Hickory Springs Returns to Pre-COVID Production Capacity

September 18, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Over the last six months, HSM implemented several proactive strategies to ensure it would be fully prepared for when orders rebounded. Early in the pandemic, HSM was intentional about procuring sourced product that it anticipated would soon be in short supply to enable it to stay ahead of the curve. In a strategic move to support the fight against COVID-19, the company quickly pivoted to manufacture medical masks and PPE to supply healthcare systems in the Southeast and keep its operations running when conditions softened. Consequently, HSM amassed an inventory of spun bond materials, which can now also be used to manufacture bedding products like pocketed coils. 

 “We encourage our industry partners who are experiencing delays or challenges in acquiring components and/or materials to contact us, so that we can help them bridge the gap in their production,” said Mark Jones, president and CEO of HSM. “There seems to be an industry-wide perception that everyone is experiencing delivery issues and supply chain disruption, but that is not the case at HSM. We have enough inventory and production capacity to service the marketplace.” 

In addition to proactively procuring raw materials, HSM further elevated its health and safety protocols and procedures across all of its facilities. In late February, the company took decisive action, assembling a cross functional team to put in place numerous new guidelines, directives and protocols aimed at protecting the health and safety of its associates, including travel restrictions, social distancing, visitor restrictions, enhanced cleaning protocols, use of PPE and contingency planning. To date, those measures have proved effective in keeping the company’s plants operational in addition to having little to no impact on its supply chain.