The Urethane Blog
June 11, 2025
Serta Simmons to shutter California plant; 180 employees impacted
Sheila Long O’Mara //Executive Editor, Furniture Today//June 10, 2025
MORENO VALLEY, Calif. – Serta Simmons Bedding is closing its factory here as part of its ongoing strategy to “optimize” its manufacturing base.
The closing will impact 180 workers, including a variety of mattress making personnel, purchasing agents, truck drivers and sewers. The wind down of operations and employee layoffs at the 533,000-square-foot facility will begin July 5 and are expected to be completed by Sept. 30, according to the WARN notice filed with the state of California.
This closing is the seventh factory Serta Simmons has closed since 2022.
Serta Simmons opened the factory in 2018 as part of an expansion plan that included other factories in the U.S., including a Houston, Texas, site and one in Windsor Locks, Conn. Ahead of emerging from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in June 2023, the mattress company closed three factories in 2023, and closed three locations in 2022.
In November 2023, the company opened a new factory in Janesville, Wis., consolidating two area locations into one.
Post closing of the Moreno Valley, Calif., factory, Serta Simmons will operate 17 factories in North America: 15 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and two in Canada.
Company officials said production from the California factory will be transferred to other plants in the region to meet demand from its West Coast retail partners.
In a statement to Furniture Today, the company said, “In support of our best-in-class supply chain at SSB, we continue to evaluate our network to optimize our manufacturing footprint and create operational efficiencies so we can deliver exceptional service to our retail partners and customers.
“This includes expanding our operations in some areas and consolidating or closing other operations.
“These decisions are never easy, and we are supporting impacted employees through the transition. We appreciate all the contributions to SSB that the Moreno Valley employees have made over the years and that they will continue to make through this transition.”
www.furnituretoday.com/bedding-manufacturers/serta-simmons-to-shutter-california-plant-180-employees-impacted/
June 11, 2025
US energy production hits new record high The US produced more energy last year than ever before, reaching a nationwide total of more than 103 quadrillion British thermal units, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration published Monday. This marks a 1% increase from the previous all-time high set in 2023. The EIA report found that domestic production records were broken across a number of major primary energy sources, including biofuels, solar, wind, crude oil, and the largest source of energy in the US since 2011, natural gas. 
While natural gas still accounted for ~38% of total energy production in the US last year, there was no significant increase in production from 2023. Though America remains the world’s top producer of crude oil, hitting a record 13.2 million barrels per day in 2024, this was only up 2% from the year before. Coal shoulder At the same time, the production of coal — the largest source of energy in the US from 1984 until 2010 — slumped to its lowest annual output in 60 years, down 10% from 2023. As the US has moved to gradually replace coal with other energy sources, China, the world’s largest energy producer, continues to drive up global production — and consumption — of the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel. In fact, the International Energy Agency estimates that China consumes 30% more coal than the rest of the world put together.
June 8, 2025
RV Downturn Drags On: Winnebago Issues Profit Warning
by Tyler Durden
Friday, Jun 06, 2025 – 09:40 AM
Winnebago Industries issued a profit warning ahead of its presentation at the Baird 2025 Global Consumer, Technology & Services Conference on Thursday, citing weakening demand across the RV market and increased macroeconomic headwinds.
For the third quarter, Winnebago forecasted net revenue of $775 million, falling short of the Bloomberg consensus estimate of $810.4 million. The company also guided adjusted earnings per share in the range of $0.75 to $0.85. Analysts expect the company to report a profit per share of $1.37. All in all, this marked a significant downward revision, highlighting the depth of demand weakness in the RV market.
Preliminary Third Quarter Earnings Results:
- Prelim net revenue about $775 million, estimate $810.4 million (Bloomberg Consensus)
- Prelim adjusted EPS 75c to 85c, estimate $1.37
“What began as an encouraging selling season in March was hampered by growing macroeconomic uncertainty, resulting in worsening consumer sentiment and an increasingly cautious dealer network in the final two months of our fiscal third quarter,” stated Winnebago CEO Michael Happe.
Raymond James analyst Joseph Altobello told clients, “Winnebago Industries announced disappointing preliminary F3Q results this morning that reflect both weaker consumer sentiment and an increasingly cautious dealer base.”
Truist analyst Michael Swartz noted that the challenges facing Winnebago are neither new nor unique to the company, but rather indicative of broader, ongoing headwinds across the entire RV industry.
“While the Winnebago Motorized unit is now a much smaller piece of business, today’s announcement will likely amplify questions/concerns around the motorized market, in general, and whether larger strategic actions need to be undertaken amid a depressed retail environment,” Swartz said.
The RV industry experienced a boom during the early pandemic years, fueled by a zero-interest-rate environment ushered in by Fed Chair Jerome Powell that unleashed a flurry of retail demand. However, that demand quickly unraveled once Powell began aggressively hiking rates in early 2022, triggering a sharp pullback in camper sales in the quarters that followed.
Additionally, camper stocks and retail shops that cater to the industry have been in a slump since rates increased.
The RV downturn ends when rates go back down.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/rv-downturn-drags-winnebago-issues-profit-warning
June 4, 2025
Polyurethane Foam Association Spring Meeting Tackles Key Issues,
Celebrates New Hall Of Famers
Jesse Mella of Leaf Polyol Wins Dr. Herman T. Stone Technical Excellence Awards
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (June 3, 2025)—The Polyurethane Foam Association’s Spring Meeting
in St Petersburg brought together more than 150 of the most influential people in the flexible
polyurethane foam industry to discuss
business conditions and the issues affecting
them.
The Historic Vinoy Autograph Hotel hosted
industry executives, researchers, EHS
specialists, marketers, and technologists for
networking and presentations on foam
sustainability, supply chains, artificial
intelligence, market trends, and the
regulatory environment.
“In spite of the uncertainties in the
marketplace, this meeting was very high
energy, with some of the best presentations
we’ve had in several years,” noted Dr.
Philippe Knaub, PFA President. “The
flexible foam industry continues to innovate
new products and processes, and continues
to move forward.”
Bill Gollnitz of Plastomer, PFA’s Technical Program
Moderator (L), recognizes Jesse Mella of Leaf Polyol as the
winner of this meeting’s Herman Stone Technical Excellence
Award. The audience of the Technical Program votes for the
winning presentation. As an indication of presentation
quality, all six eligible presentations received first place
votes.
PFA’s Industry Issues Session provided updates on end use markets, with special emphasis on
challenges in the auto industry. In addition, presenters covered topics such as using AI to
improve supply chain efficiency, recycling of mattresses returns, and regulatory issues.
The Thursday afternoon Technical Program focused heavily on sustainability, with presentations
on bio-polyols, polyols from CO2 recapture, recycling end-of-life (EOL) foam, factors affecting
mattress comfort, and new chemical additives. Speakers received some insightful questions,
which demonstrated that the topics connected with a sophisticated audience.
Following PFA’s Technical Program, Jesse Mella of Leaf Polyol was named winner of the Dr.
Herman Stone Technical Excellence Award. The award is voted on by attendees present for the
Technical Program. The award is named for Dr. Herman T. Stone, who served as PFA’s first
Technical Director. In 2007, Dr. Stone was inducted into the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of
Fame.
Bill Gollnitz of Plastomer Corporation, a PFA Past President and Moderator of the Technical
Program, noted the quality of presentations was exceptional. “Of the presentations eligible for
the Herman Stone Award, all six received first place votes, and our audience was made up of the
top technical minds in our industry.”
Another highlight of the conference was the induction of two industry veterans into the Flexible
Polyurethane Foam Hall Of Fame. Michael Crowell and Helen Sullivan, both recently retired
from CertiPUR-US ® , were honored.
The Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame was established to honor the leaders and
innovators of the industry and serves as an information source regarding the contribution of
individuals and companies who have significantly contributed to the growth and betterment of
the flexible polyurethane foam industry in North America.
Crowell served as the CertiPUR-US ® program’s executive director for the last decade. His
commitment to maintaining the program’s standards as a dynamic document, continuously
updated to reflect new safety and environmental regulations, has ensured its ongoing relevance.
He was honored with the organization’s Outstanding Leadership Award upon his retirement last
year.
Crowell’s career includes more than 40 years of senior management experience in the flexible
polyurethane foam industry, spanning technical, manufacturing, sales and marketing positions.
Before taking the helm at the Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam, the nonprofit that
administers the CertiPUR-US ® program, he served as vice president of marketing and sales for
Flexible Foam Products. He previously was vice president of automotive sales for Foamex
International (now known as FXI).
Sullivan’s connection with polyurethanes began in 1983 as an advertising and public relations
agency account manager for the International Sleep Products Assn.’s Better Sleep Council.
During her decade-long tenure, she played a role in reshaping consumer behavior, shortening the
mattress replacement cycle and helping to establish a market for ultra-premium bedding. Her
creation of the “May Is Better Sleep Month” campaign helped boost mattress sales and increased
the use of polyurethane foam. The program earned Sullivan two of her three Public Relations
Society of America Silver Anvil awards.
Sullivan’s most enduring contribution to the polyurethane foam industry came through her work
with the CertiPUR-US ® program. As brand manager, communications strategist and continuous
improvement officer, she helped grow the program from its inception into a globally recognized
standard for foam safety and performance.
The Polyurethane Foam Association is a trade association founded in 1980 to help educate
regulators, users, allied industries, and others about flexible polyurethane foam. PFA provides
facts on environmental, health and safety issues and technical information on the performance of
flexible polyurethane foam (FPF) in consumer and industrial products. FPF is used as a key
comfort component in most upholstered furniture and mattress products, along with automotive
seating, carpet cushion, packaging, and numerous other applications.
To learn more, visit www.pfa.org.
June 4, 2025
Furniture bucks trend as manufacturing contracts for third straight month
Spencer Musick //Senior Editor//June 3, 2025
TEMPE, Ariz. — The U.S. manufacturing sector contracted for the third consecutive month in May, with the Manufacturing PMI falling slightly to 48.5%, according to the Institute for Supply Management’s latest Report On Business released Monday.
Furniture and related products industry was among a handful of sectors to show growth despite the broader slowdown.
Susan Spence, chair of ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee, said the report reflects continued economic headwinds for U.S. manufacturers, as production and employment indices remained in contraction territory.
New orders, a key measure of demand, contracted for the fourth month in a row, with an index reading of 47.6%, a slight improvement over April’s 47.2%. Production also remained in contraction, although it ticked up to 45.4%, from 44% in April. The Employment Index showed similar modest improvement, increasing to 46.8% but still below the 50% threshold that indicates growth.
One bright spot came from the Supplier Deliveries Index, which rose to 56.1% that suggests ongoing delays, often seen as a sign of rising demand. However, Spence attributed the slower deliveries more to port congestion and tariff-related disruptions than to increased consumer or industrial demand.
Raw materials inventories fell sharply, with the Inventories Index dropping to 46.7% from April’s 50.8%. Imports fell into deeper contraction, down 7.2 percentage points to 39.9%, while export orders also declined significantly.
Despite the overall downturn, several industries managed to expand in May. Furniture and related products were among the seven sectors reporting growth, along with plastics and rubber products, petroleum and coal products, nonmetallic minerals, electrical equipment, fabricated metals and machinery.
The other seven sectors surveyed — including wood products, food and beverages, and transportation equipment — contracted, highlighting the unevenness in the manufacturing economy.
Spence noted that 57% of the sector’s gross domestic product contracted in May, up from 41% in April. However, the share of manufacturing GDP with a composite PMI at or below 45% fell to 5%, down from 18% the prior month, a potential sign that the worst of the slowdown may be behind.
Still, uncertainty remains. “Companies are continuing to revise production plans downward,” Spence said. “Head-count reductions are ongoing, and input weakness — including inventory drawdowns and import contraction — points to continued caution in the months ahead.”
Customer inventories in the manufacturing sector continued to decline in May, with ISM’s Customers’ Inventories Index falling to 44.5%, down from 46.2% in April. According to ISM Chair Susan Spence, inventory levels remain below what panelists consider “about right,” indicating that demand for products is likely to support future production growth.
Furniture was one of 10 industries reporting customer inventories as too low in May. Alongside categories like wood products, electrical equipment and machinery, the low inventory levels suggest that replenishment demand could help support furniture production even as broader manufacturing activity contracts.
The Prices Index remained elevated at 69.4%, indicating continued cost pressures, albeit slightly less severe than in April.
The ISM report, based on a monthly survey of supply executives, is closely watched as a leading indicator of U.S. manufacturing health. A reading below 50% signals contraction, while a reading above 50% indicates expansion.
www.furnituretoday.com/furniture-manufacturing/furniture-bucks-trend-as-manufacturing-contracts-for-third-straight-month/
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