PGI Develops, Expands Sale Of New FR Fabric

In an effort to assist mattress manufacturers meet recently enacted federal bed safety standards, Charlotte-based nonwovens manufacturer Polymer Group Inc. (PGI) has developed a new, enhanced flame-resistant (FR) fabric that is used as a facing material on the bottom of no-flip mattresses sold under Conover, N.C.-based Hanes Industries Inc.’s Stratus ™ brand.

Hanes is a supplier, converter and distributor of nonwoven, woven and knit fabrics, as well as dyeing and finishing services.

The new fabric — designed with PGI’s Apex™ technology to offer improved strength, weight, and enhanced abrasion and tear resistance — is used as a facing material, making an additional mattress fabric layer unnecessary.

“With more than 22 million mattresses sold nationwide, the new federal bed safety standards have created a tremendous opportunity for the nonwovens industry unlike any other we’ve seen in the past,” said Rick Pearce, senior director, PGI. “We are offering a high-performance FR product that assures quality and helps mattress manufacturers of all sizes meet the new regulations. Through our supply chain partnership with Hanes, we are able to deliver FR fabrics to the market in the quickest and most efficient manner, meeting this real-time need.”