Tontine Group
Encyclopedia
Tontine is an Australia
n manufacturer
of pillow
s. The company began in 1870. From 1984–2001 it was owned by Pacific Dunlop
. In 2001 it was sold to create a separate entity. The Tontine group is part of Pacific Brands
. Until 2007 the company's manufacturing base was at East Brunswick, Victoria. (It is now at Campbellfield in Victoria.) Tontine Fibres is a division of United Bonded Fabrics a separate company manufacturing polyester
insulation
, air filtration, carpet underlays, geotextiles and a range of mattress and furniture comfort products and using the Tontine trademark
under license.
The company began making flock and soft bedding. Tontine has been making pillows since 1956. In 1963 the company "launched" the first polyester
filled pillow in Australia.
The company is the leading pillow producer in Australia manufacturing half of all pillows sold in Australia. Tontine manufactures pillows under its own brands and also under house brands
for retailers. In 2002 it produced 3.6 million pillows per year. A former general manager of Tontine claimed that "Tontine is unique in the world because it is a strong pillow brand in what is a commodity market
," she said. "In other countries there is no market leader because manufacturers tended to stay in their local areas."
As the company is well known, it is referenced in jokes. For example, an Australian legal newsletter said of an alleged swindler
who padded his timesheet
s "that at one stage pillow makers Tontine were said to be interested in sponsoring him."
Duvet
s in Australia are known by the genericized trademark
"Doona"; the brand name is owned by the Tontine Group. The brand name was acquired by Tontine in 1991 when Pacific Dunlop took over the Northern Feather company which until that time had been one of Australia's largest manufacturers of feather and down-filled pillows and quilts.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n manufacturer
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
of pillow
Pillow
A pillow is a large cushion support for the head, usually used while sleeping in a bed, or for the body as used on a couch or chair. There are also throw pillows , which are pillows that are purely decorative and not designed for support or comfort...
s. The company began in 1870. From 1984–2001 it was owned by Pacific Dunlop
Ansell
-Other:*Ansell's Shrew*Ansell's Mole Rat - rodent*Ansell's Epauletted Fruit Bat - megabat*Ansell Limited - medical gloves and condom manufacturer...
. In 2001 it was sold to create a separate entity. The Tontine group is part of Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands is a major Australian company marketing Berlei, Bonds, Clarks , Dunlop, Everlast, Grosby, Holeproof, Hush Puppies, King Gee, Malvern Star, Sheridan, Slazenger, Sleepmaker and Tontine . It once held the Asian Pacific licence for British Knights footwear. It was formed as a division of...
. Until 2007 the company's manufacturing base was at East Brunswick, Victoria. (It is now at Campbellfield in Victoria.) Tontine Fibres is a division of United Bonded Fabrics a separate company manufacturing polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
insulation
Building insulation
building insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact insulation...
, air filtration, carpet underlays, geotextiles and a range of mattress and furniture comfort products and using the Tontine trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
under license.
The company began making flock and soft bedding. Tontine has been making pillows since 1956. In 1963 the company "launched" the first polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
filled pillow in Australia.
The company is the leading pillow producer in Australia manufacturing half of all pillows sold in Australia. Tontine manufactures pillows under its own brands and also under house brands
Generic brand
Generic brands of consumer products are distinguished by the absence of a brand name. It is often inaccurate to describe these products as "lacking a brand name", as they usually are branded, albeit with either the brand of the store in which they are sold or a lesser-known brand name which may...
for retailers. In 2002 it produced 3.6 million pillows per year. A former general manager of Tontine claimed that "Tontine is unique in the world because it is a strong pillow brand in what is a commodity market
Commodity markets
Commodity markets are markets where raw or primary products are exchanged. These raw commodities are traded on regulated commodities exchanges, in which they are bought and sold in standardized contracts....
," she said. "In other countries there is no market leader because manufacturers tended to stay in their local areas."
As the company is well known, it is referenced in jokes. For example, an Australian legal newsletter said of an alleged swindler
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
who padded his timesheet
Timesheet
A timesheet is a method for recording the amount of a worker's time spent on each job.-Use:Originally developed for an employer to determine payroll, timesheets are not just for payroll any more. Timesheets may record the start and end time of tasks, or just the duration. It may contain a...
s "that at one stage pillow makers Tontine were said to be interested in sponsoring him."
Duvet
Duvet
A duvet from the French duvet "down"), is a type of bedding — a soft flat bag filled with down, feathers, or a synthetic alternative, and protected with a removable cover, analogous to a pillow and pillow case...
s in Australia are known by the genericized trademark
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
"Doona"; the brand name is owned by the Tontine Group. The brand name was acquired by Tontine in 1991 when Pacific Dunlop took over the Northern Feather company which until that time had been one of Australia's largest manufacturers of feather and down-filled pillows and quilts.