Neil Shewan, Business Manager for Bowron Sheepskins, receives an award for outstanding leadership in turning around an earthquake damaged tannery into a fully functioning facility within weeks.

"It was a team effort, I cannot express how grateful I am to the team at Bowron, each and everyone came together under the most stressful times and cleaned the place up under very difficult conditions".... says Shewan. The initial thought was that Bowron would be severely handicapped in meeting orders for key customers globally but there was no issue with deliveries. "It is business as usual" says Kerry Greene, Marketing Manager for Bowron.

GL Bowron features in today's Christchurch Press

The Christchurch earthquakes which contributed to significant damage on the Lyttleton and the Eastern suburbs of Christchurch affected the 130 year old Bowron tannery with cracks on the ground,silt, mud and buildings which were deemed unsafe for workers. Many questioned the viability and ongoing life of the tannery. Today the Christchurch Press reports a magnificent and proud recovery of the tannery. "The whole team came together, the manufacturing team had to work really hard in difficult conditions to make this happen" says Neil Shewan, Business Manager and Project Leader for the recovery for Bowron.

It is baby time in the UK......

The Baby Show For Trade 2011 | 16-18 October | Olympia, London

The Baby Show for Trade is the nursery industry's most all encompassing, focussed and welcoming event. Held on 16-18 October, Olympia, London it attracts all the leading UK retailers - major stores and independents alike.Successful retailers save time & money by making sure they have a real point of difference, strong customer service and effective marketing strategy to drive customers all in one day by visiting The Baby Show For Trade (where they have a good old catch up with old friends as well!)

The UK Bowron crew are very excited to be exhibiting at this show, displaying the famous Bowron shorn and long wool comforters, strollerfleece and comfy, snuggly baby cocoons. Two NEW product releases will be the highlight at the show, perfect for babies and toddlers. See you any time between Sunday October 15th and Tueday October 17th, 2011.

David Monn creates with Bowron

Bowron's Octo Luxury Rug - Interior Designed by David Monn

Dubbed the "Architect of Style" by former Vogue editor, Billy Norwich, Monn is known for his meticulous attention to detail. He has always had an eye for design and been a devotee of fine artistry and authenticity. Born from very humble beginnings in rural Pennsylvania, he made travel and the gathering of knowledge his early passions. This lead to his pursuit of the meaning of beauty.

Each design he creates is influenced by his classical eye, devotion to the authentic craftsmanship and bringing beauty to life. Whether it is a dinner for two or two thousand, each David Monn atmosphere subtly appeals to the senses. From the scent of a single gardenia to the first sound a guest takes in, each details is chosen to create a tapestry of sensations. It is this singular aesthetic-menifested in quality, elegance and simplicity which attracts a clientele from around the world. www.davidmonn.com

Home vs Hotels, why can't we have the same comforts?

Many of us have stayed in a hotel say the Sheraton or the Hilton. Massive beds, soft pillows, divine mattresses and the sheets probably have a thread count above the 1000 mark, all in all giving you a perfect nights' sleep. You almost feel like staying in bed all day because the comfort level is simply divine. Why is it that hotels are able to select bedding of such quality? Why can't the average middle class family not be able to have comfy pillows and bedding like hotels do? This is 2011 and you would think that the choice was in the consumer's hands.......

Well after much discussion with the general public, people are leaning towards investing in proper bedding because it is important to have a good night's rest. Many focus on getting the best suited mattress.... with that the investment of thousands of dollars goes into a mattress. Mattresses are not cheap, and they need looking after which is why now there is a need to invest in a proper mattress protector which has to be very comfortable to lie on too! So it never ends.

Now the best review I have had is using sheepskin bed underlays! The Japanese have used these for years and is by far the largest population who believe in this traditional but modern concept of luxury. The mattress underlay from Bowron enables the hotel type feeling of comfort to be indulged by the consumer regulating body temperature, adding softness and "luxury" to the night. It goes in between the mattress and the bed sheet [off course the key here is to get a high thread count bed sheet] and there we have it, an instant hotel bed set up at home.

I bought one the other day to try it out.......check out my post in a couple of weeks, I will let you know whats' so wow about it. I am just hoping it will help regulate my body temperature so I stop having night sweats! Watch this space.......exciting times!

Are medical sheepskins easily soiled, is it machine washable?

Following on from my last blog, I had a whole list of questions from patience and the medical field about hygiene. I guess I would classify this as an important question putting myself in an elderly persons shoes! I guess the picture I have is, if a patient is sick and is restricted to the bed, all sorts of things happen as if I was mothering a little baby. The patient is perhaps either having a good day where all is well or having a bad day - to put it politely challenges with "plumbing issues"........all in all it can be somewhat disastrous.

The beauty of the Bowron medical sheepskin is that it is sanitized and machine washable. Typically if you put a decorative sheepskin into the washing machine, you cross your fingers, eyes and toes to make sure you can use it again!!!! Well with the medical sheepskin, it is designed to be washed frequently if need be and dried in the dryer. This way patience are able to have clean medical sheepskins at all times. For more information talk to your local Bowron office or click here for more information....http://www.bowron.com/medical.html

Bedsores can be prevented albeit an old fashion way.....

I was talking to several people the other day about bedsore prevention and this is an issue for the elderly especially those who are bed ridden. It was odd to think of it as a potential legal issue but hospices and senior living homes have some level of responsibility to care for their clients. When you are younger and things are not starring you in the face such as bedsores, you probably do not think much of it....out of sight out of mind. It is a very painful and uncomfortable disease to deal with, and prevention is really better than cure.

For years "tanned woolly sheepskins" have been used to assist with the prevention of bedsores. Bowron has been a manufacturer of medical sheepskins for years and whilst it is somewhat perceived to be an older method for prevention, it works. Why? Tanned woolly sheepskins are 100% natural. The human body react's better to natural substances especially in this case where the wool is there to regulate body temperature. It absorbs moisture such as perspiration from the body and releases it back into the air. This enables a static body to have better air circulation and a more even body temperature. The magical part of this is how the tanned woolly sheepskin allows the body to be kept warm in winter but also cool in the summer. No wonder we don't see grumpy sheep in the paddocks during the hottest summers - I haven't, have you?

Bowron supply a limited number of very high quality medical sheepskins to the world market. These tanned woolly sheepskins are carefully selected and can be used on the bed, regular chair or wheelchair. For more information on where to buy this traditional but functional product, talk to your local Bowron office in your region. For more information go to http://www.bowron.com/medical.html

Bowron is in FULL operation post Christchurch earthquake Feb 2011

"I am pleased to announce that we are back in full operation following the earthquake last February" says Kerry Greene, Marketing Manager for Bowron Sheepskins. "I wish to thank Neil Shewan, the engineering team and all staff involved in the clean up and repair work" Greene continues. Bowron have met their targeted timeframe for initial repairs. This was essential to get the tannery back into an operational state. Other secondary repairs will continue over the next few months.

Our thoughts are with the people of Japan

The team at Bowron wish to send our condolences to the families who have lost loved ones in the recent tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Our owners Maruhachi have franchises throughout Japan and some sales franchises in the affected region. At this time, they cannot make contact with some of the franchise teams. We can confirm that the teams in Tokyo and Head office are all ok and safe.

Photos of liquefaction, mountains of it!

Some photos of the progress made at Bowron Head Office in Christchurch, New Zealand

Clearing out liquefaction......

Robot camera used to inspect blocked drains

Bowron survives the earthquake...............

10th March 2011, Christchurch Bowron Head Office Processing of our skins has commenced. We are pleased to report electricity was restored last week and the contractors on site are making excellent progress with building repairs. The blocked drains are being cleared and evaluated. Initial observation shows some damage but not as bad as we had expected.

The New Zealand government has confirmed financial support for our staff during this time of repair and construction. "The support from the New Zealand government has been outstanding, despite our ownership being an off shore entity, thank you Mr. Key" says Marketing Manager, Kerry Greene.

Our suppliers have secured and preserved our quota of skins over the last few weeks and we are now moving these salted stocks to our factory. Receipt of green skins at the factory has recommenced and these stocks are being made safe and ready for further processing. "I would like to thank the team for coming together to make this happen so quickly" says Akira Saito, Managing Director of Bowron Sheepskins.

Bowron Sheepskins New Zealand: Post earthquake update.......1 March 2011

Bowron Sheepskins New Zealand: Post earthquake update.......1 March 2011: "Bowron Head Office, 1 March 2011. 'I am pleased to report that progress has been made over the last few days and I wish to thank the peopl..."

Post earthquake update.......1 March 2011

Bowron Head Office, 1 March 2011.

"I am pleased to report that progress has been made over the last few days and I wish to thank the people who have worked hard to get Bowron back up and running" says Kerry Greene, Marketing Manager. " I take this opportunity to report the progress we have made to ensure our customers, staff and friends globally are kept in formed of our situation", says Greene.

The essentials..........

Power is still shut off at the factory. In saying that, power companies are working hard on the faults and we expect service to resume this week, either on Wednesday or Thursday.

Telephones are manned during business hours at Christchurch powered by generators.

Email and IT services have been relocated and restored.

Clean Up

Silt and mud is being cleared daily. After power is restored further evaluation will be possible.

Back in Business.....

As progress is made each day, we are becoming increasingly confident of a quicker time to full production. Our estimated total production down time based on information we have today is 6 weeks. We expect to be back part processing by the end of this week.

We continue to secure our full planned quota of skins and our key supplier Alliance company have kindly undertaken to salt these and reserve these skins for us in the short term. We expect to continue our salting operations by the end of this week.

Bowron's European offices set up temporary email address.......

The staff in the European office and warehouse would like to wish all the Bowron staff in New Zealand well, our thoughts are with them and their families.

The temporary email address for the European office is jackiec.bowron@yahoo.com until the New Zealand server is back up and running.

Bowron Sheepskins is based in Christchurch New Zealand where last Tuesday's earthquake has caused damaged to the tannery. The management team are working on a recovery plan and clean up is in progress.

Bowron USA - Temporary Invoicing and Order Processing Procedure for Bowron USA

You would have heard about the devastating earthquake which hit Christchurch, New Zealand last Tuesday 22 February 2011. The Bowron tannery has suffered damage and the management team in New Zealand are working through a recovery plan.

Our Denver and Los Angeles offices are in full operation with some set backs in our computer systems. With this in mind we wish to inform you of our temporary order processing and invoicing procedure.

Regular orders by phone and email

Please send through your orders to our team in Denver and Los Angeles using this email account bowronusa@gmail.com until further notice. You can continue to call us on

1 800 926 9766.

Invoicing

We will be issuing manual invoices at this time until our systems are up and running. Payments can be made through credit cards or checks. Client statements will not be issued at this time, all payment will have to be made based on manual invoices issued.

Bowron USA - supporting our team in New Zealand

The Bowron team in the USA sends our condolences and heartfelt sympathy for the people in Christchurch after the devastating earthquake which happened last Tuesday. Special thoughts go out for our colleagues at the Bowron head office.

We wanted to reassure our customers in the USA and Canada that it is business as usual with our offices in Denver and Los Angeles. Our free phone number is 1-800-926-9766.

A temporary email address has been set up bowronusa@gmail.com. We are having a few IT glitches with the earthquake, therefore please continue to use the gmail email address until further notice.

Earthquake Christchurch 22 February 2011

The Bowron tannery in New Zealand remains closed until further notice as it has suffered damage from the earthquake that struck the city on the 22nd of February 2011. "Whilst we go through a recovery program here in Christchurch, it is business as usual for our overseas locations in Europe, USA and Asia" says Kerry Greene, Marketing Manager for Bowron Sheepskins.