SSA Members since 2013, independent foam manufacturer NCFI Polyurethanes remains loyal to their roots and values. NCFI got its start in 1964 through a partnership between Dr. Harris W. “Ace” Bradley, who had worked on the Manhattan Project during WWII, and the Barnhardt family. Dr. Bradley was a true polyurethane pioneer, credited with perfecting the single shot pour method most North American foamers use today.
Firsts didn’t stop with the single shot method. In the mid-1960s, NCFI and Bradley worked closely with NASA and another North Carolina based company Dynamic Systems to develop a slow recovery polyurethane foam to provide pressure relief in the seats being designed for our astronauts. In 1968, NCFI sold that formulation to Dynamic Systems and they continued the development with NASA. That formulation can be called the starting point for today’s memory foams.
In 2006 NCFI helped start the original e-commerce mattress in a box provider – BedInABox.com. Their design team helped them create a two-piece core that, to this day, is the market leader in quality and durability. NCFI’s premium foam core helped this original design to be rated number one overall by SleepLikeTheDead.com. In 2016 NCFI opened their state of the art, automated facility to provide a complete assortment of bedding products from components to fully finished mattresses. Their modular design allows for production of up to 3,000 units per week, with 2022 expansion plans set to increase that number substantially. Two years later, in 2018, the circle was complete as NCFI purchased their former partner and brought the Bed In A Box® brand in house.
Today, NCFI Polyurethanes is a leading producer of high quality, performance based polyurethane products, operating in Mt Airy NC, Houston TX, Dalton GA and Columbus MS. The Mt Airy and Columbus locations specialize in full service bedding offerings including components, toppers, pillows, and fully finished boxed mattresses suitable for E-commerce shipments.
NCFI’s commitment to sustainability is substantial. The Specialty Division of the business received the EPA’s prestigious Montreal Protocol Award in 2004 for their “outstanding contributions to the protection of the Earth’s ozone layer.” Since 1990 only 554 individuals, companies, organizations, and teams from 54 countries have been honored with the award. Their efforts regarding environmental stewardship and responsibility continue with their current participation with the EPA on lowering HFCs through our new SmartSPF® low global warming potential (GWP) blowing agent spray foam products.
NCFI’s Consumer Division was instrumental in the creation of the CertiPUR-US® standards with representation on both the founding technical and commercial committees. All NCFI foams offered to the bedding and furniture industries are CertiPUR-US® approved.
Since the introduction of Natural Oil Polyols into the flexible foam industry, NCFI has been at the forefront of maximum renewable content products. As the only US manufacturer to have a USDA Biobased certification, NCFI leads the industry with their ultra-high renewable content foams. These foams make up the core of the Eco-Lux® mattress, the most certified mattress on the market and the only complete memory foam mattress to receive USDA BioPreferred® status.
NCFI’s direct to consumer brand BedInABox.com reflects the company’s current abilities to provide a full range of bedding and mattress solutions. The six bed lineup starts with the opening price point Essential and continues with the Original, the brand’s classic 11” all foam model that started the entire mattress in a box industry. The Azul® offers industry leading cooling properties, the Tranquillium® is 3 layers of performance foams covered with a cooling Tencel® cover. The Dual Hybrid Mattress™ with two separate spring layers and an industry leading coil and the aforementioned Eco-Lux® round out the line. All models are available for brick and mortar retail partners and are eligible for private label applications for those looking for high quality products to add to their existing brands. The entire lineup can be viewed here.
“The SSA was part of our beginning in the sleep products industry,” said NCFI’s Executive Vice President of Consumer Products Chris Bradley. “We secured a small space to test the water back in 2013 and haven’t missed a market since. While our space needs have grown beyond the SSA, we are still active and see great value in continuing our membership. The SSA is comprised of independent, innovative and quality conscious manufacturers and companies. The pretty much sums up NCFI.”
Dan Manning, Chis Bradley and Larry Morris
