What the underdog bed racers lacked in design and decoration, they made up for with pure speed.
And it was almost enough to put an end to reign of Royal Bedding. But a late sideways mishap gave Royal Bedding it’s third straight Bed Race championship Saturday in an action packed one-minute competition at Madison Days.
“We had the speed, but we lacked control,” said Cameron McNell.
Three teams rolled beds on wheels one block, turned around a barrier and then sped back to where they started from. Four people pushed the bed with one person riding on it. The winner received $100 and bragging rights.
The team of Casey Cookson-Zans, Jane Cookson-Scott, Amy Cookson-Koehler, Austin Klumpe and rider Dana Cookson won for the third straight year.
Cookson-Zans said her father, Dan, built their racing bed two years ago.
“He’s a welder so it was pretty easy for him to do it,” she said. “He just got some bicycle tires and put it together. It started out as a joke.”
2011年6月12日 星期日
2011年6月8日 星期三
Bedding warehouse closing
Tempur-Pedic is shutting down its London warehouse, cutting 20 jobs as it moves its shipping and storage business to Toronto.
The bedding business will have only a regional sales and administration office remaining here after the warehouses operation is outsourced and moved Sept. 1, cutting about 40 per cent of its workforce.
"They say they want to improve service levels but it is not about that at all, it is about cutting costs and saving money," said one company official, who declined to be identified.
Lexington Ky.-based Tempur-Pedic International bought Tempur Canada in April 2010.
"It is a typical situation where an American company comes in and uses their business model," the official added.
The company has stated the move will better service, but Tempur-Pedic has scored high in customer service surveys prior to this move, the official added.
"It is not about that, we were No. 1, but now we will not be responsible for shipping."
Steve Miller, manager of the London office, did not return calls.
However, in a recent release Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America, said the changes are the result of "an exhaustive study" of the company's distribution strategy.
"As a result of the study, we have determined that opening distribution facilities closer to our customers will improve service levels both now and in the future," he said in a statement.
"This will place our products closer to retail demand, hence improving customer service."
In the statement Tempur-Pedic said employees whose positions were eliminated were provided with exit packages in excess of the requirements of the Employment Standards Act.
The Canadian operation had sales of approximately $9 million in 2009 but is now part of the parent company's North America operating division.
The website it also reported recently Tempur-Pedic, reported 2008 sales fell 16.2 per cent to US$927.8 million from 2007's US$1.1 billion.
Net profits plummeted 97.4 per cent to US$1.1 million.
It also reported mattress unit sales declined 31% globally in the fourth quarter, with U.S. sales falling 39% and international sales declining 21%. Pillow unit sales in the year's final quarter fell 37%.
The bedding business will have only a regional sales and administration office remaining here after the warehouses operation is outsourced and moved Sept. 1, cutting about 40 per cent of its workforce.
"They say they want to improve service levels but it is not about that at all, it is about cutting costs and saving money," said one company official, who declined to be identified.
Lexington Ky.-based Tempur-Pedic International bought Tempur Canada in April 2010.
"It is a typical situation where an American company comes in and uses their business model," the official added.
The company has stated the move will better service, but Tempur-Pedic has scored high in customer service surveys prior to this move, the official added.
"It is not about that, we were No. 1, but now we will not be responsible for shipping."
Steve Miller, manager of the London office, did not return calls.
However, in a recent release Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America, said the changes are the result of "an exhaustive study" of the company's distribution strategy.
"As a result of the study, we have determined that opening distribution facilities closer to our customers will improve service levels both now and in the future," he said in a statement.
"This will place our products closer to retail demand, hence improving customer service."
In the statement Tempur-Pedic said employees whose positions were eliminated were provided with exit packages in excess of the requirements of the Employment Standards Act.
The Canadian operation had sales of approximately $9 million in 2009 but is now part of the parent company's North America operating division.
The website it also reported recently Tempur-Pedic, reported 2008 sales fell 16.2 per cent to US$927.8 million from 2007's US$1.1 billion.
Net profits plummeted 97.4 per cent to US$1.1 million.
It also reported mattress unit sales declined 31% globally in the fourth quarter, with U.S. sales falling 39% and international sales declining 21%. Pillow unit sales in the year's final quarter fell 37%.
ISPA ups 2011 Bedding Growth Forecast to 7.5%
The mattress industry will see strong growth in the dollar value of bedding shipments this year while unit growth will be more modest. Bedding business next year won't be quite as robust.
That's the latest mattress forecast from the International Sleep Products Assn., which issues bedding forecasts twice each year, in the spring and fall. The forecasts are prepared by ISPA's Forecast Panel, which includes leading mattress producers and component suppliers.
The new forecast envisions the dollar value of bedding shipments rising by a healthy 7.5% this year, with units increasing by 4%. ISPA had earlier forecast a 5.7% dollar gain and a 3.5% unit gain for 2011.
Next year, ISPA forecasts that bedding dollars will increase by 6%, with units increasing by 3.5%.
If those forecasts materialize, the bedding comeback, which took hold in 2010, will extend to a three-year run.
The industry wrapped up 2010 on a solid note, with the dollar value of bedding shipments jumping by 4.1% and bedding units rising 6.2%.
ISPA's Forecast Panel begins its work by looking at economic models prepared by the University of Michigan. The panel members then factor in their own assessments of mattress conditions and sales outlooks. The panel believes that the growth trends established last year will continue, and that dollars and units will post "healthy increases for the balance of 2011 and 2012."
The industry's average unit price for mattresses decreased 1.9% in 2010, but the panel is forecasting an AUP increase of 3.4% this year and 2.4% next year.
Even with the unit and dollar gains forecasted through 2012, the industry has a way to go to regain lost ground, according to ISPA.
"Notably, 2010 marked the end of three consecutive annual declines in unit shipments," ISPA said. "Moderate unit expansion is expected over the forecast horizon. The 2012 value of mattress shipments will be only slightly below the 2006 levels, but the units shipped in 2012 will remain below 1999 levels."
ISPA believes the housing recovery will remain slow over the forecast horizon, as foreclosures and declining home prices remain an issue. "The housing market, however, has recovered from the lowest of lows, and 30-year conventional mortgage rates, which have a major influence on homes sales, are expected to remain low," ISPA said.
In his "Another Perspective" column that is distributed along with the ISPA forecast, forecast panel member Jerry Epperson said he believes the 4% unit increase forecast for this year is "conservative," and added: "The 7.5% gain in dollars is more a reflection of mix changes than price increases, although price increases are evident especially in petroleum- related costs."
Epperson also said that "it appears housing finally hit bottom in February. The dramatic decline in home prices is finally bringing buyers back into the market."
That's the latest mattress forecast from the International Sleep Products Assn., which issues bedding forecasts twice each year, in the spring and fall. The forecasts are prepared by ISPA's Forecast Panel, which includes leading mattress producers and component suppliers.
The new forecast envisions the dollar value of bedding shipments rising by a healthy 7.5% this year, with units increasing by 4%. ISPA had earlier forecast a 5.7% dollar gain and a 3.5% unit gain for 2011.
Next year, ISPA forecasts that bedding dollars will increase by 6%, with units increasing by 3.5%.
If those forecasts materialize, the bedding comeback, which took hold in 2010, will extend to a three-year run.
The industry wrapped up 2010 on a solid note, with the dollar value of bedding shipments jumping by 4.1% and bedding units rising 6.2%.
ISPA's Forecast Panel begins its work by looking at economic models prepared by the University of Michigan. The panel members then factor in their own assessments of mattress conditions and sales outlooks. The panel believes that the growth trends established last year will continue, and that dollars and units will post "healthy increases for the balance of 2011 and 2012."
The industry's average unit price for mattresses decreased 1.9% in 2010, but the panel is forecasting an AUP increase of 3.4% this year and 2.4% next year.
Even with the unit and dollar gains forecasted through 2012, the industry has a way to go to regain lost ground, according to ISPA.
"Notably, 2010 marked the end of three consecutive annual declines in unit shipments," ISPA said. "Moderate unit expansion is expected over the forecast horizon. The 2012 value of mattress shipments will be only slightly below the 2006 levels, but the units shipped in 2012 will remain below 1999 levels."
ISPA believes the housing recovery will remain slow over the forecast horizon, as foreclosures and declining home prices remain an issue. "The housing market, however, has recovered from the lowest of lows, and 30-year conventional mortgage rates, which have a major influence on homes sales, are expected to remain low," ISPA said.
In his "Another Perspective" column that is distributed along with the ISPA forecast, forecast panel member Jerry Epperson said he believes the 4% unit increase forecast for this year is "conservative," and added: "The 7.5% gain in dollars is more a reflection of mix changes than price increases, although price increases are evident especially in petroleum- related costs."
Epperson also said that "it appears housing finally hit bottom in February. The dramatic decline in home prices is finally bringing buyers back into the market."
2011年6月6日 星期一
Bedding down nicely with Norton Rose
JOHANNESBURG – The managing director of Norton Rose South Africa, Rob Otty, says the firm hopes to further expand its operations into Africa. Currently Norton Rose Group is active in 39 offices on five continents. We have 39 offices across Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada, Africa and the Middle East. On June 1 2011 Deneys Reitz, and its pan-African division, Africa Legal merged with Norton Rose Group making it one of the top 10 international legal practices by the number of its lawyers.
Otty, who was also the managing director of Deneys Reitz before the merger, said Deneys Reitz needed a global partner that it felt comfortable with in order to service clients in the rest of Africa and across the Globe. The global aspect meant that clients abroad, who were thinking of doing business in Africa, would have the expertise to draw on in this country and overseas. Otty says Norton Rose has the interests of Africa at heart and is completely committed to black economic empowerment, thus providing growth opportunities for black lawyers. The global executive board recently met specifically to discuss BEE and ways of providing education and development opportunities on a global level for Norton Rose South Africa’s lawyers, Otty said.
He says plans for the immediate future are to tie up the loose ends of the merger which had involved business teams working flat out for the last six months. The next would be to expand to other parts of Africa to augment teams already operating in, among others, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Morocco and Dar es Salaam. With the combined global expertise, Norton Rose is able to service clients in Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone Africa. Otty says the new developments are not only exciting for the firm, but also for the country in creating employment in South Africa.
Otty, who was also the managing director of Deneys Reitz before the merger, said Deneys Reitz needed a global partner that it felt comfortable with in order to service clients in the rest of Africa and across the Globe. The global aspect meant that clients abroad, who were thinking of doing business in Africa, would have the expertise to draw on in this country and overseas. Otty says Norton Rose has the interests of Africa at heart and is completely committed to black economic empowerment, thus providing growth opportunities for black lawyers. The global executive board recently met specifically to discuss BEE and ways of providing education and development opportunities on a global level for Norton Rose South Africa’s lawyers, Otty said.
He says plans for the immediate future are to tie up the loose ends of the merger which had involved business teams working flat out for the last six months. The next would be to expand to other parts of Africa to augment teams already operating in, among others, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Morocco and Dar es Salaam. With the combined global expertise, Norton Rose is able to service clients in Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone Africa. Otty says the new developments are not only exciting for the firm, but also for the country in creating employment in South Africa.
Bedding choices impact fly control
There are two kinds of flies that harm dairy cattle, annoy farmers, and reduce profitability. Blood feeding stable flies slow calf growth while non-biting house flies spread pathogenic bacteria. Both flies develop as maggots in moist organic debris and are readily found in calf bedding. Two research studies conducted by the University of Minnesota looked to see which source of bedding was a better choice for fly control.
The objective of both studies was to determine if bedding source affects production of filth flies and abundance of beneficial fly killing wasps in bedded-pack pens. Nine pens (seven heifers per pen) were first cleaned and then bedded with straw, pine shavings or hardwood sawdust for 12 weeks. Additional bedding was added as needed to maintain a dry pack surface. This was consistent for both studies.
Bedding use averaged 317 pounds straw, 268 pounds shavings and 291 pounds sawdust per pen per week. When the second study was conducted in 2010 the amount of bedding varied slightly, but the trend was the same.
In both studies heifer growth and cleanliness were not affected by bedding source and heifers gained an average of 2 pounds per day. Bedding pack temperatures did not vary among bedding sources. “When we conducted the second study the bedding pack temperatures were not significant, however, the straw was warmer in both of the study years,” notes Jessica Starcevich, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. Pack depths were different with straw being deepest (10 inches), shavings intermediate (9 inches) and sawdust being shallowest (8 inches); this was consistent for both studies.
Samples from the bedding packs indicated pens bedded with pine shavings and hardwood sawdust contained fewer developing house flies and stable flies than pens bedded with straw. "In the 2010 study pine shavings produced significant numbers of stable flies, however sawdust still produced the fewest,” notes Starcevich.
Surplus from straw would have been much greater were it not for naturally occurring beneficial fly-killing wasps, which were more active in straw. “This statement remains consistent for both years, although shavings produced a lot of stable flies in 2010, beneficial wasps were still more active in straw,” says Starcevich. Differences in fly abundance may have been due to porosity and compaction. If this is indeed the reason, then corn stalks are likely to be as bad, if not worse than straw.
“The take home message is that it is best to use sawdust whenever possible, but if it is more economically feasible to use straw, then fly production can be reduced by conserving or augmenting (adding more) natural beneficial wasps,” notes Starcevich.
Further research is needed to understand why straw produced more flies, why beneficial wasps were more active in straw, and whether dairy producers can depend on naturally occurring wasps being present at their calf production facilities.
The objective of both studies was to determine if bedding source affects production of filth flies and abundance of beneficial fly killing wasps in bedded-pack pens. Nine pens (seven heifers per pen) were first cleaned and then bedded with straw, pine shavings or hardwood sawdust for 12 weeks. Additional bedding was added as needed to maintain a dry pack surface. This was consistent for both studies.
Bedding use averaged 317 pounds straw, 268 pounds shavings and 291 pounds sawdust per pen per week. When the second study was conducted in 2010 the amount of bedding varied slightly, but the trend was the same.
In both studies heifer growth and cleanliness were not affected by bedding source and heifers gained an average of 2 pounds per day. Bedding pack temperatures did not vary among bedding sources. “When we conducted the second study the bedding pack temperatures were not significant, however, the straw was warmer in both of the study years,” notes Jessica Starcevich, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. Pack depths were different with straw being deepest (10 inches), shavings intermediate (9 inches) and sawdust being shallowest (8 inches); this was consistent for both studies.
Samples from the bedding packs indicated pens bedded with pine shavings and hardwood sawdust contained fewer developing house flies and stable flies than pens bedded with straw. "In the 2010 study pine shavings produced significant numbers of stable flies, however sawdust still produced the fewest,” notes Starcevich.
Surplus from straw would have been much greater were it not for naturally occurring beneficial fly-killing wasps, which were more active in straw. “This statement remains consistent for both years, although shavings produced a lot of stable flies in 2010, beneficial wasps were still more active in straw,” says Starcevich. Differences in fly abundance may have been due to porosity and compaction. If this is indeed the reason, then corn stalks are likely to be as bad, if not worse than straw.
“The take home message is that it is best to use sawdust whenever possible, but if it is more economically feasible to use straw, then fly production can be reduced by conserving or augmenting (adding more) natural beneficial wasps,” notes Starcevich.
Further research is needed to understand why straw produced more flies, why beneficial wasps were more active in straw, and whether dairy producers can depend on naturally occurring wasps being present at their calf production facilities.
2011年6月1日 星期三
Maas Says Mattress Retailers Really Sell Health, Happiness
The right amount of sleep will change your life, better sleep evangelist James Maas declared at Furniture/Today's Bedding Conference here.
In a keynote address that received top marks from attendees, Maas launched the conference on a high note, outlining numerous benefits of a good night of sleep, and detailing the problems that plague those who don't get the necessary sleep. More than 300 attendees, record attendance for one of the newspaper's Bedding Conferences, listened closely to his talk.
Maas is the co-author of "Sleep for Success! Everything you must know about sleep but are too tired to ask," and he took inspiration for his address from the subtitle of that book.
He told his listeners, a group that included the industry's largest retailers, producers and suppliers, that they are doing much more than just selling rectangles. "You are not in the commodity business," he said.
"You are in the business of promoting health and happiness, a much better tomorrow."
But many consumers are challenged to enjoy that better tomorrow, he said, because they are moderately to severely sleep deprived. More than 70% of consumers aren't getting the recommended eight hours of sleep each night, he said. High school and college students, he said, are "walking zombies" because they sleep too little.
Many adults fall asleep at work each week, Maas said. He showed pictures of world leaders fast asleep on the job. And he said sleepiness diminishes our concentration at work.
Maas said that sleep "is a necessity, not a luxury," and maintains that it determines our waking success, moods, alertness, energy and thought processes. The best predictor of life span, he said, is the quality and quantity of our sleep.
Sleep deprivation "makes you clumsy, stupid, unhealthy and it shortens your life," Maas said. Some of the symptoms of sleep deprivation: Getting drowsy after a heavy meal or during a boring meeting,
falling asleep quickly, using an alarm clock to wake up, and repeatedly hitting the snooze button.
Most adults need between 7.5 and nine hours of sleep. The average person claims to get 7.1 hours of sleep each night, but studies show it is actually much less than that, Maas said.
In contrast, he said, getting enough sleep helps people lose weight, clear their arteries, and boost their memory and learning processes.
"When a customer comes in to your store," he said, "you are not selling a product, you are selling a chance for them to be healthy and mentally alert."
In a keynote address that received top marks from attendees, Maas launched the conference on a high note, outlining numerous benefits of a good night of sleep, and detailing the problems that plague those who don't get the necessary sleep. More than 300 attendees, record attendance for one of the newspaper's Bedding Conferences, listened closely to his talk.
Maas is the co-author of "Sleep for Success! Everything you must know about sleep but are too tired to ask," and he took inspiration for his address from the subtitle of that book.
He told his listeners, a group that included the industry's largest retailers, producers and suppliers, that they are doing much more than just selling rectangles. "You are not in the commodity business," he said.
"You are in the business of promoting health and happiness, a much better tomorrow."
But many consumers are challenged to enjoy that better tomorrow, he said, because they are moderately to severely sleep deprived. More than 70% of consumers aren't getting the recommended eight hours of sleep each night, he said. High school and college students, he said, are "walking zombies" because they sleep too little.
Many adults fall asleep at work each week, Maas said. He showed pictures of world leaders fast asleep on the job. And he said sleepiness diminishes our concentration at work.
Maas said that sleep "is a necessity, not a luxury," and maintains that it determines our waking success, moods, alertness, energy and thought processes. The best predictor of life span, he said, is the quality and quantity of our sleep.
Sleep deprivation "makes you clumsy, stupid, unhealthy and it shortens your life," Maas said. Some of the symptoms of sleep deprivation: Getting drowsy after a heavy meal or during a boring meeting,
falling asleep quickly, using an alarm clock to wake up, and repeatedly hitting the snooze button.
Most adults need between 7.5 and nine hours of sleep. The average person claims to get 7.1 hours of sleep each night, but studies show it is actually much less than that, Maas said.
In contrast, he said, getting enough sleep helps people lose weight, clear their arteries, and boost their memory and learning processes.
"When a customer comes in to your store," he said, "you are not selling a product, you are selling a chance for them to be healthy and mentally alert."
Sherrill wood bedding company awarded $20,000 grant
Noble Wood Shavings, on Route 5, has been awarded a $20,000 Oneida County Microenterprise Grant, County Executive Anthony Picente announced Wednesday.
The company will use the grant to hire three new employees as it begins operations at the Sherrill Manufacturing Complex. Noble Wood Shavings manufactures premium quality bedding shavings for the local and regional equine industry.
The grant is administered through Mohawk Valley EDGE and utilizes state Community Development Block Grant funding. MV EDGE is also providing the company a $38,500 loan, said Steve DiMeo, MV EDGE president.
Noble advertises its bedding product as “being high quality and super-absorbent soft-wood, free of pathogens, dust, lacquers, metal or other foreign materials commonly found in other types of bedding, especially by-product waste from sawmills.”
The company will use the grant to hire three new employees as it begins operations at the Sherrill Manufacturing Complex. Noble Wood Shavings manufactures premium quality bedding shavings for the local and regional equine industry.
The grant is administered through Mohawk Valley EDGE and utilizes state Community Development Block Grant funding. MV EDGE is also providing the company a $38,500 loan, said Steve DiMeo, MV EDGE president.
Noble advertises its bedding product as “being high quality and super-absorbent soft-wood, free of pathogens, dust, lacquers, metal or other foreign materials commonly found in other types of bedding, especially by-product waste from sawmills.”
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