On the 7th, at the first-floor production hall of the new Sealy Bed factory in Ogeum-dong, Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. Dozens of spools of thread hung on a massive machine spun simultaneously, stitching white fabric and plush filling. After cutting and quilting, the bed tops and side panels were cut to a fixed length and moved straight to the adjacent sewing process. Passing through the hands of skilled workers seated at sewing machines, they were neatened into uniform shapes, and with the end of each process, staff inspections followed to catch any possible defects.
Mattresses combining springs and fabric went to final inspection, were packaged, and headed to the logistics hall. It was notable that each product carried a tag with the customer's name and address. Jeong Gyutae, production team leader at the Yeoju plant, said, "We produce every product on a made-to-order basis, and it takes about five days from order to delivery," adding, "This is different from typical factories that pre-produce, build inventory, and ship upon order."
Sealy Bed invested about 40 billion won to recently bring the Yeoju new plant online, greatly expanding production scale over the previous facility. The production area is 15,183 square meters, about 1.9 times that of the previous plant.
With expanded production equipment and scale, the maximum production headcount grew from 71 to 92. Maximum mattress output in eight hours also increased about 67%, from 300 to 500 units. To handle the entire process in one place—from raw material receiving and inspection to quilting, sewing, and build; production; quality and safety tests; finished goods management; and shipment—the procurement hall, production hall, and logistics hall were consolidated.
The new plant is an extension of Sealy Korea's roughly 10-year "domestic production expansion" strategy. Sealy Bed is a global mattress brand that began in 1881 in Sealy, Texas. It highlights its proprietary spring system, "Posturepedic," developed in collaboration with orthopedic specialists, as its signature technology, and produces premium beds tailored to customer requests.
Sealy Bed entered Korea in 1998. But early on, it lacked its own production facilities and either brought products in from the United States or relied on original equipment manufacturing (OEM). Chief Executive Officer Yun Jong-hyo, who has led Sealy Korea since 2012, said, "When I first took the post, more than 70% of the products sold were imported from the United States, and the remaining roughly 30% were produced via OEM," adding, "In that form, it was difficult to fully realize Sealy's philosophy of handcraft and high quality."
Recognizing the need for in-house production, Sealy Korea anticipated growth in the domestic premium bed market and persuaded global headquarters to build its first production plant in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, in 2016. Since then, it has steadily raised the share of domestic production and now sources most of its supply chain in Korea, excluding springs.
As it established a production base, distribution also expanded. Over the past 10 years, Sealy Korea has increased sales touchpoints such as department stores and outlets, and as of this month sells more than 110 product types at 140 stores nationwide.
Yun said, "Korea has high production costs and stringent permits, so it is not an easy market in which to build factories," but added, "Korean consumers have extremely high and exacting standards when evaluating products. To meet those standards, we determined we needed to further enhance our in-house production capability and pursued expansion."
The next market Sealy Korea is targeting with the new plant is outside Korea. It plans to expand exports to major Asian markets such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and grow the Yeoju plant into a production hub for the Asia-Pacific region. It aims to fill 15% to 20% of total output with exports.
It will also further advance production internalization. Sealy Korea currently imports coils (springs), the core component of mattresses, from Australia and China, but plans to build an additional spring production plant near the new facility by 2028. Once it produces springs directly, the domestic production system from raw materials to finished goods will be virtually complete.
Yun said, "This new plant will become Sealy Korea's second growth engine," adding, "We will grow it into a key production and supply hub in Asia that can produce everything from core raw materials to finished goods in one place."