with a dust cover. It

is an important part of a bed set

since it serves as a shock absorber,

distributes weight, and supports

and interacts with the innerspring

mattress to properly support the

body.

Box-top mattress: A mattress

featuring a raised surface finishing

treatment where a separate, sided

and rectangular encasement of

soft materials–usually with a tape

edge–is attached via a welt to the

entire surface on top of existing

cover and upholstery.

Bunk bed: A two-tiered wood or

metal frame designed to accommodate

two mattresses, typically

twin-size, one above the other.

Some models allow the upper and

lower units to be detached and

used as separate beds.

Bunkie: A mattress, usually twinsize,

and platform base used on

bunk beds.

Cal 117: Refers to California Technical

Bulletin 117, which specifies a

vertical flame testing procedure for

bedding and furniture component

materials. Foam referred to as “Cal

117 foam” has passed this test.

Carbon: The principal hardening

element in steel. The higher the

carbon content, the harder the metal

and the more temper it will take,

thus giving longer “memory.”

Cellulose acetate pad: Woody fiber

compacted into a pad and used

as an insulator. May be glued or

sandwiched between plastic netting

to help hold it together.

Coil count: The number of coils in

an innerspring unit. Though the

count can effect weight distribution,

it is not the determining factor

for firmness. The count is usually

based on the number of coils in a

full-size unit.

Coils: The individual wire springs

that form an innerspring unit. See

124

Hourglass, Continuous and Offset

Coils.

Coir pad: An insulator pad made

from coconut husk fiber, garnetted,

needled, bonded and pre-cut to

size.

Comfort system: Refers to the

upholstery layers of the mattress,

generally consisting of a combination

of materials (cover, cushioning,

topper pad, insulators, etc.).

Conjugate polyester fiber: Spirally

crimped fiber that is crimped chemically

rather than thermally. Is very

durable and resilient.

Continuous coils: An innerspring

configuration in which the rows of

coils are formed from a single piece

of wire.

Conventional bedding products:

Mattresses and foundations in the

conventional adult sizes of twin,

twin extra long, full, full extra long,

queen and king.

Convertible sofa: A sofa with a

bed folded beneath the seating

surface, generally consisting of a

mattress resting on a metal mechanism.

Also called “sleep sofa” or

“sofa sleeper.”

Convoluted foam: Better known as

“egg-crate” foam that is specially

cut to produce hills and valleys,

giving gentle softness and more

surface comfort. Foam surface

treatment is available in multiple

patterns.

Cornell test: Devised by Cornell

University School of Hotel/Motel

Administration. Designed to test

cosmetic performance of bedding

sets, such as body impression or

support firmness. Two round surfaces

are pounded into the finished

product 100,000 times and checked

periodically for failure or changes.

Corner guards: Molded plastic or

metal, (sometimes upholstered) fittings

secured to foundation corners

to prevent material damage from

the bed frame.

Cotton felt: Produced by a garnett

machine which combs cotton and

other fiber binders into a continuous

web or layer. Several such

layers combined are called cotton

“batt”. For compressed cotton felt,

thick layers of garnetted cotton

fiber are mechanically compressed

to reduce body impressions.

Cotton linters: The short fibers

adhering to the seed after the long

staple fiber has been removed in

the ginning process. Used in making

cotton felt.

Cotton pickers: “Fall out” from ginning

or garnetting. These shorter

staple cotton fibers are blended

with linters to produce cotton felt.

Crown: A convex surface on a mattress.

Mattresses with a half-inch

crown are a half-inch thicker at the

center than at the edges.

Cushioning: Materials that lie

above the insulator and below the

fabric covering in an innerspring

mattress. These materials are typically

combinations of polyurethane

foam, cotton felt, and/or mademade

fibers.

Damask: Woven ticking produced

on a loom that has yarns running

at 90-degree angles to each other,

125

the warp and the weft. The damask

design is woven into the fabric

rather than printed on the surface.

Density: A measure of weight per

cubic volume, usually expressed

in pounds per cubic foot. Often

referred to when discussing foam.

Double tempering: Heating of wire

components, usually in an oven, after

they have been given shape or

form and have been electronically

stress-relieved. Refers to tempering

coils as well as border rods and

helicals in a complete spring unit.

Dual-purpose: A broad term used

to include all sleep pieces, which

can be converted to other uses,

including: convertible sofas,

high-risers, daybeds, futons, etc.

See Convertible Sofa.

Dust cover: A woven or non-woven

fabric attached to the underside of

a foundation to prevent the collection

of dust inside. May also be

known as “sheeting” or “cambric.”

Edge guard: Generally an extra

component added to the edge of a

mattress and/or box spring to give

support on the sides.

Engineered edge support: A special

design where the coils on the

outer edge of an innerspring unit

are actually positioned under the

border rod. Most units have the

coils recessed from the edge, which

can contribute to a “roll out of bed”

feeling.

Euro-top mattress: A mattress featuring

a raised, squared-off surface

finishing treatment filled with soft

comfort layers and attached to the

mattress upholstery at the tapeedge.

Fabric cover: Cloth or textile material

woven, knitted or felted of

any fiber or mixture of fibers. Often

referred to as “ticking” or mattress

fabric.

Fales pad: Compressed cotton felt

that is stitched together to better

retain compression.

Fiber pad: Usually refers to manmade

or natural fibers (wool, silk,

etc.) that are garnetted, needled,

carded and/or bonded together.

Often used in quilting panels for

mattress tops.

Filler cloth: Refers to a plain fabric

used on the top of a foundation

instead of ticking. Commonly offers

non-skid characteristics.

Flanging: The process whereby a

strip of fabric is sewn to the edge

of the mattress cover and, in the

assembly process, secured to the

perimeter of the innerspring unit to

prevent the cover and filling materials

from shifting.

Foam foundation: Consists of a

built-up wood slat frame covered

with a sheet of cardboard or similar

material, topped with at least 2” of

foam and covered with ticking.

Foundation: Any base or support

for a mattress, sometimes used as

a generic term for box spring. A

foundation may be made entirely

126

of wood or a combination of wood

and steel or steel springs. See Box

Spring and Foam Foundation.

Futon: A Japanese-style mattress

construction, consisting of a cover

and filling material, which is typically

cotton but can be innerspring

and/or foam.

Garnetting: A mechanical process

whereby short cotton fibers and/

or other fibers are combed into a

specific orientation and formed into

a thin web, which are then layered

to create a batting used as an upholstery

material. See Cotton Felt.

Gauge, coil: A measurement of the

diameter of the steel wire used in

coil construction. Wire gauge for

innerspring coils range from 12.5

to 17. The higher the gauge, the

thinner the wire.

Gel foam: Generally a visco-elastic

foam that is infused with beads or

swirls of gel during the foam pouring

process.

Hair pads: Horse tail or mane, cattle

tail or hog hair, which has been

processed and curled for use as a

mattress or upholstery filler.

Hammocking: An undesirable characteristic

sometimes associated

with worn out or low-end mattresses.

When weight is placed in the

center, the corners tend to rise and

bow in response to deep compression

much like a hammock. Terms

“dish” and “sagging” also used to

describe this phenomenon.

Hand: Term used to describe the

touch or feel of fabrics (e.g., soft,

smooth, etc.).

Hand-tied: The process of

hand-lacing the coils in a box

spring together with twine. Seldom

used, this process has been

replaced with modern technology

and new designs.

Headboard: An upright unit of

wood, metal, plastic, or upholstered

material, to be attached at

the head of a bed, usually with the

bed frame.

Helical: A tightly-coiled, elongated

wire used in the manufacture of

innerspring units to join individual

coils to each other and to the

border rod.

High-contour mattress: Measures

9” – 13” thick. A mattress under 9”

thick is considered “standard”; over

13” thick is considered “custom.”

High riser: Usually a frame or sofa

with two mattresses of equal size

without a backrest. The frame

slides out with the lower bed and

rises to form a full bed or two

single beds.

Hog ring: Metal ring used to

secure the insulator and flange material

to the innerspring unit. Takes

its name from its similarity to the

metal ring in a hog’s nose.

Hourglass coils: Coils that taper

inward from top to middle and outward

from middle to bottom, thus

resembling an hourglass in shape.

Employed in bonnell and offset coil

designs.

Hybrid: Commonly used industry

term for a mattress that combines

an innerspring unit with specialty

foams such as visco-elastic or latex.

Ideal weight distribution: Equalization

of support in such a way

as to eliminate pressure points

that cause discomfort resulting in

tossing and turning. Best achieved

with coil on coil construction and

properly designed insulation and

cushioning material.

Innerspring unit construction (for

mattresses): The spring construction

used as the main support system

inside an innerspring mattress.

Some common types are: pocketed

(see Marshall) and all metal (i.e.,

bonnell, offset and continuous

wire).

Insulator: Any material used on top

and bottom of an innerspring unit

to prevent the upholstery layers

from cupping down into the coils.

Some common types are: a fiber

pad, non-woven fabric, netting,

wire mesh or foam pad.

Knit: A basic polyester or nylon

ticking fabric produced through a

knitting process (tricot) rather than

weaving. Designs are printed onto

the surface.

Lacing wire: Finer gauges of wire

used to form helicals.

Latex: A flexible foam created from

a water dispersion of rubber, either

from the rubber tree (natural latex)

or a man-made, petroleum-based

product (synthetic latex). Most

latex used in mattresses today is

127

a combination of natural and synthetic

latex rubber.

LFK: An unknotted offset coil with

a cylindrical or columnar shape.

Link fabric: A wire foundation for

bedsprings, cots, studio couches,

sofabed mechanisms and gliders.

So called because the fabric is a

succession of metal links.

Marshall: A type of innerspring

construction in which thin gauge,

barrel-shaped, knotless coils are

encased in fabric pockets. Also

known as “pocketed coils.”

Mattress: A manufactured product

to sleep on, consisting of various

resilient materials covered with an

outer ticking. Comes from the Arabic

term “matrah” meaning to throw

down. Early Arabs traveled with

their bedding and threw it down on

the ground or floor at night.

Memory: The ability of tempered

steel, foam or some fabrics to

return to their original state after

being compressed or stretched.

Mesh: Plastic netting generally

stretched across the face of an

innerspring unit as an insulator.

Microcoils: A low-profile metal

spring unit, typically with individually

wrapped coils, used in the top

comfort layers of a mattress.

Molded foam core (for mattresses):

A core made of flexible foam

is made in molds and used as the

main support system in a foam

mattress.

Mounting: Attachment of a box

spring unit to a wood or metal

frame.

Needlepunched fabric: A manufacturing

process for which high

strength, lightweight, non-woven

construction fabrics are produced.

These fabrics are produced by

garnetting fibers, entangling or

inner-locking these fibers together

by a series of needles and then

mechanically bonding or fusing

them together via heat to produce

a fabric without glue or binders.

Needlepunched pad: A manufacturing

process used to produce

insulator pads and non-woven

fabrics whereby loose, garnetted

fibers are inner-locked by a series

of “needles.” This process usually

requires additional bonding to

keep the fibers in place.

Offset coils: An hourglass type coil

on which portions of the top and

bottom convolutions have been

flattened. In assembling the innerspring

unit, these flat segments

of wire are hinged together with

helicals.

Orthopedic: Generalized term to

imply set gives proper postural

alignment and support. Should not

necessarily mean hard or board

feeling. Proper support with a

degree of comfort to contour to the

body is best.

Panel: The part of the ticking that

constitutes the top sleep surface of

a mattress, as well as the bottom

of a mattress on a two-sided bed.

128

Pedestal-type metal or wood bed

frame: A low-profile bed frame

with a solid pedestal base underneath

each side of the frame,

instead of legs.

Pillow-top mattress: A mattress

featuring a surface finishing treatment

where a separate encasement

of soft materials is attached

to the entire surface on top of

existing cover and upholstery.

Plus 4 edge: Two border rods

engineered with one inside of the

other and designed so that they

make the edge 4% firmer than

the balance of the sleep surface

to eliminate that “roll out of bed”

feeling and edge sag.

Pocketed coil: See Marshall.

Polyurethane foam: See Urethane

Foam.

Print: A ticking fabric, which can be

a woven or non-woven sheeting,

commonly of synthetic fiber composition,

on which a design has been

printed.

Quilting: The surface treatment in

which the cover, foam and/or other

fibers are sewn together, using

various stitch patterns on quilting

machinery, including scroll or

panel quilters (single needle) and

multi-needle quilters.

Resilience: Surface liveliness and

spring-back ability.

Rollator test: An approximately

230 lb., six-sided roller is passed

across a sleep set to determine the

structural strengths or weaknesses

of the set and components (i.e.,

foam or quilt failure, breaking of

helicals and coils). The industry

standard to duplicate the life of a

mattress is 100,000 passes.

Rollaway bed/cot: A portable metal

bed/cot with a frame that folds

in half with the mattress when not

in use so it can be rolled away into

a closet (or elsewhere) for compact

storage.

Sheeting: a woven or non-woven

fabric other than knits that have a

degree of sizing and are somewhat

stiff.

Side rail: A metal or wood rail,

which hooks into the outside edges

of a headboard and footboard

to provide the support base for a

foundation and mattress.

Sisal: A product of the henequen

plant formed into a pad and used

as an insulator. Named after the.

small port of Sisal in Yucatan.

Slats: Narrow strips of wood used

to support the coils in the box

spring frame. Also used in a bedstead

to support the box spring.

Sleep Products Safety Council

hangtag: Used voluntarily by

bedding producers since 1987, the

safety hangtag program provides

critical consumer information about

the safe use of sleep products.

Manufacturers certify that they use

the tag only on mattresses that

meet the Federal Standard for the

Flammability of Mattresses and

Mattress Pads.The tag is available

in a hangtag or permanent label.

Smooth top: A plain surfaced

mattress, neither tufted nor quilted.

Also called button-free.

Spring wire: Wire made from high

carbon steel, characterized by

toughness, strength and ductility.

Typically furnished in 8 to 18 gauge

for bedding industry applications.

Steel unit construction (for box

springs): The spring construction

used as the main support system

inside a box spring.

Stitch bonded pad: See Fales Pad.

Straightline deflection: Pertains to

mattress innerspring construction

and refers to the constant ratio

between stress and strain, weight

and movement. The benefit is

that constant support is provided

regardless of the weight applied.

No bottoming out of soft spots.

Basically it means that two people

of unequal weight, sleeping on the

same mattress, receive the same

support.

Stretch knit: A heavy-weight mattress

ticking consisting of a top layer,

bottom layer and filling material

knitted together and intermittently

stitched to keep the filling yarns

stable.

Super zoned box spring frame: A

support, generally wood, attached

longitudinally to the underside of

a foundation for added support

where the main body weight rests.

Another important structural point

is that the vertical slats are turned

on edge for added strength. This

is extremely important on queen

sizes and for 4-poster beds where

typically no center support is

provided. Also known as a “center

rail.”

Tape: Fabric material that closes

over the rough-sewn edge where

the top and bottom panels are

joined to the border of a mattress

or box spring.

Tape edge: A specified type of

sewing machine designed to stitch

binding tape around the top and

bottom edges of the mattress,

joining the panels with the border

and closing the mattress.

Tempering: Heat treatment of

wire to reduce brittleness. Accomplished

by electric charge,

oven heat or both. Also known as

“stress relieved”.

Ticking: Fabrics for covering mattresses

and foundations. Common

types include: stretch knits, woven

damasks, knits and nonwovens.

Torsion bars: A type of spring system

used in box springs characterized

by square-shaped wire forms.

Trundle bed: A low bed that is

rolled under a larger bed. In

some constructions, the lower bed

springs up to form a full bed or two

single beds as in a high riser.

Tufting: Consists of passing twine,

cords or tape vertically through

the mattress from top to bottom,

knotting and securing the loops

thus formed with tufts, buttons, or

lacing. The purpose is to hold the

mattress filling in place.

Uniflex grid: A steel wire grid used

to bridge the “mouth” of the coils

on an innerspring unit to prevent

“pocketing” of insulation down into

the coil and to eliminate “coil feel.”

Also helps to distribute the body

weight of a person.

Urethane foam: Synthetic (chemically

foamed) flexible urethane

used for mattress cores and as a

cushioning material. As a core, it’s

the main support system. Generic

term covering both polyester and

polyether foams.

Ventilator: Metal or plastic screens

attached to the sides and sometimes

the ends of mattresses to

permit the passage of air. Unnecessary

with normal high quality

materials used today, except for

hospital type mattresses with wetproof

covers.

Visco-elastic foam: Also known

as “memory foam.” Slow recovery

urethane foams that are temperature

sensitive. They conform to

the body and distribute pressure

according to body heat and dynamics.

Waterbed: A sleep system

employing a water-filled vinyl

bladder as its primary support

system. Original models relied on

rigid framing to contain the vinyl

components and were known as a

“hardside”. Newer styles consist

of vinyl components (bladder and

liner) typically encased in foam and

made to look like a conventional

mattress, usually paired with a

regular upholstered foundation.

Also called a “softside” waterbed.

All versions are sometimes referred

to as “flotation beds.”

Welded grid top: Basic wire

welded into a lattice to which box

spring coils, formed wire or modules

are fastened. Offers even

weight distribution, yet allows

some flex and give.

129

Wood bed: A bed with a headboard

and footboard made of

wood, having side rails of wood or

metal that support the foundation

and mattress.

Wood frame (for box springs): The

wood frame in a box spring on

which the spring construction is

mounted.

Woven stripe: A once ubiquitous

woven ticking with colored stripes.

The style was referred to as “ACA”,

the traditional designation for

the 8 oz. blue- and white-striped

ticking that has mostly fallen out of

favor and is seldom produced.

P: +90.224 443 46 28 - 29 F: +90.224 441 99 90 Nilüfer Bursa TURKEY info@elektroteks.com.tr

SleepTech January/February 2019

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