My turn to ........

[gonfishn]

A new law that governs mattress manufacturers on how they are made makes little sense to me. A fire barrier(a sheet of flame retardent material) must be placed between the cover and the material under it. Thats not so bad. It really doesn't stop a mattress from burning but is suppose to give the consumer at least 20 minutes to get out. I can live with that.

What burns me is that i must have a burn test done on each proto type i make(about six sets). you have to burn not one but three sets. The cost is 400$ per set. You do the math. I understand its for the consumer. Over kill is another thing. Any mattress will burn when it gets hot enough. Well i have ranted here enough.. On top of eveything else i have to rent a uhaul trailer(400$) and drive 1200 miles round trip to South Carolina to have them tested. Now you know why bedding is so high. Thank you Uncle Sam

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: My turn to ........

Thats one of the reasons why people will not start their own business,,,,,all the friggen red tape. I wonder if they made water beds go through the same test,,,,,I wouldn't doubt it one bit. Good Luck Jeff

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: My turn to ........

Eh, you'll recoup those losses in no time... particularly if you keep making those same prototypes for a long time.

 

[oops!]

Re: My turn to ........

i think that law will be changed quickly enough.....or ammended as it is the barrier that must be tested.

once proven that the barrier is adquate, the individual units should not need to be tested.

can you flame retard the ticking without too much unit cost?

can you just ship them? do you need to be there during testing?

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: My turn to ........

Thats one of the reasons why people will not start their own business,,,,,all the friggen red tape. I wonder if they made water beds go through the same test,,,,,I wouldn't doubt it one bit. Good Luck Jeff

hay i liked my water bed

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: My turn to ........

Yep, I know exactly what you are up against.
I have to have a full Quality Assurance program with a full Food Safety Component.
The way it is going, it looks like the increase in charges this coming year may account for somewhere around 1.5 to 2% of my costs.
If I don't comply, I can't sell.

All I can suggest is, build the cost in to your sale price.
I know it hurts, and you feel you too are rip-ing off the buyer, but that's the way of our world.

Cheers
Phillip

 

[gonfishn]

Re: My turn to ........

If you change the fuel load you must reburn. The kicker is the same folks who make the barrier are the same folks who test it. Catch 22.. The barrier is between the panel and the cushioning underneath. For instance if you skip a thread this torch not a cigarette can get through. Or if the panel(which i buy the material from other folks) has a skip it will get through. Then you have to retest again.

This law is about two years old. Look at your mattress if you do not see yellow thread at the closing site then you all going to burn lol... You can measure my fat but in seconds in gettn out of the house if i smell smoke not the 20 minutes that uncle Sam says is the normal.

It is also said the the fire barrier give harmful fumes out when heated. Why a mattress. Why not seat cushions in your car,pillows,furniture and etc...

I will recoup my expense but at the consumers billfold. I am 40% already lower than the big three. Yes i use the same spring unit that they use. We all buy from the same company. There is no gold under that mattress that they want you to believe

 

[angus63]

Re: My turn to ........

hay i liked my water bed

Still like mine! Waveless, warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and excellent back support.

 

[oops!]

Re: My turn to ........

up here in canada, they dont need the yellow thread, but it does need to be flame proof.....

as far as the springs.......up here stearns uses a totally different system than sealy and simmons......there pocket coils are standard....but stearns is a totally different animal....kinda a hinged pocket coil kinda thingy.

at 40% less thats really attractive to the vendors......

good on you !

 

[gonfishn]

Re: My turn to ........

Englander, Sterns and Foster and Simmons use pocketed coils in there upper lines. In there mid lines its still the same 12 1/2 gauge wire that is still standard in the industry of which we also use. Remember 90% of springs bought here in the USA are furnished by Leggette and Platte. Now that China can't bring them into the USA for a while Leggette is now the big dog. We just got a 6% increase. Just goes to show why jobs are shipped elsewhere. Give a little take alot.

 

[MrBossman]

Re: My turn to ........

Even though I chose another profession I come from a long line of mattress makers going back almost 100 years and have been around it most of my life. The rules and requirements have over the years made it harder.At least I dont think we will see any "made in china" tags on our mattresses soon. They would NEVER be able to meet the standards..ITs against their nature to put safety first.