Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Eclipse Flagship Licensee to Open New Plant in California
January 7,
2021 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
The flagship licensee of Eclipse International, Bedding Industries of America, will open a new 80,000-square-foot manufacturing, showroom and distribution center at 1798 Linden Ave. in Rialto, California. The factory will be called BIA WEST and is scheduled to open April 1. It will employ 120 when fully operational and serve retailers in California, Nevada, and part of Arizona.
A multi-million dollar outfitting of the facility will include state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment from Leggett & Platt’s Global Systems Group to showcase the latest in manufacturing innovation and design for the industry.
The plant will manufacture mattresses under Eclipse, Saatva, Eastman House, Natural Dreams Pure Talalay, as well as other brands from the company’s portfolio.
“With the industry landscape changing and demand for our products so strong, we saw the need for a facility in Southern California to better serve our clients. This does not represent a major shift in strategy for us regarding licensing as we have 20 members in our group that provide coast-to-coast capabilities in the U.S. We realize in certain parts of the country where our business is strong, we needed additional manufacturing facilities that allow us to meet demand in a timely manner,” said Stuart Carlitz, president and chief executive of Eclipse International.
“This year, for the first time in our industry’s history, demand outpaced capacity and we expect strong demand to continue well into 2021 and beyond,” he added. “With the assistance of Leggett & Platt and their global systems group, we were able to design a state-of-the-art lean manufacturing facility in Southern California. They have always been good partners and have always provided us with the latest innovation and technology, which allow us and our licensees the ability to be a low-cost producer which greatly benefits our customers.”
According to Carlitz, the part of San Bernardino County where the new plant is located has a rich history in bedding manufacturing, so there is an experienced work force they will be able to tap into immediately.