Trusted for a Reason: URATEX's 17th Most Trusted Brand Award and 57 Years of Excellence

URATEX is celebrating their 57th Anniversary and this means, it's the perfect day to have a field trip at their biggest plant located in Plaridel, Bulacan. 

I've seen their other plant in Alabang, Muntinlupa and standards, it was already huge! So having the opportunity to see this other one up north would get to tell us how they manage to keep up production for Filipinos who love their products and sleep because URATEX exists!

We were welcomed warmly not only by their executives, but by their employees too, no wonder they're the MOST TRUSTED brand for Mattress Category (Platinum) in Readers Digest Trusted Brand Awards. These are voted by consumers which says a lot about the well loved foam magnate.

Production Supply Unit Head Hecto Go says "This is the largest out of 39 plants we have in the country, it's a pleasure that you are with us today. We hope this will be a fruitful tour, and we see this as an opportunity to showcase the best quality products Filipinos deserve. We have a strong team and we continue to grow. After a few years, we hopefully could expand even more than 39, perhaps 50. We will make sure to give quality and affordable mattresses to lie on."

Their Executive VP for the RGC Group of Companies Mr. William Lee adds "In 2020 we invested in automation, you will see that all later. I'd like to thank you for sharing your time with us."

They greeted us with their tagline, "Magandang Gising" which means Good Sleep, a thing they seriously want you to have each time you lie on their mattresses. They have acquired the most advanced foam machines from Germany and currently, only 3 are in the Philippines of which 2 are in their Plaridel plant and the other one in their Alabang plant. We were also there to meet their passionate employees that man everything, from raw material to final product.

The URATEX Plant Tour 

The first room is a cold one so the raw materials are conditioned to make them consistent right from the very beginning. Tanks carry over 300 meters of foam, capable of producing over 700+ mattresses. They leave it here for 2 days.

The other containers are for additives and colorants so your foam looks good.

Mixing happens here, they pour the liquid and it expands to size in a conveyor belt.

From liquid state, it expands like this and go through a series of cutters and shelves to dry.

They have a laboratory for research and development who tests the formula in small batches so when they are making it in the huge machine, they won't have issues anymore.

They also do physical tests to make sure foams are of standard, to test firmness because people like different kinds of mattresses either soft, hard or in between.

They cut them every 13 minutes and put them in racks to dry.

They have other warehouses to store what was produced for the day, and then have another place to cut things according to customer needs.

They use conveyors to transfer it to other buildings which is part of their automated processes. 

The dry and cured foams are stacked in their warehouse until you need them.

They cut them to size with very hot wires or sharp industry grade cutters. It felt like hot knife on butter.

They use huge overhead cranes to stack them.

They put it in covers as per their packaging requirements. It is still part of an automated process to lower the costs.

On the mega bedding line, they have 2 things. One is the All Foam, and the other is the Spring Mattress. They also combine foams to achieve that sweet spot where you don't have back aches when you wake up in the morning. They are called Sleep Specialists for a reason.

They also use special techniques so you don't feel the person beside you move in the wee hours of the morning. It was so nice to see that part!

Their Ortho and Tri Fold mattresses are a combination of foams. These (2nd photo) are pocket springs inside your foam,.they did this so it doesn't move on other parts of the bed. The weight stays there as it is layered and individually packed. They also use fabric and foams to make sure you get the premium feel.

They have huge sewing machines, all industrial grade so all of them would have covers before packing.

This becomes those viral "Mattress in a Box" that is a best seller from URATEX. They vacuum pack it then de-roll to become your new mattress. 

First machine flattens and vacuum seals it, the other rolls it. Then workers put them in a box and send them to stores.

They transport it with a fully electric vehicle that they can use the whole week without worries of number coding. This is something they want to do extensively with all their fleet.

They are also using renewable energy for the whole plant. They are also planning to put up solar panels by early next year. Right now they are 58 percent compliant and want to aggressively become all renewable in 2026 or earlier. So if you want to partner with them, just ask!

57 Years of URATEX: Tried, Tested and Trusted

17 consecutive years of getting the Readers Digest Most Trusted Brand deserves a celebration. At the Ronac Lifestyle Center in Shaw Boulevard, the folks from URATEX and stakeholders from different industries raised their glasses for them... and their passion. 

Ms. Naty Cheng says "Foams were easy to destroy and of low quality in the past but we improved it to last over 5 years. In the early 1970's, we had issues with car manufacturers and we had to be supplied by foreign corps. Standards are high. This is why we are successful. We only started in a garage in Pasay. It was a decision our founders did, this is why we are where we are today! We do not cheat our customers, we give even with small margins, and give our best all these years. This is why we are trusted."

William Lee their EVP for Furniture and Bedding adds "URATEX started small, and now we are the biggest factories in Asia. 39 locations all over the Philippines and Mr. Cheng tapped me for the expansion program. The different manufacturing industries I saw in Germany, Japan, the US, even Africa, we learned about their best machines and got them here. We persevered, worked with our customers for their needs, some have been our partners, now family with professional and personal relationships. It is a team effort, mabuhay to URATEX! We believe in continuous improvements, our foaming machine is one of the most advanced in the world. Our customers trust us, and we show them why."

URATEX is currently using only 15 hectares of their current 45 hectare land in Plaridel Bulacan. They plan to nurture what is existing, then develop and innovate the rest. Expansion is just beginning, and things are looking good with the very passionate people of URATEX. When people recognize your efforts and see value in the products that comes out of your plants, it means you are successful, and they truly TRUST you 

Thank you to the nice people of URATEX who made this day extra fun for us, and congratulations on getting your 17th award from Readers Digest!

They are TRUSTED for a reason.

URATEX Breaks Guinness World Record on their 55th Anniversary!

Well loved local and international sleep brand Uratex just a Guinness World Record for the longest and largest Human Mattress Domino. This feat has been initially set by folks from Brazil way back 2019 wherein 2,019 individuals did it. Uratex is celebrating their 55th Anniversary and what better way to do that but by breaking a world record, and so it begins at the SMX Convention Center.

This was attempted and verified on October 22, 2023. The Uratex Philippines President and CEO Ms. Naty Cheng was there together with over 2,355 people holding up the same number of Single Mattresses measuring 36 x 75 inches each to form the longest human mattress dominoes. Guinness World Record representative Mai McMillan from Japan assessed the feat if they get to break the record in 20 minutes and so they did.

They also did a huge surprise for attendees when they brought out the "A Very Good Girl" star Kathryn Bernardo. We all love her, and being here surely gave world record breakers extra encouragement to do the feat, and the confirmation says it all.

The Guinness World Record attempt was dedicated to the 4,000 Uratex employees and volunteers who helped pave the way to do this. They got the certificate right after and it was accepted by DJ Bigboy Cheng. The mattresses will not go to wasted as they will all be donated to over 55 local charities especially those who are in need of beds to house the homeless, seniors, the differently abled and kids which is a worthy cause to support for their 55th anniversary. Congratulations to everyone who made this attempt a successful one and helped put mattresses on beds, but also brought pride and honor to the Philippines as we hold this record for the world to see.

Change the Look of Your Home with these Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale Finds!

I've always been doing DIY wand crafting stuff to change the look of my room. Needless to say, the gray and white walls that I have was pretty plain, classy (of course), but I felt that it needed to get spruced up especially since it's been my background for many days over Zoom meetings and press conferences. We look silly in those virtual backgrounds so I went ahead and checked out Shopee to see what I could find.

Shopee's got everything and if you're raring to spruce up the look of your home, there are things that you can purchase in the app that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. 

Now I've seen this vendor idawallpaper.ph on the Shopee app and saw they'e got 3D Vinyl Wallpaper Foam Bricks that's both waterproof and has got lots of texture. It fits my monochrome theme in the room and would provide a different look for the walls I have in here. I was thinking to have this as a feature wall so it wouldn't look like I'm just in a plain wall when seen on meetings. Aside from that, this doesn't look cheap and it is very affordable (at 15 to 68 pesos a piece). I've also seen that they're doing a BIG MIDNIGHT SALE on the Shopee 12.12 Big Christmas Sale event, so I might actually be better off just putting this on my cart and check out 12am on that date. If I get a lot of it, I'll save a bunch without having to permanently having it as a fixture on the wall or harming the actual paint in it. It stays with an adhesive which would be apt for the time I'll have it there. I bet this would also soften sound coming from outside when I'm recording inside my room (perfect for unboxing videos!). 

You may purchase it here https://shp.ee/atnrc75 or get the Hexagonal Mirror Acrylic Wall Sticker so you have accents on it. You may get that here https://shp.ee/2s9psf5 and I hope I have given you enough suggestions so you can start doing great things for your room today.

 //shp.ee/atnrc75https://shp.ee/atnrc75

 But again, I think it would be better to just put them in your cart for the meantime and check out on 12.12 around 12am - 2am because there are tons of vouchers you can use for FREE Shipping and discounts too. Go download it today on the App Store and Google Play so you can add them on your cart now and conveniently check out on the day itself. I'm doing that right now!

 

Things You Can Do At Home To Relieve Stress

I know how stressful it is these days, because honestly, I've gone through it. It wasn't because work was done at home, but more so because of the uncertainty of the times... it just made me anxious in the general part of it. I know there are tons of people out there that are feeling the same, and social media wasn't really much of help because it became a lot crowded when people became stuck at home.

So aside from the pandemic, we're dealing with stress... and that ain't a healthy combination. We really haven't dealt with it 100 percent, but what do you do when it happens? When you feel the world is against you? I'm suggesting you do a few things that helped me during these times.

Learn a new skill

Nope, it's not like you want to drown yourself with more stress of work. It's like, learning a new thing. In my case, it was editing videos and learning a new programming language like Python. I'm a geek, so I kinda go into like a mush when doing something that I've never done before. For you it could be cooking, a new business, something that you could showcase yourself later on, make it beneficial. Imagine what your resume would like if you knew a lot of things, I didn't even have to go to a University to learn that, YouTube was enough. There are also a lot of other resources on the internet that need to be consumed. Just wear those blue light protecting glasses so your eyes won't get tired or dry.

Listen to Music

I've had sleepless nights, and I know a lot of people do too because they still react to my Facebook posts at 3am. Music was a savior especially those in special playlists that I curate or simply search for on social media. Aside from that, I've learned the healing wonders of ambient renders like rainy evenings in New York, Los Angeles, Japan, Moscow, or simply white noise on YouTube that got me to sleep quite fast. I thought it was just mumbo jumbo, but really... it did wonders because I could sleep in minutes.

Take Long Hot Showers

I've had the notion that hot showers were really not a good thing especially in a tropical country like the Philippines. If you have heater installed or maybe have a tub, make your bath experiences special by taking out the scented candles given to you as gifts two years ago (nah I'm joking haha), some tea lights, flowers, spread it around your bathroom, and just soak in it. If it's a shower, and you have hot water, just let it flow on you for a few minutes (don't land it on your scalp you might get panot haha). Take out the loofah, sponge, or scrub and make sure the soap you use is equally relaxing. There's a new one called Safeguard Detox. Like you, we're used to the germ free action that their soap has. This one is for deep cleansing of the pores, and to strip away bacteria, germs, dirt overall.

New Mom Joyce Pring

New Mom Sophie Albert

They're available in varieties such as Pomegranate and Bamboo Charcoal. It's also available at online stores like Shopee and Lazada. You can try the Safeguard Detox Foaming Body Wash Pomegranate here https://shp.ee/hfcweqf or the soap here https://shp.ee/umtyiif. Try the other variants and lather it on your skin. It's simple things like these that can take your mind off things. Loving yourself isn't something you should be guilty of. Just the health benefits of it alone, is good. Don't even shortchange the one working hard for the money. https://shp.ee/umtyiifhttps://shp.ee/umtyiif

Stay at home, take a shower (especially for those who haven't taken a bath for days lol)... but not stress okay?! :)

A Uratex Foam Plant Visit

If you've got a bed, a pillow or soft foamy things at home, most often than not you've got a URATEX product. The company that have started to produce polyurethane foam in 1968 by Robert Cheng promised only one thing in particular, to provide comfort for life.

We visited their plant in Muntinlupa a few months ago and it was a first for me. Honestly, I felt like a kid going on a field trip. Though the place was filled with onlookers wondering who we were, and what we were doing there. Security was strict, you can't go walking or crossing the street if you're not in a designated area. They said it's because they wanted both visitors and employees to be safe since their trucks and forklifts travel very fast inside the plant. A single mishap would disrupt production and they just want things in order. That part is really understandable.

Each foam maker have their own formula in making this, but what they are basically doing is trapping air inside the product after having chemical reaction. These chemicals are stored in huge silos inside their property and are kept in constant temperatures to make that perfect foam. It is in liquid form and when they get combined in the machines, they just let it expand and stay on its form.

A special wax paper is also used so it wouldn't stick on the conveyor belt. It just basically "happens" on its own then they let it rise.

Then they cut it into the length of their warehouse so it could be arranged and sit to dry them for a few days. You might think it's already good foam at its state but inside, it's still hot, wet and raw. 

They use huge cranes to arrange these on lanes that are also either manually done or computerized. The drying also goes in stages and after it dries you can already cut them up for whatever purpose you want to use it for.

They also use metal rods so they can stick it into these foams to check for temperature. The outside layer may look dry but it's bubbling hot inside if it just came out of the machines. People here take precautions so none of them get into an accident as safety is their first priority especially in this part of the production.

They cut up those huge logs into blocks like these, some of which could be 10x as big as your bed. Different densities for different applications. If you want a softer bed, a softer foam. If you want a firmer bed, then they can make you one as hard as a rock.

They drop, spin and cut them with knives and hot wires so they would look like your everyday foam beds. They also have these processes organized so they don't have to go to other warehouses to finish one product. 

They even make special foams for sound proofing, the ones under the carpet, or the ones carved like hands for sports events like UAAP or PBA. I'm sure you've seen some of that!

As part of URATEX's environmental responsibility, they don't waste any materials and use them jagged cuts to create new foams for flooring and carpet appliques. Unfortunately, old foams would not be safe to recycle because of hygienic purposes. It's understandable because imagine the years of dirt that goes through every bed in a lifetime. Uratex is always finding ways to be environmentally responsible, starting in their own turf in Alabang. Utilities, Water, garbage, packaging, are all monitored so they would be sure to keep clean in the facility.

If you wish to visit them at their Parañaque plant, they've got a full store too in front of the property. The store can cater to your needs if you need plastic, foam, quality premium beds that can satisfy even the most discriminating people. For those who want to have the dreamiest place to sleep when they get home from work, I suggest you also try and check their premium mattresses - especially the models that are firm to lie on, some of which are so awesome, soft and cuddly to sleep in - we all tried it there. Oh yes! The whole line is available for viewing, so you may go ahead and try it out if you're looking for the perfect bed. We just did!

It was a joy to be with very nice people from Uratex, thank you so much for having me that afternoon. I enjoyed it a lot, and really learned so much in just a few hours. Thank you and I hope the next time I write about them, I can tell you more about why I have Uratex in my home too.

For more information about their products:

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http://www.uratex.com.ph/