Foam here to eternity

The American poet Ogden Nash accurately summed up our love-hate relationship with our beds when he said, “The bed is a bundle of paradoxes: we go to it with reluctance, yet we quit it with regret; we make up our minds every night to leave it early, but we make up our bodies every morning to keep it late.”

And how do you leave a bed so comfortable on an early December morning? Industry leader Mandaue Foam has been making bed foams and mattresses that have been hard to leave for three generations now.

You would have known their beds if you have stayed at Intercontinental Hotel in Makati, Marriott Hotel in Resorts World Manila, Seda Hotel in BGC, Regency Hotel in Boracay, and Plantation Bay Resorts in Cebu.

Ryan Robinson U. Uy, AVP for operations of Mandaue Foam, has been working for the family company since he was seven years old and earning P50 a day by stuffing pillows with fiber.

Things are more high-tech now, he says. While the ingredients and recipe for making foam have not changed much, processing has — it is more efficient, cost-effective and has allowed the company to grow their contract business and get into furniture and accessories, too.

And, yes, Ryan’s bed has lasted more than a decade. “Our best sellers would be our sofas, foams and spring mattresses,” Ryan says. “As we venture now into furnishings and accessories, we still have a wide clientele who return to the basics, and appreciate quality and style with our sofas, foams and spring mattresses. Because these three categories can cater to any type of person, especially our foam and spring mattresses as we have various types and forms to suit the preference of the customer. Some like their mattresses firm to help them avoid back pains, some like them softer.”

Ryan says Mandaue Foam is priced based on value for money. Since they are directly made from their factories, they have their own recipes and processes, and can keep their prices low.

“We assure them quality over years of use. Some may offer warranty for only two or three years but with us, we can offer it up to 10 years. Imported foams are expensive. It might be quite hard for some customers to purchase imported products when foam mattresses are a commodity and that at some point you need to change them or have them made to your own personal specification, and we can do that.”

Ryan’s tips on choosing a mattress: “It’s always about how comfortable the mattress is for you, it doesn’t necessarily have to be soft or hard to be comfortable and durable. Choose a mattress you can use for the long term and that suits your body preference and shape. It’s about quality and reasonable price. Get one that you’re sure to get your money’s worth, some may throw in warranty for their mattresses as well.”

By 1985, Mandaue Foam introduced furniture and accessories collections. “We have our own in-house product and research department to study the latest trends and to look for items so that we continually change our lines to suit the customers’ preferences. 
It undergoes processes before the final approval of what product lines we can release next. We also have them visit or travel to places that may assist them in their studies finding the right products and materials.

“The feedback we get from our customers is mostly in response to the quality we provide through our items. Many are happy with how their homes have been decorated with our furniture, and how comfortable they feel with the mattresses, especially those who have back pains or discomfort with their beds.”

A management graduate of Ateneo, Ryan wants to take the business to more places in the country. “We want to reach places in the far north or south, we want people looking for furniture and mattresses to think only of Mandaue Foam. We want to reach out to neighboring areas so we can serve them better personally and they don’t need to travel far just to see the showroom.”

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Mandaue Foam has 19 branches nationwide, incuding a new showroom on Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City. Log on to www.mandauefoam.ph for its online catalogue, services, locations and contact numbers.