Behind the Scenes at A.H. Beard

Established in 1899 by Enoch William Beard, A.H. Beard has been improving lives through better sleep for the last 120 years.

With their commitment to creating the best sleep experience possible, the pursuit of excellence has long been a cornerstone of their business. Today, that continues with fifth generation brothers, Garry and Allyn Beard who are leading the company to new heights across Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Allan Walton (Bedding Manager for McKenzie & Willis) and Bill Willis (General Manager for McKenzie & Willis) recently visited their head office to discover more about the history of the company, the process and technology behind their beds and what’s in store for the New Year.

On their trip, Allan and Bill were hosted by Allyn Beard himself and spent time musing over the histories of both McKenzie & Willis and A.H. Beard. There are many similarities between the two companies, including the family business environment, dedication to quality and the fact that both companies are over 100 years old. As it happens A.H. Beard is one of only twenty Australian companies that have been in business for over 100 years!

One of the purposes of their trip was to get a behind the scenes look at the detailed process of making an A.H Beard bed. They had a tour of A.H. Beard’s Sydney facility, which is one of seven across Australia and New Zealand. Here they can produce 350 beds a day. Allyn Beard tells us, “A.H. Beard manufactures between 6,000 and 10,000 mattresses per week for the Australian and international markets. The business continues to grow despite competition from low-cost imports.”

It was evident through this tour that A.H. Beard really are steadfast in their pledge to “improve lives through better sleep.” A.H. Beard takes extreme pride in producing some of the world’s best beds and they regularly test beds straight off the production line to make sure they are up to the very highest standards. “Each time we develop a new mattress, it undergoes extensive testing to ensure it meets our exacting quality standards” says Allyn Beard. “We can see how the various components hold up to extended use, and how their performance may change over time. If a component doesn’t withstand this test, it doesn’t make it into our mattresses.”

Allan and Bill were also treated to a preview of the new hand tufted beds from A.H Beard’s Signature and Grand Luxury Collections. These mattresses are ultra luxurious and contain premium natural fibres such as wool, alpaca, cashmere and mohair to name a few. Allyn Beard explains “sustainable and biodegradable, pure Australian wools and fleeces provide natural, healthy and rejuvenating comfort. The natural fibres provide superior micro-climate control that cannot be artificially manufactured in polyester fibres. The resulting regulation of body temperature and humidity ensures a more comfortable night’s sleep that’s not only good for you, but good for the environment.”

Hand tufting and side stitching is extremely labour intensive (and can take a team of four people up to ten days to produce), but it allows for more comfort layers to be added to the mattress without the depth of the mattress increasing. In fact, the A.H. Beard Signature Collection mattresses have more comfort layers and support coils than any other New Zealand made bed. Hand tufting increases comfort level and reduces settling. Allan Walton describes the feel of them as just “like floating on a cloud.”

Both Bill and Allan were so impressed with the hand tufted range of beds that we will be adding three A.H Beard Grand Luxury beds to our collection in April/May. If you would like to be one of the first to try these amazing mattresses, contact us now for an in-store bed consultation.