São Paulo – The Brazilian manufacturer of orthopedic and therapeutic mattresses Colchão Inteligente is about to introduce its brand on the Arab market. It is in talks with a Lebanese entrepreneur to set up a mattress assembly line in the country and ten retail outlets. No dates have been set yet, according to Marketing manager Daniela Ramme.
The company is in the process of expanding its international operations and purports to be ready to open two new overseas plants each year over the next two years. Talks are underway with Germany, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates, aside from Lebanon. The company believes the UAE assembly line will start operating as early as next year. “Through a market survey we have verified that Arab people have lots of [back] issues, and our product can improve their quality of life,” Ramme told ANBA by email.
Colchão Inteligente already has an assembly unit in Argentina and another one is set to open in September in Orlando, USA. Four franchises outlets are also slated to open in that country. The company relies on partnerships to expand outside its country. In case an investor wishes to have an assembly line and to distribute the product via franchise stores in a given country, then the company provides a low-cost production line and efficient logistics, according to Ramme. “The brand is flourishing because the product is unique and the results are excellent,” she says.
Colchão Inteligente has 20-plus franchise stores in Brazil. Although it has stores in Argentina, with ones set to open in the USA soon, the company sells from Brazil to buyers around the world, and offers customized service, according to Ramme. All mattresses are custom-made.
Colchão Inteligente products are a notch above orthopedic mattress, which are usually sold with one density; The company employs a technology it calls smart density. Before making a mattress, it inputs the client’s measures, including shoulder and hip girth, weight, and height, into a computer software that calculates the weight of each part of the body, and the ideal corresponding densities. Thus, mattress densities will be just right for each person, with different densities for each body part.
The part of the mattress that accommodates the hips will be firmer, and the shoulders and feet parts will be softer. “This will align a person’s spine,” the executive says. In the case of mattresses for couples, densities will differ in either side. Clients can also opt for add-ons like infrared, magnetism, massage, or a polyurethane foam called rabatan.
The benefits made possible through technology, according to the company, include correction of spinal problems and back pain relief and prevention. “This proper alignment allows for the optimal functioning of organs, enabling a restorative night’s sleep, and even minimizing nightly snoring,” says Ramme, adding that the mattresses help improve overall quality of life. Prices vary depending on the mattress. Since it helps correct one’s posture, the mattress is deductible from income tax in Brazil, Ramme notes.
Colchão Inteligente was founded by Carlito Machado and Elaine Machado in 1988 in Campo Bom, Rio Grande do Sul. It all began when Elaine fell ill and was bedridden. She recovered after buying a therapeutic mattress, so the couple decided to become sales representatives for the product. Sometime later they opened a shop, and then the plant. At first they’d only make single-density orthopedic mattresses. The smart density technology was created in 2007 by one of their sons, the biotherapist Filipe Machado, who is now the commercial director at the company.
The product is based on a scientific study which attests that it does indeed align the spine. The study was conducted at the Universidade Feevale, in Rio Grande do Sul, with subsidies from the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) via the Inova project, which financially backs technology development projects from small-sized businesses.
At this time, Colchão Inteligente makes some 200 mattresses a month. Several product lines are available; one of them, Box Pet, features box-beds with built-in beds for pets to sleep on.
The information in this story was contributed by Ramme and the directors Mateus Machado, Filipe Machado, and Lucas Machado.
Quick facts:
Colchão Inteligente
Website: www.colchaointeligente.com.br
Phone: +55 (51) 3049 1979
Email: ci@colchaointeligente.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
