Mannes Ltda

GUARAMIRIM, Brazil

In the beginning of the 50s, the Brazilian furniture industry was lacking seriously in the comfort of its products, and sensing this lack in the market, Blásio Mannes, the grandson of German settlers in Santa Catarina, started his apprenticeship in upholstery and saddlery, which led to the production of customized handcrafted products in the search for differentiation in the quality of his upholstered products. After 10 years of dedication to developing and improving production techniques for the production of high standard quality pieces, Estofados Mannes Ltda was created. With this quality sustained success, the daring young entrepreneur was able to take his handcraft activities to an industrial level. Along with the growing production demand in the region and with objectives that knew no boundaries, the company moved its facilities to the municipality of Guaramirim in 1984, to a strategically located property a few kilometers from the BR-101 and where it is still located today, enabling easy distribution of its products throughout Brazil. In 1985, the company started foam production, aimed at verticalizing the company and make up for the need to import part of the material. A new market was opened in the foam segment: a molded foam line in the automotive sector. The ready acceptance of its products in this sector led to investments in the injected foam line, increasing its product line to the automotive sector and opening an even broader range of options. The company has always sought quality and for this reason the "Foam Quality Stamp" was introduced in 1998, in partnership with the National Institute for Rest Studies– INER, altered to the Inmetro Stamp in 2005. In 1999, recognition came in the form of the Quality System based on the ISO 9001:2000 standard, focused on the entire production line and the sale of foams and which is recertified annually. In 1998 Estofados Mannes Ltda and Mannes Ind. e Com. de Espumas e Colchões Ltda. formed a single company, Mannes Ltda., simplifying management with one company name only, while maintaining the criteria of performance management and analysis through business units: Upholstered Furniture, Mattresses, Industrial Foams, Automotive Foams and now Pillows. Mannes Ltda. consolidated its share in the mattress and box spring bed market, the result of its know-how, research, dedication and investments in these areas and in tradeshows throughout Brazil, such as Abimad, Movelsul, Equipotel, Texfair, Formóbile, Abimóvel as well as abroad,. Mannes Ltda. also attends the hotel sector, serving the most important Brazilian hotel chains with an ample product range in upholstered furniture, mattresses and pillows.