Dura Beds
Springing success
Quality and value for money have been key to Dura Beds laying down a strong reputation in the market as it looks forward towards another successful year of growth
Since starting out life in 1998, Dura Beds has quickly grown to become one of the leading manufacturers of mattresses and divan bases in the UK. Now employing around 140 people at its Yorkshire base the company currently reaches sales of £13 million
a year.
Manufacturing and supplying a complete range of products with quality and design at the forefront of its offering, Dura Beds employs a comprehensive range of advanced upholstery techniques, such as pillow tops, cushion tops, airflow borders, micro quilting, décor quilting and traditional hand-tufting. With nearly two decades of expertise behind it the company has built a strong reputation for itself in bringing together specialist fabrics like Tencel and Coolmax with the latest developments in fillings such as gel, latex, memory foam and foam encapsulation. What results is a complete range of mattress solutions perfectly suited to the various demands and consumer needs present within the market.
“Regarding our customer base it is very varied,” explains Lead Factory Manager, Steve Darby as he speaks to Manufacturing Today Europe. “Around 80 per cent of our business comes from independent high-street retailers, so small shops who may take two or three beds off us a week. However on top of this we have some very large accounts with key market players like Wren Kitchens and United Carpets and Beds and The Range. We also have several customers from the European markets in Spain, Portugal and Ireland who take trailer-loads of beds off of us every week.”
Defining Dura Beds’ competitive position in the market Steve notes that it is difficult to differentiate the actual product offering from many of the competing suppliers as materials and techniques are widely used. However, by ensuring the highest quality, durability and latest designs are meeting the demands of the market, the company is able to maintain a grip of its market share. “Where we are able to distinguish ourselves is in our pricing and service,” he highlights. “We’re very competitively priced especially considering the quality that we provide and we have an excellent delivery service – usually achieving a 48-hour service.”
Facilitating this competitive advantage in the market is a highly focused and labour intensive manufacturing process that relies heavily on well trained and experienced staff. “Whilst we do have some state-of-the-art machinery within our capabilities, such as stitching and sewing machines, these are operated to support the hand crafting skills of our assemblers,” explains Steve. “Saying this, as we grow we continue to invest in new
machinery to ensure that we can keep up with demand. In 2015 we invested heavily into a brand new multi-needle sewing machine, an embroidery machine and several new general sewing machines. We also bought three new vehicles and are planning three more for 2016. So this is a particular focus at the moment.”
All of this is crucial for Dura Beds at a time when demand is rising and growth continues to establish itself as a defining feature of the company’s progress. “The market seems very stable at the moment,” outlines Steve. “We’ve been extremely busy for around the last 14 months and see no sign of this slowing down. Normally, this early part of the year can be quite quiet but we’re not experiencing that this year, so whilst we see nothing on the horizon that will significantly increase demand, we are confident about achieving our growth target of between five and ten per cent. Ultimately, the future looks bright.”
Dura Beds
Products: Leading manufacturer of mattresses and beds