Deslee Begins Manufacturing Wovens, Knits in U.S.A.
April 26, 2002
by Jon Hendrix and Jozef de Coster
Spartanburg, SC (USA) - In an effort to capture a greater share of the American market, Deslee Textiles is beginning manufacturing operations here. Dirk Laceur, VP sales and marketing, said the Belgian producer will begin production of double knits by June. It will add woven mattress ticking shortly after.
Previously Deslee had exported its woven and knitted mattress ticking to the States through its sales office, Deslee USA Inc. in Norcross, Ga.
Laceur said Deslee will be the first plant in the States to knit bedding fabrics.
"It''''s easy and gives the customer a lot of confidence that the stuff doesn''''t have to come from overseas," said Laceur, who opened Deslee''''s stateside operations three years ago. "Domestic manufacturing shortens the lead times dramatically. There is a three-week period that the fabric is in transition from our facilities in Belgium to the Inman, warehouse. We also won''''t have to carry as much inventory of finished fabrics."
Intially, Deslee will supply materials for the new Beautyrest line from Simmons. "Very shortly thereafter, we''''re going to put in looms and start weaving mattress ticking," Laceur said.
At the beginning, production will be 100,000 meters a month. Philip Dermaut, general manager, and Wim De Baudringhien, vice president manufacturing, are running the factory, which will employ 30 workers. Deslee said that production in the States should account for around 45 percent of Deslee''''s deliveries to the North American market.
Deslee has factories in Vichte and Beselare. It employs 290 people in Belgium, 18 of whom work in the design department. As a Belgian producer of mattress ticking, Deslee is second largest behind Bekaert Textiles. Monthly production is reportedly 1.4 million meters. Deslee products range from $1.40 to $10.40 per meter. Mattress ticking presently accounts for 75 percent of total turnover.
The company exports 93 percent of its mattress ticking throughout Europe, North America and Asia.
Production of furniture and decoration fabrics amounts to almost a half million metres a month. It is sold mainly in the Benelux and on the German market.
Formed as a producer of upholstery fabrics, Deslee was founded in 1928 by Maurice Deslee. In 1968 it was taken over by the four sons Germain, Faust, Renaat and Jacques Deslee. In 1971, Deslee was the first Belgian weaver to introduce shuttle-free looms. In 1995, Deslee started printing fabrics. In 1996, it installed technology which allowed it to produce knitted mattress fabrics. In 1999, Deslee became the first to produce 100 percent polyprop fabrics.
In the last 18 months, Deslee developed two anti-static products in collaboration with DuPont: anti-static quality Intense® and, an adapted furniture quality, Intense® Relax. The fabrics use ultra-fine, multifilament carbon fibre. Each filament contains a conductive trilobal core, wrapped in a protective nylon envelope. The carbon filament captures the electrons in the surrounding material and releases them into the air at low voltage. As a consequence, people resting on an Intense(r) mattress need on average 21 minutes less sleep." Deslee achieved IS0-9002 certification in 1998.
Over the last five years, Deslee has invested in itself about 13.6 percent of its turnover. Recent investments include: the implementation of integrated Schaeffer/Barco software in the planning department and a new $2 million finishing line (machines from Corino, Mahlo, Bruckner,) in the Beselare factory.
Sales director Hans Dewaele said that turnover increased 14 percent in both 2000 and 2001. Total turnover reached about $47 million in 2001. F&FI
Spartanburg, SC (USA) - In an effort to capture a greater share of the American market, Deslee Textiles is beginning manufacturing operations here. Dirk Laceur, VP sales and marketing, said the Belgian producer will begin production of double knits by June. It will add woven mattress ticking shortly after.
Previously Deslee had exported its woven and knitted mattress ticking to the States through its sales office, Deslee USA Inc. in Norcross, Ga.
Laceur said Deslee will be the first plant in the States to knit bedding fabrics.
"It''''s easy and gives the customer a lot of confidence that the stuff doesn''''t have to come from overseas," said Laceur, who opened Deslee''''s stateside operations three years ago. "Domestic manufacturing shortens the lead times dramatically. There is a three-week period that the fabric is in transition from our facilities in Belgium to the Inman, warehouse. We also won''''t have to carry as much inventory of finished fabrics."
Intially, Deslee will supply materials for the new Beautyrest line from Simmons. "Very shortly thereafter, we''''re going to put in looms and start weaving mattress ticking," Laceur said.
At the beginning, production will be 100,000 meters a month. Philip Dermaut, general manager, and Wim De Baudringhien, vice president manufacturing, are running the factory, which will employ 30 workers. Deslee said that production in the States should account for around 45 percent of Deslee''''s deliveries to the North American market.
Deslee has factories in Vichte and Beselare. It employs 290 people in Belgium, 18 of whom work in the design department. As a Belgian producer of mattress ticking, Deslee is second largest behind Bekaert Textiles. Monthly production is reportedly 1.4 million meters. Deslee products range from $1.40 to $10.40 per meter. Mattress ticking presently accounts for 75 percent of total turnover.
The company exports 93 percent of its mattress ticking throughout Europe, North America and Asia.
Production of furniture and decoration fabrics amounts to almost a half million metres a month. It is sold mainly in the Benelux and on the German market.
Formed as a producer of upholstery fabrics, Deslee was founded in 1928 by Maurice Deslee. In 1968 it was taken over by the four sons Germain, Faust, Renaat and Jacques Deslee. In 1971, Deslee was the first Belgian weaver to introduce shuttle-free looms. In 1995, Deslee started printing fabrics. In 1996, it installed technology which allowed it to produce knitted mattress fabrics. In 1999, Deslee became the first to produce 100 percent polyprop fabrics.
In the last 18 months, Deslee developed two anti-static products in collaboration with DuPont: anti-static quality Intense® and, an adapted furniture quality, Intense® Relax. The fabrics use ultra-fine, multifilament carbon fibre. Each filament contains a conductive trilobal core, wrapped in a protective nylon envelope. The carbon filament captures the electrons in the surrounding material and releases them into the air at low voltage. As a consequence, people resting on an Intense(r) mattress need on average 21 minutes less sleep." Deslee achieved IS0-9002 certification in 1998.
Over the last five years, Deslee has invested in itself about 13.6 percent of its turnover. Recent investments include: the implementation of integrated Schaeffer/Barco software in the planning department and a new $2 million finishing line (machines from Corino, Mahlo, Bruckner,) in the Beselare factory.
Sales director Hans Dewaele said that turnover increased 14 percent in both 2000 and 2001. Total turnover reached about $47 million in 2001. F&FI
