Residential upholstery (sofas, armchairs)

For upholstered furniture manufacturers, foam quality determines three critical attributes: initial comfort (the customer's first impression upon sitting), lasting comfort (behavior after months and years of use), and structural durability (maintenance of shape and firmness throughout the product's useful life). A sofa with poor-quality foam may lose firmness within 6 to 12 months of use, generating dissatisfaction, warranty claims and reputation damage.

The upholstery market is highly competitive and geographically fragmented. There are large integrated retail chains (Tok&Stok, Etna, Mobly, IKEA) buying from scaled manufacturers, but also thousands of smaller regional manufacturers serving local markets with customized products. In this diversity, foam supply follows different logics: large manufacturers buy bulk buns or systems, smaller manufacturers buy pre-cut foam or slabs from local distributors.

The digital transformation of the furniture sector — with e-commerce growth, flat-pack furniture assembled by the consumer, on-demand purchases — is changing technical requirements. Foams need to withstand compression and expansion for efficient logistics and have millimetric consistency to fit pre-dimensioned structures.