CertiPUR originated in Europe in 2004. With very few alterations other than translation, the American version, CertiPUR-US, is open to all manufacturers of flexible polyurethane foam selling product in the US. The CertiPUR-US certification process involves intense foam assessment, including VOC testing and chemical breakdown analysis. It also involves signed affirmation that CertiPUR-US-prohibited ingredients, such as ozone-depleting CFCs, PBDE fire retardants, lead, mercury and other materials of concern, are not being used in the foaming process.

“The CertiPUR-US label is something Hickory Springs is proud of,” says Executive Vice President of Marketing Dwayne Welch. “We see the program as added value, offering our customers – and theirs – peace of mind. In addition, it complements our on-going company-wide environmental responsibility and sustainability efforts.”

Hickory Springs is one of several founding members of the CertiPUR-US program, which was officially introduced by the Polyurethane Foam Association earlier this year and is now operated by the Alliance of Flexible Polyurethane Foam Inc. (AFPF). Hickory Springs Vice President Bobby Bush currently is serving as chairman of AFPF.

“We see this as the foam industry’s best route for the future,” says Bush. With guidance from a diverse AFPF Advisory Panel, CertiPUR-US will remain vital, “adjusting to new concerns and incorporating developing science in every aspect of foam and the foaming process.”

Importers may either submit the ISF data to Customs themselves or rely on a designated agent’s service. Bill Smith, director of marketing & supply chain services for Globe Express Services elaborates, “The forwarder/consolidator is best positioned to provide importers’ ISF data to Customs since they’re closest to overseas vendors and factories. Globe Express Services (GES) recognized this opportunity early and developed a robust filing service, complete with specialized software and electronic linkages to U.S. Customs.”

This is the third facility for Sun Delivery. Other locations are in Thomasville, N.C., and Los Angeles, Calif. The Thomasville-based company was founded in 1995 and has become one of the nation’s premier white glove carriers offering service to every zip code in the 48 contiguous United States.

According to Sun Delivery President Rick Phillips, “Our new Dallas facility will allow us to offer even quicker transit times to the central region of the country and will allow us to extend our pick-up zone to a host of new furniture manufacturers and distributors.”

Aimee Boozer, vice president, reports that the company experienced double digit growth in 2008. “We are very excited about this new Dallas facility and the added value it will bring to our customers,” she says.

“We are already selling Renew foam to major names in the furniture industry such as La-Z-Boy, and we are beginning to work with bedding manufacturers, as well,” says President Stan Yukevich. “We chose Cargill’s BiOH polyols for their unique and proprietary soybean oil technology, which allows us to produce consistent quality without sacrificing consumer comfort and without the need for our customers to reengineer their processes.”

Derived from natural vegetable oils such as soybean oil, BiOH polyols help flexible polyurethane foam manufacturers reduce their environmental footprint and market their choice to downstream customers. In 2007, Cargill announced the opening of a $5.5 million polyols research and development facility.

More recently, the company scaled up its manufacturing capabilities with construction of a $22 million BiOH polyol plant in Chicago to meet growing demand. Though not expected to be fully operational until November, initial production batches were made beginning in early September.