What is Vicair and where did it all start?

Vicair Company Tour

A 'Vicair'- What's that?

The answer to that question can be short and quite simple ‘a wheelchair cushion’, but we think Vicair is much more than that. Because what we are actually saying each time we use our name is ‘we care’. Derived from the French word for life and the English word for care, our company name literally means that we care about life. Whether it concerns the environment, the people working with and for us or our customers – we care. As a company we dedicate ourselves to supporting life, but we especially care about supporting the lives of many specific individuals out there in the world. Namely those that spend their lives in a wheelchair and this is where the second meaning of our company name comes into play…

What Vicair also stands for is ‘viscous air’, two words that logically speaking don’t mix, which is exactly what makes our cushions unique. Viscous is nothing more than a difficult word for the consistency of some fluids such as syrup. So how do air and syrup relate? The consistency of syrup is what we have created for air through our technology. Syrupy air is exceptionally stable and good at redistributing pressure – the ideal components for high quality wheelchair cushions that are made to prevent pressure ulcers and provide optimal positioning.

We strongly believe that air is the best way to achieve a safe and comfortable seating surface in a wheelchair. Through our technology we also made air stable, providing solutions to seating and positioning challenges. Our primary goal is to make sure all wheelchair users can experience life to the fullest, without any risk to their health.

So where did it all start?

Vicair was founded in 1993 and has ever since been working on improving our technology, products and expanding our range.

It all started with an invention by Huibert Pollmann in the Amsterdam Rehabilitation Centre. He believed that in order to sit comfortably in a wheelchair you need high quality pressure redistribution and stability, and he thought air was the best way to achieve this. His vision included separating air into small packages that can move alongside and interlock one another, resulting in optimal pressure redistribution and stability – SmartCells were ‘born’.

Vicair used Huibert’s invention and turned it into a product, and eventually a product range.

Years later, Vicair BV has turned into a world player in seating and positioning products. We are proud of the fact that our tetrahedron shaped Vicair SmartCell filled wheelchair seat cushions and back support cushions can be found in wheelchairs of many individuals all over the planet.

We strongly believe that air is the best medium to redistribute pressure and through our air-based technology we are able to manufacture the most high quality wheelchair cushions for pressure ulcer prevention and stability. Vicair now offers a complete range of wheelchair seat cushions and back systems of the highest quality. Additionally we offer pressure- and pain relief mattresses for those who are confined to bed.