Business

Health chair company standing tall with latest jobs expansion

New staff members are welcomed by Jonathan Tierney (back row, extreme right) of Seating Matters which has announced further expansion over the next year
New staff members are welcomed by Jonathan Tierney (back row, extreme right) of Seating Matters which has announced further expansion over the next year New staff members are welcomed by Jonathan Tierney (back row, extreme right) of Seating Matters which has announced further expansion over the next year

DEMAND for specialised therapeutic chairs manufactured in Co Derry is leading family-run business Seating Matters to create 64 new jobs within the next year.

The first seating of its kind to be supported by a clinical trial, the unique health chairs are now being distributed across the world - leading to a 50 per cent expansion of the current 125-strong workforce at Limavady.

Also sold locally, the chairs are designed to help people with postural support and to reduce incidences of pressure ulcers or 'bed sores'.

The new roles - following on from an additional 10 positions filled during the past two weeks - will be based in telemarketing, research and development, customer care and skilled assembly and upholstery.

Managing director Martin Tierney said orders from across the UK, Europe, America, Canada and Australia, had led to sustained growth, with Seating Matters now global leaders in their field.

"We are not surprised by the demand for our chairs," he said.

"The people of Belfast have the same conditions as the people of Boston or Brisbane and extensive clinical research we’ve conducted with Ulster University clearly demonstrates how we can help these patients.

"We are so pleased to be able to meet the demand and help so many people across the world. I am delighted to reveal that we will be expanding our work force even further than we have in the past couple of weeks and we will be recruiting people for various roles in the new year."

Established in 2006, Seating Matters supplies hospitals and care facilities as well as the home-care market, with company 'seating specialists' on hand to provide individual assessments free-of-charge.

Clinical director, Martina Tierney, who practised occupational therapy for 30 years, said she quickly discovered that the way people sat could "dramatically impact" their lives.

"Using the correct seat can reduce the risk of pressure ulcers, discomfort and pain and improve blood oxygen levels," she said.

In order to prove this, Seating Matters partnered with Ulster University to carry out independent research over a two-and-a-half year period, with "staggering" results.

"Our chairs proved an 88 per cent reduction in pressure ulcers as well as a host of other health benefits," Ms Tierney added.

"These findings are having a significant impact on patient care across the world and gives strong evidence to hospitals, care facilities and families to support the use of a Seating Matters chair for a loved one or patient."