The CREST Gateway, through a partnership with CreateLAB, helped develop the prototype into a product that could be manufactured in volume, with consistency. It also helped Siesta Sofas make improvements, such as ease-of-use, so that the mechanism now converts from sofa to bed in just 10 seconds. The initial reaction to the improved product has been excellent, with many units placed in NHS hospitals in the UK. A second innovation voucher helped to develop the product and range further.
The sofabed is now in full production and has been sold to approximately 50 hospitals in Ireland and the UK. The company has won several large contracts in Ireland and the UK. The CREST Gateway, in collaboration with the School of Creative Arts, continues to work with the company in order to develop a larger research area looking at healthcare furniture.
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