DeLandis continues to expand its U.S. footprint for domestic production in Houston.
HOUSTON – Over the past four years, DeLandis has quietly been expanding its domestic mattress manufacturing footprint in Houston.
The company, headquartered in Quanzhou, China, started its push into the U.S. market with its first Texas factory in 2021. Since that time, DeLandis has expanded to include four facilities in Houston totaling more than 400,000 square feet, and is eyeing a fifth.
The most recent addition to its U.S. operations includes a dedicated foam pouring and spring operation. Internationally, the company has two factories in China totaling 1 million square feet, as well as a 200,000-square-foot factory in Malaysia.
Founded in the 1990s, Quanzhou, China-based DeLandis has set its focus on expanding its footprint to include a vertical manufacturing operation that delivers tariff-free sleep products to its U.S. retail partners.
The push to expand in its operations in the U.S. was initially driven by a desire to better meet the needs of its retail partners looking to avoid import and logistics issues. Today, DeLandis continues to secure its U.S. manufacturing presence in the wake of tariffs on goods imported from China and other countries with its new foam pouring and spring production.
“To compete in today’s market, companies have to be vertical,” said David Wachendorfer, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Tariffs are forcing companies to go vertical, and we’re committed to our strategy of making mattresses for the U.S. market here in Houston.”
DeLandis’ footprint in Houston includes the new foam pouring and spring factory, two buildings for assembly and distribution, and a dedicated building for materials and finished good warehousing.
The company’s current monthly capacity with its four buildings is 100,000 units, and executives say DeLandis can scale manufacturing as needed. The new foam pouring line gives the company the foundation to continue to grow its private label business with retailers and other sleep brands looking for domestic production.
To prepare for the new foam production, DeLandis built a pouring line in its China facility and ran tests until the process was perfected. Then, the company disassembled the machinery and shipped it to Houston where it was reassembled before going live.
“That’s just one example of our attention to quality and detail,” said Joe DiCello, regional vice president for DeLandis. “We are committed to helping our partners grow by delivering quality products, and it shows in every step of our process.”
While the company’s growing presence in the U.S. manufacturing arena is new, DeLandis isn’t a newcomer to the domestic sleep market. DeLandis was a longtime manufacturing partner with Classic Brands, a former mattress supplier that closed in 2022. At the time, company officials said Classic Brands was a casualty of the pandemic, anti-dumping action in 2020 and tariffs.
DeLandis’ new approach to the U.S. market is to work directly with retail partners under the company’s own name, no intermediary.
Looking ahead, the company plans to continue working with its retail partners while diversifying to build a direct-to-consumer business that helps support what retailers do in their stores. “The online business model continues to change, and we are constantly looking to adapt,” Wachendorfer said.
The product strategy is to start small and grow the line strategically. Currently, the line features three hybrid models and three foam designs. The existing products are priced to retail from $299 to $699 in queen, but executives say those price points will expand to meet market demand and retailers’ needs.
In addition to expanding its mattress offering, the company brought its boxed pop-up upholstery to the winter Las Vegas Market, giving retailers another category under the DeLandis umbrella. The category was a success with products designed to retail from $599 to $999, engineered with DeLandis’ proprietary foams in Malaysia and warehoused in Houston. A three-piece sectional with an ottoman comes packed in three boxes.
Looking out five years, Wachendorfer is optimistic about DeLandis’ domestic production capabilities and growth. “Unlike the old-school bedding model, we can move on a dime,” he said. “Our team, supported by our owners, know how to navigate changes in the global economy to meet the needs of our customers.”
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