A sea view and everything for excellent comfort. This is how Alain Clenet's dream could be described when he brought one of his inventions to life, creating the first adjustable ergonomic bed and giving wings to Ergomotion®.
When we enter the company's office in Marvila—which was born as a startup 20 years ago—we are invited to a user experience. We put on headphones and a blindfold and lie down on a modern bed with a comfortable mattress; we are then guided through some of the modes that the ergonomic bed allows, and we end up in the Zero-Gravity position, "Zero-G" (yes, the one with which astronauts are sent into space).
Speaking to Jornal Económico, Nuno Figueiredo, Managing Director of Ergomotion EMEA, recalls the company's startup as if it were his own.
The interest in Ergomotion's product was so great that the company had to look at markets other than the United States.
The business continued to grow, but the company was not in good health, and it was then that the Chinese manufacturer bought a percentage of the company, which allowed for an injection of capital, hiring and product innovation. This change, the Managing Director explained to JE, allowed the value of Ergomotion's product to increase and expand into new markets.
But let's take it one step at a time: what product?
As we mentioned, Ergomotion® produces adjustable ergonomic beds – no, they're not hospital-style articulated beds. Ergomotion's product is made with well-being in mind, to give people a place to relax when they get home, combining it with technology. This is because Ergomotion® beds are equipped with dozens of sensors that detect the user's sleep quality.
Let's put this into real-life terms: a person who snores while sleeping. Ergomotion's technology – which we can compare to a large-scale smartwatch, since it also tracks sleep – can predict when the user will snore and position the bed to prevent this without disturbing the user's sleep. In other words, the bed moves so that the user's rest is not disturbed.
In addition to several functionalities, one project the company is developing is sleep apnea. Although there are several regulations to be met in Europe, this project aims to use technology to detect in advance when the user is going to stop breathing in order to predict when to put them in the best position. The Managing Director admits this is a “much more complex” issue, as it involves certification, testing and validation by the responsible entities.
When asked about the differences between Europeans, Nuno Figueiredo reveals that it is still "a process" although there is a noticeable growth in the market. One advantage is that more adjustable systems are starting to appear, which is helping Ergomotion® grow.
Then, the Americans felt "a significant difference in the type of customer and, consequently, a need for the company to adapt to this differentiation”. Until then, “Europe began to represent a larger share, and here the Middle East already has representation”.
Portugal was then chosen to open an office for the Californian-Chinese Ergomotion® after the pandemic and the start of the war in Ukraine.
Nuno Figueiredo and the entire Ergomotion® team like to give customers a try before they start making any changes to their budget. The pandemic proved that people could add value to their homes, specifically their bedrooms.
Ergomotion® stood out when it equipped the rooms of Portuguese athletes for the Paris Olympic Games, at the request of the Portuguese Olympic Committee. “It helped us break down some of the stigma surrounding adjustable beds," which were then associated with hospital beds, which Ergomotion® also produces for the international private market.
Ergomotion's entire production process is in-house, except for the wood and fabrics used. “We make all the components in a bed. We do not have an external supplier, which allows us to control the entire value chain and product quality.”
Nuno Figueiredo admits constant improvements and innovations in technology. For example, the person in charge of the European office explains that Samsung and Garmin came to the company to show how the bed itself is digital and technologically advanced.
The company is close to completing a new factory in China, allowing it to double its production capacity.
Nuno Figueiredo's belief is also linked to the fact that “those who try and buy a smart bed never go backwards. They always want more and better. They can even start with an entry-level bed, but they want more features and don't return to so-called normal beds".
This article was originally published by JORNAL ECONÓMICO. It is shared here for informational purposes. All credits go to the original author and publisher.
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