Foam Home, the most experienced mattress firm of India

Whatever you do, you do better with a good night’s sleep. That’s why, for more than 40 years, Foam Home has dug out every innovation it can find to ensure that you get the most out of the time you spend sleeping. Whether its technology from far off countries or even closer home, Foal Home taps into every resource they can so that what you sleep on understands you.

The Ergoshell Latex mattress is a popular one thanks to its Medium compression. The mattress is made using Natural latex as the comfort layer with the 42-zone Ergoshell technology at the base of the mattress providing the balanced support. The Mattress is covered in anti-mite treated, super soft fabrics which enhance its overall experience.

The official of the company answered questions about Ergoshell:

You refer to your team as the ‘Dream Team’. First of all, can we get to know this team that has contributed to the growth and rise of the company?

Foam Home is a Family Managed Business founded by 2 brothers, Mr. Huseni and Mr. Aijaz Bhanpurawala in 1977 as a trading company into mattresses. The company started with the intention of providing high quality materials to the quality conscious niche of Mumbai back then. However, the foam market slowly got very price sensitive and manufacturers began cutting costs by increasing filler contents in Foam, aiming to make foams and mattresses more commercial. This went against the philosophy of Foam Home and that’s when the family decided to start producing their own Foam and mattresses. Foam Home became one of the very few companies in India that produces filler free foam. As on today, over 4 decades later, Foam Home is one of India’s most experienced and reputed companies providing mattresses and pillows to the most prestigious families in the country. It is the top choice of leading architects and designers. Foam Home is India’s only company to hold Global patents on a mattress technology that has been launched internationally through shows like Interzum, ISPA, IBIA and Sleep Expo. Foam Home is now spear headed by its second generation Mr. Ali Bhanpurawala who is the company’s technical director and Ms. Sabina Bhanpurawala who is the CEO.

Could you explain the Ergo Shell technology and the usage areas of this technology?

Decades ago, there were a handful of materials used to make mattresses, viz. Foam, Coir, Spring, Latex etc. As on today, there are far more options in materials used to make mattresses. Manufacturers have been in a constant quest to strike a perfect balance between support and comfort using this variety of materials.

Being present in one of the worlds most challenging mattress markets and our exposure to International bedding companies, we realised that changing permutation and combinations of layers alone was not going to solve this age old issue. We therefore revisited the very basic science of constructing a mattress.

We realised that our body is not a single block of mass, so why should our mattresses be? That is where the design of the Ergoshell was invented. The Ergoshell, is a molded Pu foam shell. The shell allows the manufacturer to provide individual support in answer to the individual pressure each zone in the body demands. Zonal mattresses have been around, but its effectiveness is nothing in comparison to the accuracy of the Ergoshell.

We have worked closely with highly reputed international brands to develop the Ergoshell, which is strong, durable and ergonomically accurate.

Manufacturers can uses the Ergoshell as a canvas and develop their own range depending on the segment they wish to cater or the material they wish to use. It is a highly adaptable and flexible technology. Since it is globally patented, unlike many previous inventions, Ergoshell cannot be commoditised, manufacturers can enjoy exclusivity that further encourages them to create a strong brand of their own.

What is the difference between mattresses and foams included in Ergo Shell technology from other products on the market?

The Ergoshell is not a product or material, it is a totally new method for making mattresses. There is nothing like it in the market and hence its difficult to compare it with any other.

The same official furnished us with the information about the Foam Home operations by answering the questions for details:

As Foam Home, what kind of comfort do you offer your customers?

India is a very peculiar market when it comes to bedding. Our preferences are as diverse as we are. The clientele is divided into various categories based on age, lifestyle and preferences and thus is their choice of mattresses. In India there is a strong ancient belief that the firmer the mattress the better it is for the back. However, this is changing with the new generation which is more travelled and give priority to fitness routines. The new generation prefers comfortable mattresses which are supportive too. Which is where the idea and need for Ergoshell came in.

In India we do not have standard sized mattresses either. Each home and room has a different size, therefore each mattress is tailormade.

Foam Home India houses over 20 different types of mattresses and over 25 kinds of pillows at the experience centre. We have a mattress for every preference and age. Foam Home believes in making sure the clients are comfortable with a full understanding of the fact that comfort is a subjective term.

Which companies are you in contact with about mattress production or that you meet your raw material and machinery needs?

Over the 4 decades of our existence we have had the privilege of working with the best names in the industry such as Recticel, Bekaert, Boyteks, Technogel, Latexco, LAVA, Sedac Meral, Molina. For machineries we’ve worked with Richpeace, Legett and Platt, SAIP. Our raw materials are sourced from DOW, Shell. It has been an honour for us to work with these brands and we have learnt so much that we take back at home and are able to incorporate in our business making it a very reputed Indian mattress company.

Could you tell us about the strategy you follow in export and marketing?

As a company, we have recently ventured into Exports thanks to out globally patented Ergoshell mattress technology. We have participated in major shows in the bedding industry such as Interzum, IBIA, Sleep Expo and ISPA. We have received a phenomenal response in each country. But we understand that a new idea, takes time until it is accepted and until then its important that you stay in the minds of people and for that, exhibitions and tradeshows are a great platform. You get a chance to have a dialogue with potential customers and that is the best learning to formulate your future strategies. In India of course, we market our finished product and work closely with leading architects and designers who are responsible for trend setting and educating users on the best in the market. We share valuable information through events with the fraternity so they can add value to their clients too.

Can you tell us about the countries and regions that you have determined as target markets for the following periods?

For 2023, we are focussing our efforts towards the European market and Saudi Arabia. The potential in these regions is phenomenal and there are very experienced companies in these regions that see Ergoshell as a technology that will add a lot of value to their existing range.

How important is Turkey in terms of your export share?

Turkey is at the epicentre to a lot of other countries like Germany, Italy, London, Spain. Hence we believe that partnering with Turkish based manufacturers will be a fantastic start for us to enter into these target markets. The manufacturing expertise and ease of setting up manufacturing units makes it a very conducive ground to start a new venture. Turkey is young, dynamic and very capable of setting new trends in the bedding industry.