New Canadian factory will produce Simmons, Serta lines
Toronto-area facility will open in July

Furnituretoday.com
By Michael J. Knell
April 29, 2014

The parent company of Canadian bedding majors Simmons and Serta will open a new factory in this community north of Toronto in July that will produce both brands for sale in Ontario.

The new facility will be built by Serta Simmons Canada Bedding Holdings (SSH), the Canadian subsidiary of AOT Bedding Super Holdings. AOT Bedding Super Holdings was created by the Boston-based investment firm Advent International when it acquired majority ownership of Simmons and Serta in late 2012.

“This new SSH manufacturing facility will have the capacity to produce product for all Ontario customers for both Serta and Simmons,” the company said in news release.

The Serta Toronto production staff will be transferred to the new plant – located near Sears Canada’s main distribution center – and its current factory in nearby Concord will be closed. The new facility also will house Serta Canada’s administrative, marketing and sales functions.

Administrative, marketing and sales functions for Simmons Canada will remain in their current facilities in nearby Mississauga, Ontario.

“Over time, production for Simmons’ Ontario customers will be transferred to the new facility, allowing us to be more cost-effective and efficient and better manage our delivery times,” the company said. Additional production workers will be hired as the transition progresses.

Currently, Simmons’ factory in Kirkland, Quebec, makes most of the product sold by its retail network in Ontario. The shift from Kirkland to the new factory will begin sometime this fall and should be completed by early 2015, according to Simmons Canada President John Stasiw.

“It’s important to remember this won’t be a Simmons factory and it’s not a Serta factory,” he said, adding that it is not uncommon for a company with several divisions to manufacture product for each division out of a single factory.

“The transition will be made to ensure there are no disruptions to our customers,” Stasiw said.

Simmons Canada has not operated a manufacturing plant in Ontario since its factory in Brampton was closed in September 2008 after a contract dispute with its work force, which was represented by the Canadian Auto Workers.

This is the first new factory to be built by either Simmons or Serta anywhere in North America since the companies came under joint ownership in January 2010. In fact, it may be the first mattress factory to be built from the ground up in Canada in at least a decade.