How it's 'custom' made

Vicair’s headquarters in the Netherlands is home to the design studio where Vicair custom made cushions are produced.

Since 1993 Vicair has been creating products specifically designed for users with complex disabilities or with specific body contours. The flexibility of the Vicair technology, based on SmartCells, makes this relatively easy to do. So when the O2 and special range are not able to provide a solution, we are still able to create a fitting cushion through our custom made program in our very own product design studio.

How is a custom wheelchair cushion made?

The process of making a Vicair custom made cushion starts with a request being made, usually by one of the product specialists of our distributors. Product specialists work closely together with clinicians in the process of ordering the Vicair Custom Made. The first step in the production process is an R&D meeting in which the specific case is discussed. Based on the description of the client’s medical background and needs that’s given by the product specialist, the R&D team is able to start designing the cushions and creates a 3D drawing.

The drawing is discussed with the product specialist and the medical practitioner in order to make sure it fits the client’s needs. In this phase adjustments can be made to the design if needed, after which the clinician and product specialist approve the design. When the design of the custom made cushion is approved, the actual production commences in the design studio in the Netherlands. Within a few weeks of the start of the process, the cushion is ready to be shipped.

Analyse – review – adapt

During the production process, the product designer sometimes runs into practical issues and consults with the R&D team and product specialist to make small adjustments to improve user friendliness even on the most complex products. These kind of small adjustments can be made because the custom products are made in house at our headquarters and there is a short line of communication between the product designer and the R&D team. There’s therefore no need to draw up new drawings for these small changes, making the process very agile and flexible. Upon receiving the product the clinician always receives further guidelines on how to install and/or use the product. If possible a Vicair product specialist often delivers a custom made him/herself to make sure the practitioner and the client receive hands-on instructions for their new cushion(s).

The finished product

The Vicair Custom Made wheelchair seat and back support cushions help prevent pressure ulcers because they make use of the same technology as all our standard and special range cushions. They are a high quality addition to a pressure ulcer treatment plan (cateogory I-V). You can find examples of Vicair Custom Made cushions on the Custom Made product page.