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Over the last four years , Sealy , a renowned mattress manufacturer , has undergone a significant transformation . Previously under the ownership of the Silentnight Group , Sealy UK is now a joint venture with its principal operational partner Sealy Australia , alongside the brand owner , Tempur Sealy International , in the US , marking a strategic shift towards global collaboration and innovation .
Chief Commercial Officer , Mark Tuley , outlines how this change has impacted the business : “ Towards the end of the Covid period , Silentnight took the decision to consolidate its manufacturing operations . This triggered a review by the brand owners and has resulted in us becoming part of the joint venture we are today , with shared ownership split evenly between Tempur Sealy International in the US and Sealy of Australia , who have been running similar joint ventures together around the world now for 20 years . At that time , we were also overcoming the challenges presented by the pandemic in relation to supply chain and cost pressures . We have now just had our four-year anniversary since that ownership changed and in those four years , we have completely reinvented the business .
“ Our approach to the product is entirely different , we have invested heavily in manufacturing our own springs and incorporating proprietary technology which is backed by extensive scientific research . Having a more premium product , naturally some of the retailers that we work with operate towards the luxury end of the market . We have revamped our product offering and messaging to cater to both retailers and customers and have expanded our network of retail partners . Implementing these changes has been challenging , but after four years of hard work , the business is now in a much healthier position .
Factory regeneration
“ The initial 18 months were perhaps the most difficult , as we faced retail closures , inflationary pressures , rising costs , and diminished consumer confidence . During this time , we also restructured our manufacturing facilities ,” Mark explains . “ Our previous owners had commenced the shutdown of our spring manufacturing facility . Together with the new ownership , we reversed this decision , refurbishing old machines to meet our standards and transforming the building , with guidance from our partners in Australia , into a dedicated spring making facility . Alongside this , we introduced three new spring-making machines customized for creating our unique , geometrically designed springs .
“ Creating this facility also provided the necessary space to completely reorganize the mattress assembly factory , which under
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