Restonic – a Proudly South African company

When most people are thinking about buying a mattress or a bed, they’re focused on what’s going to give them the best night’s sleep. And we agree that this should be the number one factor! But we also understand that Restonic South Africa has an important role to play in the country as a proud local manufacturer, and that many of our customers will also sleep that little bit better at night knowing that their purchase of one of our products is helping to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

Restonic SA has recently joined Proudly South African, the respected organisation that seeks to influence local procurement in the public and private sectors, to help to increase local production, and to influence consumers to buy locally to stimulate job creation.

Although Restonic is originally a USA brand (which Restonic SA is licensed to use in South Africa and its neighbouring countries), all our beds are proudly made in southern Africa. In fact, we have one of the most integrated businesses in our sector, as we source the vast majority of our components locally, or manufacture them ourselves. From the foam in our mattresses to the fabric coverings and raw timber we use, we source and make as much locally as possible.

Our membership of Proudly South African is another way to show our commitment to South Africa and its people and economy.

Members of Proudly South African share a commitment to an uplifting ethos that promotes social and economic change and progress. We’re excited to be a part of making a meaningful contribution to building South Africa’s economy, combating unemployment and contributing to skills development.

The Proudly South African mark on our products assures customers that we adhere to local content and quality requirements, as well as labour and environmental regulations. When you buy a bed from us, it benefits South Africa.

Investing in our people

At Restonic South Africa, we are focused on building a company that people are proud to be part of, whatever their role in the business. Every single person in our team helps to deliver on our brand promise of supporting your dreams, and we do our best to support our people’s dreams too.

Des Chauke, Senior Supervisor

Des has worked for Restonic SA for about 18 years in total. He started out as a cleaner and today is a senior supervisor in the Johannesburg factory, responsible for a team of 118 people. “I used to clean toilets and I would chat to Mr Lawrence Metz. He saw something in me,” says Des. “I was part of Metz Bedding before the company became Restonic SA. I started learning the machines and became an operator. Eventually I was promoted by middle management.”

He says that over his years at the company he has become more independent – confident to stand on his own two feet – and he enjoys the problem-solving aspect of his job. He also believes he is building a legacy for his children by setting a good example.

“I want to send my most gratitude to my boss, Operations Manager, Ettiene Hayes, who gave me all the time to learn almost everything, especially how to be more efficient,” he says.

In October 2020, Des was sent to the Cape Town factory by Restonic SA to help fix issues in the production line, by identifying problems and training the Cape Town team on best practice. It was his first trip to the Western Cape, and his first time on an aeroplane. “It was a very nice experience,” he says. “Everyone was so friendly.”

He says he believes what makes Restonic SA a proudly South African company is the way everyone in the business works to reach customers in a positive way and to meet their needs.

Zane Gouws, Brand Ambassador

Zane is an energetic Restonic SA brand ambassador. He spent part of his childhood in Swaziland, graduated from Matric in 2012 and then went on to study marketing at Boston College. Before joining Restonic, he earned an opportunity to a learnership in Project Management and Business Administration through Meriting Youth Development SETA. His friend worked at Restonic and told him it was a good company. Although no marketing-related positions were available at the time, when a job opened up in the factory in 2018, he decided to apply and to try to work his way up the ranks.

He got the job and started working as a general worker. “It was good that I started out in the factory as I really got to understand the products,” he says. “I was promoted to being a profile machine operator and then when a marketing position opened internally, I applied for that and got the job.”

As a brand ambassador, Zane visits customer bed stores and trains their staff on Restonic products. He also helps with customer complaints and special in-store promotions.

“Before this job, I used to be very shy,” he says. “I have learnt to communicate with people. I work with such a friendly team and I love being able to be out on the road and being exposed to all sorts of different people. And I love seeing the products that we make in the factory actually ending up with customers – that whole process.”

Although his job requires a lot of multi-tasking, he enjoys the challenge and hopes to spend many more years at Restonic. “I would love to study more and am currently studying network systems,” he says. “It’s very interesting, because the way the world is changing will mean that many jobs are being replaced by machines and AI, and I think there will be ways for me to integrate these things into marketing. I think that will assist me a lot in my career.”

He says that to him, Restonic is a Proudly South African company because it welcomes all cultures. “We have such a friendly environment and the company cares about the country and the physical environment too,” he says.

His advice to other young people is to study if they can, but not to stop there – to try to put their studies into practice, to put in the hard work and to take every opportunity that comes their way.

Banyane Seletswane, Production Team Leader

Banyane has been working at Restonic SA for about five years now. She was part of the Vitafoam team when the company merged into Restonic. She was working as a supervisor and has since been promoted and now supervises a team of 35 people.

“I enjoy everything about my job,” she says. “It’s interesting and challenging and I see the growth in people,”

It can be hard to be a leader, as it sometimes means taking tough decisions. But she says she has learned communication skills and to be a strong woman, as well as picking up good time management skills. She hopes one day to be a businesswoman or an artisan. She believes these skills would be valuable within Restonic. Her dream is to become an electrical engineer at the company.

She says she loves being a south African because of the freedom the country offers and because there are opportunities available for those who are willing to work hard, stay positive and make their own luck. She believes this is true in Restonic as a company too.

For more news and expert sleep advice, visit our Sleep Blog.