• Chemicals in liquid form
• Flexible foam
Where It All Began, 50 Years Ago
When the late Walter Laurie, Founder of Strandfoam, ventured into the business world in 1950 with £136,00 in his pocket, he had a dream. Little did he know that his dream would become and inherent part of the dreamworld of thousands of people.
Before Walter started creating comfort for dreamers, he provided cushioning for fruit in the form of woodwool.
The late Walter Laurie realised that the machinery needed for manufacturing foam for the fruit industry could also be used to manufacture foam for a wider range of products, ie: for the bedding and furniture industries.
His first factory for manufacturing these commodities was established in the Strand in 1968.
Before Foam... Wood - 1950
Cutting trees, sawing logs and manufacture of lug boxes and bulk bins for the Cape’s fruit industry – that was the start of the StrandBox business in 1950.
Although the saw milling operation has been closed down, Strandbox still uses a vast quantity of wood, processed on the premises. All the wood is planed, cut to size, glued and screwed together to ensure quality in the manufacturing process.
The First Steps Into A Dream World
Before Walter started creating comfort for dreamers, however, he provided cushioning for fruit in the form of woodwool.
In 1957 he and his father imported the first woodwool machine and started supplying woodwool for the South African fruit export industry.
Though highly cost-effective, woodwool loses its cushioning effect and there was an urgent need for an alternative.
The late Walter Laurie started experimenting with polyurethane foam. Polyester foam, the only type available in 1968, proved effective, but was extremely costly. Through further experimenting and with the help of a foam consultant in Copenhagen, the late Walter Laurie started producing Polyether foam which provided perfect, cost effective cushioning for fruit exports.
A contract for the supply of chemicals was entered into with Bayer, while machinery for foam manufacturing purposes was imported from Germany.
The production of packaging foam was soon well under way and Walter was in business.
This was the start of the production of foam mattresses under the name of Strandmattress,
and later premium quality foam mattresses under the name Cloud Nine. Inner spring mattresses under the name Rest Assured and wooden frames and imbuia show wood for the company’s furniture range, Laurielle.
The company also started operating its own weaving mill, Lautex. Business flourished, and today Strandfoam operates factories in Pretoria, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Krugersdorp and Bloemfontein.
Our Own Weaving & Knitting Mills
Our weaving mill, Lautex, specialises in Jacquard Weaving – similar to the technique used for weaving table cloth a century ago and still regarded as the best available.
Over the years the process has been slightly modified, using a rapier or air jet versus a shuttle (to speed up the process), and introducing five or six colours and different designs for different beds.
The older mechanical quilting machines have all been replaced with modern MECCA electronic machines. These machines combine the fabric, layered polyester fibre and layers of polyurethane foam to be used for the luxurious outer layers of our mattresses.
Our Three Pillars Of Success
QUALITY
We manufacture only products of the highest quality and standards.
SERVICE
All directors and employees acknowledge
that our customers are our real bosses and we shall never let them down.
VALUE FOR MONEY
We cannot afford to sell below cost, but we will never over-charge a customer.