Sleep Corp® Recognised as Victoria State Finalist in Telstra Best of Business Awards

Accolades in Championing Health and Embracing Innovation categories come on the heels of major investments in Australian advanced manufacturing.

Sleep Corp®, an Australian owned manufacturer of sleep products has been selected as a Victorian State Finalist at the Telstra Best of Business Awards in two categories; Championing Health and Embracing Innovation.

Championing Health

Sleep Corp® has been recognised for its decades long commitment to helping people achieve a better and healthier night of sleep in Australia and around the world.

“We couldn’t be more proud to be amongst some of Victoria’s most innovative and respected companies as a state finalist” said Sleep Corp® Managing Director David Kaplan. “It’s amazing to think that an idea which was sparked 40 years ago when my niece wet the bed has flourished into an Australian manufacturing company employing over 65 people and growing, with plans to expand globally in the coming years”

Sleep Corp®’s flagship brand Protect-A-Bed® provides a healthy sleep zone solution by protecting mattresses from spills and perspiration stains which can contribute to the growth of mould and bacteria, and the sleeper from dust mites, mould and bacteria allergens - common causes and triggers of allergies, asthma and eczema.

“We have had a long-term commitment to helping Australians achieve healthy sleep, underpinned by our extraordinary market-leading warranty” said Paul Blewett, Sleep Corp®’s Chief Operating Officer. “If you buy a Protect-A-Bed® Mattress Protector at the same time as your new mattress, and it stains, Sleep Corp® will clean or replace it.”

Today Sleep Corp® guided by its vision of “Supporting people to deal with life’s challenges by unlocking the power of sleep” has successfully built on the strength of its Protect-A-Bed® brand with a range Buddies® bed pads, chair pads and reusable incontinence underwear while rapidly expanding into other bedding products which support healthier sleep, both in Australia and around the world.

Embracing Innovation

In a second major category, Sleep Corp® is recognised for embracing innovation as it prepares to formally open a state-of-the-art new plant in Dandenong South, which boasts a robotic warehousing system and world class automated manufacturing equipment with machine-learning, RFID tracking and industry 4.0 communications capabilities. Significantly, these investments have created the ability to double Australian-made capacity in a single shift with no jobs lost in the transition to advanced manufacturing.

“In modern Australia, manufacturing is experiencing unprecedented head winds” Kaplan continued. “We were determined to use the best minds available to ensure we can continue to employ hard working team members, and continue to proudly say that we’re Australian Made. This recognition from Telstra is another reminder that the hard work and expense involved in this transition was worth it”

The new facility, to open formally in Q1 includes:

·       Beautifully designed, Hamptons-style Head Office space.

·       5500 sqm of manufacturing and 3500 sqm of distribution space.

·       State of the art manufacturing capabilities, including an ETON overhead system which moves the item being worked on from the cutting table to the sewing station, onto a custom-made folding machine and packing machine.

·       Geek+ and Korber AMR’s, an automated system of robots, that prioritise stock for orders and bring them by order to a packing station.

·       Integrated RFID chips that can be sewn into every mattress protector to enable efficient tracking and tracing of data, tracing back each protector to the batch of fabric it was cut from, the machinist who sewed it and the settings on the machine while it was sewn.

·       A commitment to move all consumer facing packaging from PEVA plastic bags to 100% recyclable cartons, made from at least 50% recycled material by 2025, with the transition beginning in 2023.  

Ben Cox, Sleep Corp®’s Chief Strategy Officer added “with office-based staff working from home during COVID, the Sleep Corp® leadership team wanted to ensure that in their transition back to the office team members were comfortable and felt like they were at their home away from home”

State Awards for Victoria will be held on Thursday the 23 of February

The Victorian State Awards and Gala Dinner will be held on Thursday the 23rd of February at Crown Melbourne. The Sleep Corp® leadership team are looking forward to the event and preceding State Masterclass as an opportunity to celebrate not only their achievements but also those of other businesses throughout Victoria.

Winners of the state awards will proceed to the National Awards.

About Sleep Corp®

Sleep Corp®, proudly Australian owned and operated, is a leading supplier to Australian retail bedding and department stores, with a recognised specialty in waterproof mattress protection under the Protect-A-Bed® brand.

With a focus on healthy Sleep, Sleep Corp® also provides market leading Buddies® bed pads, chair pads and re-usable incontinence underwear to the healthcare sector, and a hospitality range under the name Freshotel®.  

Within Australia 2023 will see Sleep Corp® continue their expansion into other bedding products including sheets, pillows and quilts while launching a major new brand in the US.

Focusing on sustainability, Sleep Corp® are working towards using 100% recyclable packaging made from at least 50% recycled content by 2025, in line with APCO commitments.

About the Telstra Business Awards

For over 25 years, the Telstra Business awards have celebrated the achievements of small and medium sized businesses across Australia.

Their “goal is to recognise and reward businesses moving Australia forward and inspiring the next generation through their ingenuity and resilience” with seven award categories 1. Accelerating Women, 2. Building Communities, 3. Championing Health, 4. Embracing Innovation, 5. Indigenous Excellence, 6. Outstanding Growth and 7. Promoting Sustainability

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