Simon An Jeongho, CEO of Simmons, "We Make Beds with a Sense of Mission"

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Simon An, CEO of Simmons. [Photo by Simmons]

[Icheon=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Simon An, CEO of Simmons, stated on the 25th, "Beds are products used by everyone and are closely related to quality of life, so we approach this business with a heavy sense of responsibility and mission."

At the '5th Anniversary Press Tour and Meeting of the Factorium' held at Simmons Factorium in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, CEO An said, "Simmons has a different attitude toward beds."

This sense of responsibility and mission from CEO An is explained as leading to a 'people-first' management approach that takes responsibility for customers' healthy lives and promotes 'co-growth' with employees and partners both inside and outside the company.

He emphasized, "Over the past 20 years leading Simmons, I have grown together with the people I work with, and the company has grown as well. People are the company's assets. Even when companies were reducing hiring during the peak of COVID-19, I actively recruited MZ generation talents with a mindset of preparing for the future and contributing to society."

Average Employee Age 34, a 'Young Company'

In fact, Simmons beds have transformed into a young and creative organization by doubling the number of employees from about 270 to over 630 in the past five years (2017?2022) through the recruitment of MZ generation talents. The average age of employees has also become younger at 34, securing future growth engines.

Moreover, based on a strong fandom in the wedding market led by the MZ generation, sales surpassed 200 billion KRW (203.8 billion KRW) in 2019 and increased by more than 100 billion KRW in two years, reaching over 300 billion KRW (305.4 billion KRW) for the first time last year.

The unstoppable progress of Simmons beds is strongly supported by the 'heart of Simmons,' the Simmons Factorium. The Factorium embodies CEO An's philosophy that beds must be made with a sense of mission because sleep is directly linked to health.

Opened in 2017, the Simmons Factorium is located on a 74,505㎡ (22,538 pyeong) site and is equipped with world-class facilities, a self-production system recognized for its expertise, and a sleep research R&D center. Over 150 billion KRW was invested during more than ten years of planning, design, and construction. There are very few bed manufacturers worldwide with such scale.

Simmons Factorium exterior. [Photo by Simmons]

Building 'Trust with Customers' through Extreme Tests to Maintain Quality

Since its opening, Simmons Factorium has maintained production facilities emphasizing cleanliness close to obsession. Regarding why such extreme cleanliness is emphasized in a 'production factory,' CEO An said, "Beds are products that go into homes and directly touch users' skin, and since good sleep is directly linked to customers' health, insisting on an extremely clean production process like a food manufacturing facility is only natural. Moreover, considering the environment of the workers making the products is the honesty of the business."

At the advanced Simmons Sleep Research R&D Center, strict extreme tests are conducted to maintain quality. The center carries out a total of 41 types of testing equipment and over 250 detailed tests. Simmons conducts quality tests that might be considered excessive, going beyond domestic and international certification standards, with a sense of responsibility to set new quality benchmarks, thereby building trust with customers based on high quality. For example, Simmons performs the US standard 'ASTM durability test,' known as the 'rolling test,' where a hexagonal cylindrical roller weighing up to 140 kg rolls over 100,000 times at a speed of 15 times per minute to observe damage such as fabric wear and spring bending. It also conducts the domestic standard 'KS durability test,' which involves striking a specific part of the mattress 80,000 times with a 100 kg weight to check for damage.

Additionally, tests such as repeatedly compressing springs over one million times to verify spring durability and research optimizing breathability and heat retention by placing a thermal mannequin equipped with 33 sensors in a temperature- and humidity-controlled artificial climate chamber according to mattress materials and combinations are examples of voluntarily conducted tests.

CEO An explained, "Quality is a promise to customers, and customer trust is not built overnight. We procure the best raw materials available worldwide without hesitation and try every possible test related to quality obsessively."

To cope with the economic downturn across society, the company is focusing on initiatives such as ▲ Simmons Mansion ▲ Simmons Pay ▲ direct delivery system ▲ expanding new product lineups.

"There Are Good Times and Bad Times... We Will Not Be Stingy to Those Around Us"

Simmons beds offer consumers a unified, high-quality brand experience through Simmons Mansion, a consignment store where the headquarters fully supports all operational costs such as product purchasing, rent, and interior expenses to reduce the burden on dealers.

Also, 'Simmons Pay,' a long-term interest-free installment program of up to 36 months allowing ownership of Simmons beds for as little as 50,000 KRW per month, has become a new consumption standard amid the recession. This program is especially popular among young newlyweds during economic downturns. The headquarters bears all interest, fees, and other incidental costs for dealers, providing consumers with up to 36 months of interest-free installments without passing on any additional costs. As a result, Simmons Pay is rapidly growing, accounting for 40% of total Simmons road shop sales, distinguishing itself from other mattress rental companies that pass on such costs to consumers.

The 'direct delivery system,' known as the industry's rocket delivery, completes delivery and installation within three days after purchase, greatly enhancing consumer convenience and customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, Simmons has expanded the market by launching the new 'N32 Foam Mattress' targeting the domestic foam mattress market. It significantly improves the chronic issues of foam mattresses such as sagging and heat retention due to poor breathability.

CEO An stated, "Everyone says next year will be tougher both domestically and internationally. But we have experienced all kinds of crises, including the IMF, the global financial crisis triggered by the Lehman Brothers collapse, and COVID-19. The industry always has good times and bad times. In times like these, we try not to be stingy to those around us. I believe that the leadership required of current management and the true essence of my business is to strengthen trust with consumers based on quality and to find ways for employees and partners to overcome the crisis together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.