Sunbeam's new generation goes for innovative products

Piyaporn launched her bed protectors under the Mellow brand two years ago via a Facebook page. The product has since been launched at physical distribution channels since January this year.
Sunbeam Co, the family business, was established almost 30 years ago by Praneat Yothaprasert, managing director, who had expertise in trading basic chemicals used in textiles, cosmetics, leather, and agricultural industries.
Praneat’s experience enabled her to expand the trading business to a business to business market, especially in textiles. However, since the textile industry is no longer a sunrise industry, the new generation is thinking differently.
Praneat’s daughter-in-law Piyaporn researched new business possibilities that would answer the customer’s needs. Piyaporn finally found an innovative product – bed protector sheets – that would solve the problem for the whole family. After studying the market more, she launched “Mellow for Kids” for the baby market.
“My key inspiration to ensure the new business is on the right track is to understand customer behaviour, then try and find a product that can solve the customers’ problems. This will ensure the business grows in the long run,” said Piyaporn, 36, who is marketing and sales director for Mellow at Sunbeam.
Piyaporn said the idea to launch Mellow came from studying the market and real consumer behaviour. Before the launch of Mellow, when faced with the problem of bed-wetting, the only solution people had was to spread a rubber sheet or a disposable sheet to protect the bed. But with this new and unique product, using advanced materials and bonding techniques, bed-wetting will no longer be a problem, she said.
She explained that Mellow was waterproof, breathable, reusable and washable, and ideal for babies as well as adults or bedridden patients suffering from urinary incontinence.
No parent likes the endless cycle of changing diapers. With an Oeko-Tex Standard certification, the sheets mean parents will not have to be worried about any irritation of infant skin. The sheet protects babies and the bed from getting wet. No more crinkly feeling and the fear of rubber sheets causing heat, rashes and bedsores, she said.
“My key ambition is to make the business sustainable, adding more innovative items that are also eco-friendly and that can answer and satisfy the consumers’ new lifestyle,” she said.
Piyaporn said she was also trying to expand distribution channels all over the country and also in neighbouring countries in order to make the products more available to customers.
“Next year, we forecast growth of 10-15 per cent in our business, with one or two new products to be launched into the market,” she said.