Tempur-Pedic® History
The early years: NASA and the Swedish scientists
If there’s one thing that people know about Tempur-Pedic®, it’s that they’re somehow connected with both NASA and Sweden. How is that possible?
In the early 1970s, NASA developed a pressure-absorbing material to help cushion and support astronauts during lift-off. The material was temperature-sensitive and it evenly distributed body weight. NASA released this material to the public in the 1980s.
Another set of scientists, at the soon-to-be-merged companies Fagerdala in Sweden and Dan-Foam in Denmark, continued development on NASA’s creation. After nearly a decade and millions of research dollars, these “Swedish scientists” perfected TEMPUR® material for use in mattresses.
Next up: better sleep comes to the U.S.
In 1992, Lexington, Kentucky resident Bob Trussell visited Denmark and met the scientists at Dan-Foam. Realizing the opportunity to improve sleep for people in the U.S., he started Tempur-Pedic®—and a revolution in sleep was born.
The company built an R&D and engineering center in Duffield, Virginia and a second fabrication plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And they began telling their story—people still remember the legendary “wine glass” commercial, even though it hasn’t run for years.
Eventually, Tempur-Pedic® and the Danish company Dan-Foam combined, creating a global company focused on sleep products and headquartered in Lexington.
Today: everything you need for better sleep
Over the years, they’ve expanded their line of mattresses and added pillows, bed linens, cushions—even a sleep mask and slippers. In addition to their original TEMPUR®-formulation products, they have TEMPUR-HD® that highly conforms to your body for better pressure relief, and TEMPUR-ES® for unmatched pillowy softness with their famous support. Their products are sold in retail stores across the country. And most exciting for Tempur-Pedic®, they’re now the most highly recommended bed in America.
The future: continued innovation
With scientists and engineers in Denmark and the U.S. working in concert, Tempur-pedic® will continue to develop new ways to use TEMPUR® material, as well as new formulations of the original to help people sleep better.
