Volume 14 | Issue 3
Since its beginning, Mobiliario Seating S.A. de C.V. has relied on design and quality to bring in sales. Today the company, which manufactures school furniture and seating for auditoriums, stadiums, and theaters, has an engineering department that focuses on developing new products. “This department continually investigates material and designs new pieces,” explains Miguel Angel Argueta, international sales director for the company. “The goal is to improve the products we have, and come out with new ones as well.”
With each new product design, workers at Mobiliario develop a prototype and run a series of tests on it. Once the piece has passed the tests and undergone any necessary revisions, it is ready to enter the market.
This strategy has helped the company become a global player in its industry. At an international level, Mobiliario’s products stand out for their quality, durability, comfort, and pricing.
Today Mobiliario has a long list of international clients, including main movie chains in the United States and major stadiums throughout Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Headquarters for the company are located in the city of Naucalpan, in the state of Mexico, a city in the central region of the country. The plant covers an area of 60,000 square meters, and has 220 different production machines. These include plastic injectors, presses, stamping and folding equipment, and high frequency carpentry machinery.
MORE THAN 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
The history of Mobiliario dates back to 1975, when Juan González Herrera, an engineer by trade, began a small workshop where he made wood furniture. Business went well, and soon González expanded the business to include furniture for educational purposes.
Mobiliario again expanded its product line during 1995 and 1996 to include movie theater seating. Within two years, the company held the number one position in the Mexican market for theater seating. In 1999 after the founder Juan Gonzalez Herrera passed way, his wife Guadalupe Sandra Morano Guzmán took over the company.
At its current capacity levels, Mobiliario produces approximately 1,500 seats per day. In the area of educational furniture, it manufactures approximately 2,700 pieces a day.
Due to its innovative products, Mobiliario has developed relationships with clients that last for decades. “In Mexico, we have clients that have bought from us for more than 30 years,” says Argueta. In the United States, the company has clients that have purchased materials for the past 17 years, and continue to look to the company for their seating needs.
ATTRACTIVE PRODUCTS
The company currently functions under Sandra G. Morano Guzmán and her son Marco González Morano. Marco is director of operations who has overseen the design of new products that have been introduced into the market.
For the new designs, Mobiliario has laboratories that run tests such as the ANSI-BIFMA X 5.1-2002 and ASTM- F-851. For security the designs undergo California TB-117 and TB-133. Mobiliario uses the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for its products, and follows specific guidelines for organizations such as FIFA. Products undergo humidity testing such as ASTMD1735, resistance testing such as ASTM-D4060-01, exposure to UV rays with UV: SAE J1969, and the testing of the aging of plastic pieces through ASTM 3045-03.
Operational director Marco González Morano, together with company engineers, developed a product to fit into a key market niche. This line of seating, known as “PLUS,” involves a comfortable seat that offers more space, privacy, elegance, and an attractive design for users. Its back is high, measuring between 42 and 44 inches, and the seat width ranges from 24 to 26 inches. There are no spaces between the seats, which maximizes the use of space in a theater or stadium.
The new seating line was designed especially for moviegoers and cinemas that look for more comfort, elegance and maximize spaces with very attractive pricing. The PLUS line has an option to use the arm areas for tables and cup holders, making it possible for a theater to offer food and drink to the consumer. In between the seats is a covered arm which can be pushed down to give more privacy to users, or can be pushed back to reduce the amount of space between users.
The PLUS line has been installed in places with an inclined floor as well as stadium seating. Clients can choose the seat covering, which comes in a range of options including leather, velour, vinyl, cloth, suede, or a mix of materials and colors. Among the seating product line are models such as the Imperial, Vesubio, Alessandria, Capri, Forza and Angela.
Mobiliario also offers an ample line of standard seating products, which include options such as a rocker system, a swing system, fixed positioning or a roller system. The seats can be made with one or two pedestals attached to the floor or cantilever seating. Additional features include head rests with memory foam, wide or extra wide seating, leather or covered elbow rests, and high or low sides of rigid polyurethane foam.
Mobiliario offers a wide range of accessories for its products, including folding palettes, Bible portals, book racks, voice and data connectors, aisle lighting, number and letter identification, tables, portable bases, arms that can be disabled to move the seat, and plastic that can carry a slogan on it either in hot stamping or through designs embroidered into the fabric. With these accessories, products can be installed in churches, schools, theaters, movie theaters, auditoriums, and stadium boxes.
Our VIP chairs are manufactured with mechanical mechanism that works pushing the seat with your body to recline the back and extend the footrest or if you prefer, we have the electrical mechanism that works only pushing a button offering maximum comfort. The seat has a food tray that can be made of glass or wood with laminated plastic, a service light and foot rest.
The company also produces an elite seat that features a reclining mechanism, and operates under a piston which makes it possible to be used in both sporting centers and theaters. The seat is fixed, has adjustable arm rests, and does not take up much space.
For the educational sector, Mobiliario offers ergonomic, clean, and durable seats in colors selected by the school. Its product line includes tables and chairs for preschools and elementary schools, teacher desks, computer tables, and secretary chairs with wheels. It also offers a line of folding chairs, especially for events, that can be plastic, cushioned, or covered.
Recently, Mobiliario has created a strong and growing foothold in products for stadiums, including shells and plastic seating with fabric or vinyl covering, with or without additives to offer protection from molding, UV rays, humidity, heat and cold. Pedestals for these seats can be manufactured in aluminum or steel.
The seats in this line can be used in stadium rows and boxes; however, the products can also be placed in the aisles with seating for players, directors, or members of the press. Models for the line include Omega, Alessandria, and Capri elite, among others.
Looking into the future, Argueta notes that the company wants to be a leader for auditorium and stadium seating. The company also has plans to increase sales for its school furniture line, with exports reaching destinations throughout Central and South America.
In addition to an increase in sales and exports, the company focuses on continually training workers. Programs are in place to help personnel develop new skills. By combining innovative designs with a well-trained staff, Mobiliario will be able to continue delivering top quality products to clients around the world.
Patti Jo Rosenthal chats about her role as Manager of K-12 STEM Education Programs at ASME where she drives nationally scaled STEM education initiatives, building pathways that foster equitable access to engineering education assets and fosters curiosity vital to “thinking like an engineer.”