David Perry
DONGGUAN, China — Chinese foam and fiber suppliers are increasingly targeting the United States with their mattress products.


Sometimes those products go into mattresses made in China for shipment to the United States. But suppliers also send their products directly to U.S. bedding producers or distributors.

Chinese suppliers say they offer innovative products for the U.S. market at lower prices than are found in the states.

Sinomax, based here, has done well in the United States with its visco mattresses, said Frank Chen, managing director. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in the U.S. in the last three years,” he said. “Visco has become very, very popular in the U.S. Because of the success of Tempur-Pedic, people are looking for alternate suppliers.”

Chen said the visco foam produced at Sinomax’s 1.3-million-square-foot factory here is more consistent and has a better feel than a popular brand in the U.S. market.

How is that accomplished? “Better chemists” was his reply. He sees “pretty significant growth” for Sinomax’s visco beds in the United States in the coming months.

*For the complete article, which is the third installment of David Perry’s three-part series, Inside China’s Bedding Industry, see the July 24 print issue of Furniture|Today.  David recently returned from a weeklong trip to China, where he visited mattress factories and foam and fiber suppliers. The series is also offered in an exclusive electronic report.  For more details and to order the report, click here for Inside China’s Bedding Industry.