How Mattress Stillages Are Changing Bedding Logistics
JS BURGESS ENGINEERING
UK manufacturers’ sales of mattresses in 2023 had an estimated value of £781 million, with the industry employing over 8000 workers. From lazy duvet days to Netflix marathons and everything in between, we spend roughly one third of our life sleeping, much of it on a mattress. We look at the logistical challenges in manufacturing a top-quality mattress and how a JS Burgess stillage can bring efficiencies to the shop floor.
What is a Stillage?
In a nutshell, a stillage is a type of metal pallet for holding and storing goods and materials off the ground. It can be built with a frame, cage or solid sides so the contents stay put and the weight is safely supported. It is common for them to have a stackable design optimising storage space on the production floor.
Enhancing Efficiency with Mattress Stillages
Stillages can improve the efficiency of your business by reducing the time it takes to load and unload your products for production and transportation to warehouses or end users. They make the whole transportation safer and prevent damage to the finished goods. An excellent example is the glass industry, where manufacturers use A-frame stillages to support sheets of glass for transport.
Safety Benefits of Using Stillages in Bed Manufacturing
Stillages are also a very safe way of transporting goods, avoiding the need to load or unload them at regular intervals. That means saving time for your business and a much safer working environment for your employees. The HSE found that bed manufacturing had around twice the manufacturing industry’s average rate of manual handling injuries. It conducted an in-depth report into the production process, concluding that mattresses transported on pallets or in stillages help keep the work environment ordered, allowing staff to easily move goods around the factory. This consequently reduced unnecessary manual handling and, therefore, workplace injuries. HSE Report
Choosing the Right Stillage for Your Business
When choosing the right stillage for your business, you must consider the space, purpose and contents. A king-sized mattress can contain about 200m of coiled wire, weigh up to 70 kilograms and potentially cost thousands of pounds. They are heavy, high-value items that need to be transported safely and damage-free.
JS Burgess Engineering: Expertise in Stillage Design
JS Burgess Engineering is a specialist volume manufacturer with extensive experience designing and supplying stillages for mattresses, bed parts and accessories. We work with some of the UK’s largest bed and mattress manufacturers and their tier 1 and 2 suppliers. Our mattress stillages are based around a stackable post pallet footprint ideally suited for storing and transporting larger, bulkier items. The mattresses are stored flat, not propped up on the side, to avoid damage to the internal springs and materials over time.
Customisation and Advanced Features of Stillages
The design can be customised for your specific space, usage and safe working load (SWL) to minimise damage and protect soft fabric surfaces. Optional features include forklift pockets, heavy-duty castor wheels, drop fronts and collapsible or removable sides. We can also incorporate removable dividers so the stillage has the flexibility to accommodate different sized items.
Stillages help bed manufacturers and many other industries organise their production workflow, warehousing and save space. They are a safe storage and transport system designed and engineered to withstand high-weight loads, frequent use and extreme temperatures. JS Burgess have been designing and manufacturing metal stillages for over 30 years; we guarantee a durable, high-strength product that can handle almost any storage application.
All our stillages are designed and manufactured at our UK site, making us a trusted partner for businesses needing a custom solution. No matter what your business or warehouse needs, we have the correct form of stillage for you. To speak to a member of our expert team, call +44 1663 719 300 or email us at enquiries@jsburgess.co.uk.
