Story
SHIKOKU is a Japanese bedding manufacturer that offers a one-stop service for planning, production, and distribution. They provide customers in hospitals and nursing homes with a variety of high-quality bedding, adhering to the highest quality health standards. As Japan's aging population grew and more and more elderly people chose to stay at home instead of going to nursing homes, SHIKOKU recognized an untapped market: home bedding for elderly customers.
In a nursing home or hospital, patients are under the care of professionals who provide the utmost care, which keeps patients safe and healthy. At home, elderly people are at risk of bedsores because there is no healthcare professional to properly turn them over or prop them up in bed. SHIKOKU had an idea on how to solve this problem, but didn’t know where to get started.
Solution
SHIKOKU decided on developing a line of mattresses that reduced the chance of bedsores. They conducted a series of tests and research studies to develop the perfect product to address the issue, and after a lot of trial and error, they concluded that latex mattresses helped to reduce the problem of bedsores. The only problem was that they did not have a suitable supplier for latex mattresses, so they reached out to Whale Group for help.
Whale Group immediately went to work calling contacts and attending various exhibits to discover high-quality, trustworthy suppliers in the latex industry. After vetting dozens of possible suppliers, Whale Group made a shortlist of several suppliers and began conducting field visits, performing qualification examinations, ordering and testing samples, and more. SHIKOKU chose the supplier they wanted to work with, and Whale Group arranged the production, quality inspection, delivery logistics, and ensured the order was safely delivered to SHIKOKU.
Success
Shortly after the first shipment, SHIKOKU found success selling its line of latex mattresses and home bedding to elderly Japanese consumers. SHIKOKU now works with Whale Group regularly to place orders for latex mattresses and additional products. SHIKOKU also regularly reaches out to Whale Group for help in developing new products and expanding the market.
