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Tempur-Pedic International Inc.

Type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: TPX
Industry	Mattresses and Pillows
Founded	1992
Headquarters	Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Website	www.tempurpedic.com

Tempur-Pedic International, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of mattresses and pillows made from viscoelastic memory foam. The company's headquarters is located in Lexington, Kentucky.

History [edit]

On their company website Tempur-Pedic gives a brief history of their product:

In the early 1970s, NASA developed a pressure-absorbing material to help cushion and support astronauts during lift-off. The material was temperature-sensitive and it evenly distributed body weight. NASA released this material to the public in the 1980s (“Tempur-Pedic History” 1).^[1]

In 1971, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in an effort to relieve astronauts of the G-force experienced during lift-off, developed a viscoelastic pressure-relieving material that would be placed in space shuttles. After completion, this formula was made public by NASA. Although useful astronautically, the material originally proved unstable for commercial use.^{[citation needed]}

However, after several years of research and development, NASA succeeded in developing a proprietary formulation and proprietary process to manufacture a stable, durable and commercially viable product.^[2] The idea was soon acquired by Fagerdala World Foams, a Swedish technical foam firm. Fagerdala spent years perfecting their formula and once complete, named their consumer version of the foam "TEMPUR". The breakthroughs led the way for Fagerdala to develop a commercially useful product, introducing the first "Tempur-Pedic Swedish Mattress" in 1991.

Early in the 1990s, Vice President of Fagerdala Mikael Magnusson and owner Dag Landvik met Kentucky businessman Robert B. Trussell, Jr. through a mutual interest in the horse racing industry. They subsequently granted him the North American distribution rights. Trussell and a partner founded Tempur-Pedic, Inc. in 1992 to bring the brand to the United States.^[3]

Nine distributors of Fagerdala, including Tempur-Pedic, Inc., merged in 1999 to form Tempur World holding company. In 2002, the private-equity firms TA Associates of Boston and Friedman Fleischer & Lowe of San Francisco bought the holding company. They retained Trussell as the company’s CEO.^[4] The same year, the firms reformed Tempur World holding company into Tempur-Pedic International Inc. The company went public on December 18, 2003, trading as TPX, according to Business First reports.^{[verification needed]}

In 2005, Furniture Today reported that Tempur-pedic's Duffield, VA plant was in compliance with ISO 9001:2000.^[5]

Numerous bedding, specialty stores and high-end home stores carry many of Tempur-Pedic products. Morris describes Tempur-Pedic’s marketing as engaging customers’ emotions, inspiring them to buy a better quality mattress.^{[this quote needs a citation]} Tempur-Pedic also won a 2009 ERA award for direct marketing.^[6]

Tempur-Pedic is still a strong selling mattress brand, even with recession spending declines.^[7]

Tempur-Pedic has sponsored studies related to sleep and sleep habits. Most recently, this included a survey showing the average hours of sleep for American adults.^{[citation needed]}

On September 27, 2012, Tempur-Pedic and Sealy Corporation announced plans to merge to form "the world’s largest bedding company." Tempur-Pedic paid $228.6 million but the two companies will operate separately. Once the deal is completed in 2013, the $2.7 billion company expects to sell mattresses in over 80 countries.^[8]

TEMPUR material [edit]

TEMPUR material was originally based on NASA’s research^[9] to develop a material that would cushion aircraft seats and improve survivability in the event of an accident.^[10]

NASA acknowledged Tempur-Pedic on May 6, 1998 for utilizing space technology in their products. Trussell, founder and CEO of Tempur-Pedic, was invited to NASA’s headquarters in Washington, DC to attend a press conference in Tempur-Pedic’s honor.^[11] There, NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin recognized Tempur-Pedic for successfully using NASA technology to create economic opportunity and promote a better quality of life for mankind – in both the consumer and medical sector. After receiving NASA’s Plaque of Recognition, Tempur-Pedic presented the Administration with the one-millionth pillow. This pillow and other similar pillows are on display^[11] at NASA headquarters, Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, and The Smithsonian Institution.

Soon after the NASA Press Conference, Tempur-Pedic was licensed by the Space Foundation to use the official “Certified Technology” seals on their products and advertisements. NASA’s “Certified Space Technology” initiative is committed to broadening awareness, understanding, and support for the important role that space exploration plays in the everyday lives of Americans.^[12]

Mattresses made of TEMPUR material have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal,^[13] were awarded a Consumer’s Digest “best buy” as well as an Ease-of-Use Commendation from the Arthritis Foundation.^[14]

Overall, Tempur-Pedic mattresses are three times less likely than a traditional spring mattress to suffer from sagging or other durability issues.^{[15][unreliable source?]}

Potential health hazards [edit]

Potential health risks are associated with exposure to other memory foams, Tempur Trademarked foam has however gone through large scales of testing and no health risks have been found. A notable fact is that hospitals and other health departments use Tempur. When new, most memory foams give off a distinct chemical odor, which many people find unpleasant and some say is akin to the smell of paint. This odor decreases with airing, but some remain sensitive. Emissions from traditional memory foam mattresses may cause more respiratory irritation than other mattresses; however, mildew and house dust mites may not occur as frequently, so asthma attacks may be less frequent and severe.^[16] Traditional (not Tempur) memory foams emit as much as 61 volatile organic compounds (VOCs),^[17] several of which are commonly recognized as harmful by the California Health and Welfare Agency, the International Agency on Research of Cancer, and the EPA.^[18] Though many VOCs are odorless, VOCs are responsible for the "new mattress smell" that users may perceive with beds containing memory foams.

Charities [edit]

In October 2009, Tempur-Pedic began selling a teddy bear ^[19] made of TEMPUR material in support of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PANCAN).^[20]

In January, 2010, Tempur-Pedic announced their alliance with Ronald McDonald House Charities.^[21] Tempur-Pedic began outfitting four U.S. Ronald McDonald Houses with beds in 2009. In 2010, an additional 30 to 40 Houses will receive Tempur-Pedic beds; this means that more than 32,000 families will be able to use them. The plan is for all participating U.S. Houses to have Tempur-Pedic beds by the end of 2013.

Tempur-Pedic in popular culture [edit]

Tempur-Pedic's marketing techniques have included television marketing campaigns, featuring the well-known wine glass test as seen on Good Morning America in May, 2009, in a section about "Truth in Advertising".

Along with the wine test, years of advertising has seemingly propelled Tempur-Pedic into the cultural zeitgeist. They have appeared in other pop culture media such as:

• Norm Macdonald referenced Tempur-Pedic pillows in his "Me Doing Stand-Up" (2011; somewhere around 7–8 minutes into the routine).
• Rock Band Snow Patrol's 2008 release, A Hundred Million Suns, was described in the November issue of SPIN magazine as being "the arena-rock equivalent of a Tempur-Pedic pillow".
• Actor Jim Carrey replicated the Tempur-Pedic wine glass test in Yes Man.
• Tempur-Pedic pillows humorously were mentioned on the Showtime TV show Weeds (episode "The Three Cooler") as being perfect for smothering people, due to their tendency to conform to the face.
• TV host Oprah Winfrey in October 2007 showcased a Tempur-Pedic mattress on an episode with sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus, author of Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's Four-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health. [10]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Tempur-Pedic website

Coordinates: 38°05′20″N 84°31′08″W / 38.0888°N 84.5190°W / 38.0888; -84.5190