We have been testing them for a long time (like all our products before we offer them). Now the CLIPPER XL is in production, just in time for summer. What makes it special: A stable, weatherproof hammock for 2 people. Comfortable, safe and very resilient with 250kg. Span length from 360cm. More about this in our shop under hammock CLIPPER.
Because of Corona, she was anchored in the German Bight for two years. Now the ship is very busy getting everything back in shape for the cruise guests - or "making the ship clear". Our team is on board from Cadiz to Las Palmas / Gran Canaria and takes care of the CrazyChair hammocks. The complete program, with cleaning, installations, safety checks, and even new hammocks.
CrazyChair was nominated and we are happy about that. If we don't win in our category, we'll do it like at the Olympics: Being there deserves applause.
The Palma Intern. Boatshow is a big event that the media is preparing for. We were delighted with this PR article in the April issue of Inselmagazin. Thanks to the editors.
We have positioned ourselves well in the media and will be represented in every issue of the Inselmagazin with large color advertisements. In addition, every day, over 3 months, several radio spots on Inselradio and at the end of April we are an exhibitor with a large stand at the Palma Intern. Boat show present.
We are currently working on 2 ship projects, which means a lot of planning work. We have known the procedure for years. But we also have to make preparations on the island to be prepared from Easter. Because unlike in Germany, there are hardly any trade fairs/events and access to end customers is also different than usual.
New Year's Eve in the south, without snow, but lots of rain. BOOT fair for the end of January has been cancelled. Nevertheless, we had to "work off" the tour from Palma to Hamelin + Ratzeburg by car, as some business tasks were waiting for us. At the end of January we will drive to the island again. At the port of Barcelona, Columbus shows us the way. We have so many times. As with the subject of "hammocks", which he discovered about 520 years ago and which we have further developed.
... Majorca. Our business basis "Trendstore-Palma" already exists. There we are one of six business partners who present their products within the location. Of course that's not enough. We are now looking for a home office to have a permanent and secure point of contact during our temporary island visits. After an intensive search we found what we were looking for in Can Pastilla. Close to Palma, close to the airport, close to the trend store and centrally located to quickly get to the important points of the island.
We have sold our Morelo motorhome after 10 years of intensive use. It was our office, our apartment and our means of transport during the several months of the trade fair. It was a great, eventful time, with a bit of an adventure feeling. We enjoyed it. But looking ahead, it no longer fitted into our concept. The mobile home would then have stood in the hall for too long. We didn't want to do that to him.
The new cruise ship from Lindblad Expeditions is called RESOLUTION. It was built at the Ulstein shipyard in Norway. Shortly before completion, the CrazyChair team was on board to install the SLIMLINE hammocks in all balcony cabins.
We do not know it. But if you don't test it, we'll never know. We have been traveling to the island for over 40 years, had a holiday home for several years and know several villa owners who had bought our products. Now the situation arose, together with other German business partners, to be present in a store on the outskirts of Palma. You can try CrazyChair products there, get advice and buy them directly there. The CrazyChair Collection with hammocks, hanging chairs and stainless steel stands have been on site since July 2021.
A sigh of relief for us and all fellow exhibitors. The first organizers have made it and open the long-awaited garden fairs. Our first starts on June 17th. in Kassel-Calden. And then it goes on quickly. If everything goes according to plan, we will be exhibiting at 18 trade fairs this year. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.
Corona also severely restricted our business as an exhibitor at trade fairs and outfitters for cruise ships. We took advantage of the situation and moved our business and private location from Bavaria to Schleswig Holstein. Instead of "Gauting" it is now called "Ratzeburg". Our warehouse has also been relocated. Finally more space, 10x more linear meters of shelves, a perfect overview and also a lot of space for our indoor and outdoor trade fair equipment. We strengthened our team and everything was done by the end of May.
CrazyChair was awarded the IGR Innovation Prize for Ergonomics 2021. The jurors have come together for the third time and were spoiled for choice. Among the top-class applications, companies that stand for the diversity of the application areas of modern ergonomics were evaluated and awarded.
The CrazyChair ONE was approved by the "Institute for Health and Ergonomics e. V.“ after careful examination with the IGR certificate. IGR is a strong network of doctors, physiotherapists, scientists, company health management employees and government officials who deal with health and ergonomics, test and certify selected products.
We are in Norway on the expedition cruise ship "National Geographic Endurance" to install our Slimline hammocks on all balcony staterooms. There is still work to be done everywhere, because the ownership handover will take place in 11 days.
A great new order reaches us. The new ship from Lindblad Expeditions is called "National Geographic Endurance" and is being built at Ulstein Shipyard in Norway. An expedition ship for about 160 passengers, traveling in the most extreme areas of the world, with temperatures down to -40°C. The order makes us proud because it means we can once again enter a whole new class of ship and prove our quality standards.
We are very happy when our daughter Sina happily announces that she wants to join us. The tasks are clear: digital marketing + social media. Good luck again: Our new employee Bojan, who supports us in production processing as well as in technical trade fair work.
Our new products are coming: stainless steel stands Luno and Doppio, hammock Cayo. Our long-term partner Beate is leaving, who is building and "relocating" with her partner in another city that is too far away.
The AIDAperla and AIDAprima are ready. A total of 2260 hammock clippers will be installed.
Another move with the company. We leave Großkarolinenfeld. We are lucky. The new object "Gauting / Stockdorf" fits in terms of location, size and equipment. More luck: Our son-in-law Matthias starts in our company. A multi-talent who never ceases to amaze us with his practical skills.
AIDA Cruises also opts for CrazyChair. Our task: Development of a new weatherproof hammock with fire protection that still has space on the smallest balconies. We develop the clippers. The tests are successful and the EU and US patents are even registered.
Over the next two years we will equip the entire AIDA fleet with 3,500 hammocks.
Call from TUI Cruises: "We had all the hammocks on the MS1 removed". What happened? In the case of a hammock, the integrated attachment has come loose and the passenger has "caught". Luckily not injured. Research is carried out and it turns out that the reason is a sewing error. For the next 2 weeks we will be working 24/7 on the ship to fix all 250 hammocks. We made it and can still enjoy the sea air on deck for the last 2 days of the Caribbean. We can definitely solve the problem with all hammocks and are happy about the captain's comment, who praises the great cooperation, not only in good times but also in difficult times. A short time later we also equip the MS2 with our hammocks on all veranda cabins.
We are discovered by the new cruise company TUI Cruises and commissioned to develop a weatherproof hammock for the veranda cabins of the first "Mein Schiff 1". A fascinating job that challenges us in all areas. We start the production of the 250 special hammocks and name them "Slimline". Even before the ship's christening, we are on board the MS1 and, at the request of TUI Cruises, will install all "Slimline's" during the North Sea test drives. What an experience! We still have no idea what the consequences of this maritime mission will be for us.
Trade fairs are still our great passion. We are buying a large motor home to transport the trade fair equipment and at the same time be able to keep appointments flexibly and be independent of hotels and restaurants. We also develop accessories and new products, such as stainless steel stands for our hammocks.
A long-standing customer gives Renate 500 euros and asks us to produce a hammock for him. Weatherproof, robust, comfortable and safe - just like the hanging chair he owns from us. We smile, but decline because we have no experience with hammocks. But we can't really let go of the thought. A few days later we implemented our idea and had it sewn. Temporarily hung up in the office, it is tested for comfort, resilience, ergonomics and safety. After a few hours we are lying in the hammock with 3 adults, which we call Combo. Of course, our inspirational client got the first combo - he's hooked.
We want to use our hanging chair outside all year round. Unfortunately, our cotton fabric cannot keep up with the freak weather. We find a new supplier from France with very high quality weatherproof fabrics. To go with this, we are developing stainless steel stands for hanging chairs, which we have produced by a family business in Germany.
When it comes, all at once. A major fire destroys the production facilities at our Weber + fabric supplier. The large number of trade fairs cost too much energy, financially and psychologically. A couple of employees works skillfully hand in hand and cheats us out of over 20,000 euros and flees overseas. Crisis management is the order of the day.
If not now then when. The demand for hanging chairs is developing rapidly and we have to make decisions. We found Pimiento OHG, register our CrazyChair brand internationally, move to new premises and expand the team. 120 trade fairs a year keep three trade fair teams busy. Joachim and Renate now fully devote themselves to the newly founded company. Production in Germany is important for us in order to keep an eye on the high quality and to keep the transport routes short.
How do strangers react to the product? Is it marketable? The Caravan Salon is our premiere. Four hanging chairs are hanging from a stand made of scaffolding tubes for visitors to try out. In the luggage another 40 pieces. for sale. The trade fair visitors are curious, enthusiastic and in a buying mood. After 3 days everything is sold and we have many orders. assumed. After that it is clear that we will start our own production in Germany. We still have our steady jobs, all very improvised, but it works.
We have tried rattan "monkey swings", Mexican hanging cloths, knotted hammocks or strange floating chairs for years. After Renate's herniated disc, we are just as disappointed with the comfort as with the look and quality. Doesn't the perfect chair yet exist? It should take more than 2 years from the idea to the first copy. Comfortable, back-friendly, floating and rocking. After many discussions with therapists and orthopaedists, many sketches and a large selection of materials, the first real samples emerge. We are curious, do they meet our expectations?
