Lee Jong-sung (fourth from left), Vice President of Simmons’ Production and Logistics Strategy Division, gives an executive presentation at the Simmons Factorium media tour in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 20th. Photo courtesy of Simmons
Simmons has become the first bedmaker in South Korea to build a three-way partnership with POSCO Holdings (005490.KS) and Kiswire, securing a supply chain that links joint development of core materials with production and quality control. The strategy aims to widen the company’s technology lead in the premium bed market by working with leading steel and materials companies.
“This vast collaboration network, which combines the expertise of top companies in each field — from material development to precision processing and sleep engineering — represents Simmons’ own unrivaled competitiveness and the cornerstone of its sustainable future competitiveness,” Lee Jong-sung, vice president of Simmons’ production and logistics strategy division, said at a media tour held at the Simmons Factorium in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 20th.
In January this year, Simmons signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with POSCO and Kiswire to jointly develop core materials and build a supply chain, the first such agreement in the bed industry. Moving away from the traditional vertical supply structure — running from materials makers to processors and then to finished-goods makers — the three companies created a system in which they cooperate from the technology development and research stage.
“POSCO, which represents South Korea’s steel industry, and Simmons, which leads the bed industry, are jointly developing the spring wire rod best optimized for mattresses, and Kiswire, which holds world-class special wire-rod processing technology, supplies it,” Lee said. “By adding Simmons’ own sleep-engineering know-how, we will complete a differentiated mattress.”
The result of this collaboration is the “vanadium pocket spring.” Through joint research with POSCO, Simmons developed a spring steel wire based on POSCO’s vanadium special alloy steel, optimized for mattresses, and has applied it to its products since 2024. Vanadium is a key alloying element used in special alloys to increase the strength and durability of the metal.
Along with building the supply chain, Simmons also set out its premium benchmark, the “Simmons Standard 5,” based on its manufacturing philosophy that “quality is conscience.” Its key elements are the vanadium pocket spring, conscientious quality control, a clean production environment, an in-house direct-delivery system, and customer care.
“Premium is completed only when every process — from material selection and development to product research and development, production and quality control, delivery and follow-up customer care — is connected by a single, strict and identical standard,” Lee stressed.
At the Factorium, which opened in 2017 and spans about 59,647 square meters, the country’s largest such facility, the principle of putting quality before output was also on display. Although it can produce more than 1,000 mattresses a day, it holds actual output to about 600 to 700 units to prioritize quality. Viewing delivery as an extension of manufacturing, the company has run a system delivering within 72 hours of purchase on weekdays since 2023.
Reporters participating in the Simmons Factorium media tour on the 20th tour the manufacturing site at the Simmons Factorium in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Photo courtesy of Simmons