The Urethane Blog
June 18, 2019
NCFI Polyurethanes Mourns The Loss of Co-Founder and Former President, Jacob “Jake” Barnhardt, Jr.
June 6th, 2018
MOUNT AIRY, NC—NCFI announced today one of the company’s founding members, and former president, Jacob “Jake” Barnhardt. Jr. passed away May 12, 2018 at the age of 82.
The Mount Airy, NC based company got its start in 1964 as North Carolina Foam Industries through a partnership between Dr. Harris W. “Ace” Bradley, who had worked on the Manhattan Project during WWII and with DuPont in discovering and pioneering urethanes in the 1950s, and Barnhardt Manufacturing Company in Charlotte, NC. Jake Barnhardt, a Charlotte, NC native with an engineering degree from Georgia Tech (George Institute of Technology), and US Navy veteran, joined Dr. Bradley in Mount Airy to manage the new venture.
While Bradley served as the first company president until 1972, Barnhardt succeeded him and served until 1995. Under Barnhardt’s leadership the company saw considerable growth. “It was a dynamic time for NCFI,” says Lewis Barnhardt, president and COO of NCFI’s parent Barnhardt Manufacturing Company. “The company more than tripled our manufacturing space, took the lead in foam for aircraft seating, developed urethane carpet padding and geotechnical polyurethane foam, residential insulation foam—now our popular InsulStar line— and our roofing foam really took off, and we started doing business in Mexico, South America, Canada, and Russia. Jake had his hand on it all.”
Barnhardt adds it was under Jake Barnhardt that NCFI became the premiere partner for supplying foam for the US Space Shuttle’s external tank program. “Jake played a major role working with NASA and Lockheed Martin to formulate and provide the exacting standards required for the Space Shuttle program. It’s a working partnership of which we’re extremely proud and for which we’ve won accolades and awards. It’s also a relationship we still enjoy as we enter our 38th year—now working on the unmanned rocket programs.”
Chip Holton, NCFI president, echoes Barnhardt’s statements: “Jake Barnhardt’s leadership was crucial to NCFI at a time when change was constant. We had to innovate and change quickly, and balance the growth opportunities with what our scientists and chemists could achieve. One of Jake’s strengths as an engineer was keeping R&D progressing with the highest quality standards while finding new markets to capitalize on. He was the right man for the time.”
Holton says Barnhardt was known throughout the plastics and rubber industry as a visionary, and is remembered as a great storyteller and lifelong humanitarian. Holton says the company will honor Barnhardt’s memory with a private ceremony later this year.
http://ncfi.com/news/ncfi-polyurethanes-mourns-loss-co-founder-former-president-jacob-jake-barnhardt-jr/
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charlotte/obituary.aspx?n=jacob-charles-barnhardt&pid=189017867&fhid=6483
June 18, 2019
FYI, here’s a link to the products on List 4:
http://www.tbgfs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/section-301-list-4-proposed.pdf
June 18, 2019
FYI, here’s a link to the products on List 4:
http://www.tbgfs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/section-301-list-4-proposed.pdf
June 18, 2019
Tempur Sealy Expands Global Retail Distribution Network
The Company announced it has entered into a supply agreement with Mattress Firm, Inc. (“Mattress Firm”), the largest specialty mattress retailer in North America, to reintroduce Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster, and Sealy branded products into approximately 2,500 Mattress Firm stores across the United States. This agreement represents a significant opportunity for both companies. This agreement reunites some of the strongest bedding brands with the more than three million people a year that find their right sleep solution at Mattress Firm. The reintroduction of products into Mattress Firm stores is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2019 and to be completed early in the first quarter of 2020.
The Company also announced the recent expansion in its long-term supply agreement with Big Lots, Inc. (“Big Lots”), a 1,400-store retailer in the United States. This agreement is expected to grow the sales of entry-level Sealy products and to drive unit volume, primarily in the below $1,000 retail price point, a segment that has been a recent focus of the Company. Big Lots’ growing partnership with Sealy is evidence of the investments in product quality and manufacturing reliability that Sealy has made in recent years. Sealy’s launch of new products with Big Lots is expected to be complete by year end 2019.
As previously announced, the Company also recently extended its European retail distribution network by reaching a supply agreement with Beter Bed Holding, one of Europe’s leading bedding retailers. The launch of new products with Beter Bed Holding is expected to be complete by the end of 2019, and initially will include over 100 stores.
Tempur Sealy International, Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Scott Thompson commented, “The expansion of our distribution is a testament to the strength of our brands, coupled with reliable manufacturing and quality service. Our premium brands and innovative products have allowed us to service a growing customer base. We expect these newly reported transactions will have a positive impact on expanding our brands’ share of voice in the market and in leveraging our cost structure. Aligning with quality third-party retailers in a win-win structure is consistent with our distribution strategy.”
Thompson added, “While the most important aspect of our worldwide omni-channel distribution strategy is third-party retail distribution, we continue to pursue our highly successful direct to consumer initiatives, both online and through company-owned retail stores. Furthermore, the Company has also embarked on an initiative to capture additional market share in emerging e-commerce and big box retailer channels as a continuation of our focus to be wherever the customer wants to shop.”
The Company will hold a conference call on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, to discuss further details regarding this release.
The dial-in number for the conference call is (800) 850-2903. The dial-in for international callers is (224) 357-2399. The call is also being webcast and can be accessed on the investor relations section of the Company’s website, www.tempursealy.com. After the conference call, a webcast replay will remain available on the investor relations section of the Company’s website for 30 days.
https://seekingalpha.com/pr/17547357-tempur-sealy-expands-global-retail-distribution-network
June 18, 2019
Tempur Sealy Expands Global Retail Distribution Network
The Company announced it has entered into a supply agreement with Mattress Firm, Inc. (“Mattress Firm”), the largest specialty mattress retailer in North America, to reintroduce Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster, and Sealy branded products into approximately 2,500 Mattress Firm stores across the United States. This agreement represents a significant opportunity for both companies. This agreement reunites some of the strongest bedding brands with the more than three million people a year that find their right sleep solution at Mattress Firm. The reintroduction of products into Mattress Firm stores is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2019 and to be completed early in the first quarter of 2020.
The Company also announced the recent expansion in its long-term supply agreement with Big Lots, Inc. (“Big Lots”), a 1,400-store retailer in the United States. This agreement is expected to grow the sales of entry-level Sealy products and to drive unit volume, primarily in the below $1,000 retail price point, a segment that has been a recent focus of the Company. Big Lots’ growing partnership with Sealy is evidence of the investments in product quality and manufacturing reliability that Sealy has made in recent years. Sealy’s launch of new products with Big Lots is expected to be complete by year end 2019.
As previously announced, the Company also recently extended its European retail distribution network by reaching a supply agreement with Beter Bed Holding, one of Europe’s leading bedding retailers. The launch of new products with Beter Bed Holding is expected to be complete by the end of 2019, and initially will include over 100 stores.
Tempur Sealy International, Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Scott Thompson commented, “The expansion of our distribution is a testament to the strength of our brands, coupled with reliable manufacturing and quality service. Our premium brands and innovative products have allowed us to service a growing customer base. We expect these newly reported transactions will have a positive impact on expanding our brands’ share of voice in the market and in leveraging our cost structure. Aligning with quality third-party retailers in a win-win structure is consistent with our distribution strategy.”
Thompson added, “While the most important aspect of our worldwide omni-channel distribution strategy is third-party retail distribution, we continue to pursue our highly successful direct to consumer initiatives, both online and through company-owned retail stores. Furthermore, the Company has also embarked on an initiative to capture additional market share in emerging e-commerce and big box retailer channels as a continuation of our focus to be wherever the customer wants to shop.”
The Company will hold a conference call on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, to discuss further details regarding this release.
The dial-in number for the conference call is (800) 850-2903. The dial-in for international callers is (224) 357-2399. The call is also being webcast and can be accessed on the investor relations section of the Company’s website, www.tempursealy.com. After the conference call, a webcast replay will remain available on the investor relations section of the Company’s website for 30 days.
https://seekingalpha.com/pr/17547357-tempur-sealy-expands-global-retail-distribution-network
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