ABOUTPlatz's Vision

Many of the people currently in need of care, experienced the tremendous hardships following World War II and contributed to developing Japan into the modern country that it is today.

Our mission is to show our never-ending gratitude to our users by providing “safe” and “comfortable” care beds.

“Devoting its heart and soul” to creating “high quality”, “high functioning”, and “affordable” care beds, Platz will continue to listen to our customers.

We will contribute to society through our care beds. Platz is always “devoting its heart and soul”.

The Beginning of Platz

Platz was founded in 1992 by Fukuyama (the current president), whose father is a doctor. In 1996 we began specializing the manufacturing of beds. At the time, care beds cost a few hundred thousand yen, which was very expensive. Fukuyama thought, “Children and grandchildren cannot afford to pay such expensive prices to purchase care beds for their elderly. I wonder if it be possible to make the bed around hundred thousand yen?” Driven by this idea, the PKB-3 series was developed through trial and error and introduced to the world at a groundbreaking price of 99,800 yen. This was the beginning of Platz. “No matter how highly functioning the car bed is, the bed is meaningless if it is too expensive for the general public.” Platz “devotes its heart and soul” for high quality and affordable prices.

Care Bed ‘PKB-305S’

Beds with Shelves are Not Care Beds?

The generally accepted idea was that, “Care and medical beds must have flat headboards, and tissues, glasses, and medicine etc. are supposed to be placed on a side table. At home, however, not everyone can afford a side table and may not have the space for it. As a result many people, “placed such items next to their pillow, which slide down each time they lift their back. Because items slide down, users simply stopped using the back lifting feature”. Platz decided to introduce “Headboard with Shelf for Small Items” to solve the problem that many users were facing. And in 1998, the shelved beds were introduced to the market, and are now commonly used at many care-giving facilities.

The first care bed with a shelf “PKB-NAD”

A Incident at “An Exhibit and Sale to the General Public”

We put up a sign that read, “Care Beds” on our beds, but the elderly would pass it by without even a glance. We talked to an elderly woman in her 90s with a cane and she sharply replied that, “The day I sleep in a care bed is the end of me!” Unlike a TV or air condition, a care bed is not a product that the elderly wants “buy and use”. On the contrary, care beds are a product the elderly “don’t want to use” and “use reluctantly because they have no other option”. We immediately rewrote the sign to read, “Motor Beds”. When we did, people began listening to our explanation of the beds. At the end of the day, we only sold a single bed to a person in their sixties, but have not forgotten what that person said, “I can get in and out of bed without worrying. I will be free of these anxieties in the morning and at night.” Although Platz’s standard policy is to “pursue a homely design for beds used at home”, designing the shape of the bed is not enough. The experience at the exhibit made us realize the importance of putting ourselves in the shoes of the elderly and consider how we described our beds. Currently, we have renamed our “Independence Support Electric Beds” for healthy people with slight concerns over their health with the hopes of “providing assistance to people who want to maintain their independence”.

Foldable bed “PTB-313-DB”

Why are Bedframes White?

In response to comments that white reminds people of hospitals and that they did not want to use white beds at home, we introduced our company’s first rental bed “PZB-V310R” in 2001 with a metallic-gray frame, which was an industry first. Most care bed manufacturers nowadays no longer use white for home care beds.

The industry first, rentable bed that is not white “PZB-V310R”

The Size of Training Equipment for the Elderly isn’t Right!

Care prevention equipment. Many care giving facilities utilize such equipment. When conducting market research to develop our own, we were astounded to find that “the users are elderly Japanese, but the machines are for American sized people”.

We thought, “This is more likely to cause injuries than prevent it” and began developing machines to fit the size of elderly Japanese. Including the equipment with a support arm to prevent falling over and a frequency counter was an industry first.

Is it Possible to Adjust the Bed to the Height of the User?

The height of elderly Japanese ranges from anywhere between 140cm and 180cm. Needless to say, the length of everyone’s legs are different. Yet, care beds fold at the same place. As a result, the back shifts when it is lifted, which can trigger bedsores. Beginning development in 2006, “Miolet” the introduced three settings for the where the knee bends, which successfully reduced the risk of bedsores.

The “Miolet”, a rentable car bed

Can’t the Beds Be More Comfortable?

The Elder Support Wide Mattress, Pocket Coil Mattress, and Rigid Urethane Mattress are mattresses for the Motorized Independent Care Bed “Carelet”. Some users will feel that a certain mattress is too stiff, while others may feel that same mattress is too soft. This is why there are three different types of mattress available for the Carelet series. The Elder Support Wide Mattress is the softest of the three, the Pocket Coil Mattress has a standard stiffness and is compatible for a wide range of weights, and the Rigid Urethane Mattress is slightly stiffer. Users can also select between the shelved headboard and the flat headboard. The Carelet series was born with the desire to let our customers choose the product that best fits their needs.

Independence Support Electric Bed Carelet

Elder Support Wide Mattress

Pocket Coil Mattress

Rigid Urethane Mattress

Can You Make an Automatically Locking Bed Grip?

Bed grips provide assistance in standing up and also rotate to close and prevent users from falling out of bed in their sleep. While very convenient, there is the risk of accidents and falling over if the user forgets to lock the rotating section of the bed grip. The “Auto-Lock Bed Grip Kneeparo” which began development in 2007 incorporated an automatic locking mechanism where the rotating section automatically locks at every 45-degree rotation. In response to the aforementioned issue, we presented at the International Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition in 2010. The product was introduced to the market in January 2011. At request of Associate Professor Matsuo from Saga Medical School Faculty of Medicine, Saga University we developed the optional “Worry Free Kneepad Kneeparo Pad”. Having a softly padded kneepad makes standing up and transferring to wheelchairs and portable toilets easy and safe. It also reduces the strain placed on the back of the person providing care.

Auto lock bed grip with pad KneeparoP

Aiming to Set the Standard of Next Generation Home Care Beds!

Having invested four years of effort with the support of Associate Professor Matsuo from Saga Medical School Faculty of Medicine, Saga University and Professor Aoki from Kyushu Sangyo University, we have developed beds that are considerate of the users, the care providers, and the sellers. We especially dedicated ourselves to the universal design and countermeasures against “back pressure, lumbar pressure, shifting of the body lifting the back”. If the product is not easy to use, it can lead to accidents. Starting with the hand controlled remote that can be gripped by a weakened hand, we have incorporated many ideas of universal design in a variety of ways. The 5 Motion Feature includes lumbar mechanisms that presses on the back to prevent hunching and a fitting mechanism to adjust the knees when lifting the back, which has successfully reduced “back pressure, lumbar pressure, shifting of the body lifting the back”.

Care Insurance Rental Nursing Care Bed Miolet ForU

Low, Motorized Bed with a Center Lock in Response to the Needs of Caregiving Facilities!

We want people who require a high level of care to use beds without back and abdominal pressure. The Miolet ForU for caregiving facilities incorporates lumbar mechanisms, hip-down mechanisms, and fitting mechanisms to achieve alleviating back and abdominal pressure. We also attached bumpers on the boards and introduced casters that lock in the center, which reduces the strain put on care providers when transferring and assembling the bed.

Low-Floor Electric Bed for Care Facility Ultilt ToU

The Renewed Independence Support Electric Bed Carelet Series for Healthy People and People with a Low Level of Care Needs

The anticipated renewal of the Carelet series is finally here! Bolstering the lineup of available options, tailor your care bed to fit your needs. The “Carelet fⅡ” incorporates traditional “Yahari Treatment” skills and the “Carelet neoαⅡ” comes in a relaxing color. Both of these beds come with either a “Flat Type” headboard or a “Shelf Type” headboard to place glasses and other small items. The “Carelet nikoⅡ” is made from PU leather, which gives it a luxurious feel. On top of giving the bed a stylish appearance, the leather gives the bed a soft, warm touch and improves safety.

“Carelet fⅡ”

“Carelet neoαⅡ”

“Carelet nikoⅡ”

The Long Awaited Successor to the Popular Knee Fitting “Miolet”!
We have broadened the spectrum of users and improved the ease of use and safety.

The “MioletⅡ” is the successor to the first “Miolet” sold in 2007. Under direction of Associate Professor Matsuo from Saga Medical School Faculty of Medicine, Saga University we reconsidered the fitting position of the knee to prevent shifting when lifting the back, improved the proximity of the wheelchair, and incorporated the highly acclaimed hand controlled remote on the “Miolet ForU”, etc. in a pursuit of safety and ease of use. The weight of the bed was reduced by 15% to 77kg (on the 2 Motors Type), which alleviates strain on the back during delivery.

“MioletⅡ Woody BR”

“MioletⅡ Whitey BR”

The Only Bed Grip with a Kneepad for Transfers and Auto-lock is Further Improved!

The “KneeparoⅡ” is the successor to the “Kneeparo”, which was first sold in 2011. Maintaining the highly acclaimed auto-locking function, with wider kneepads to improve transfers, the durability of the grip was improved and weight was decreased by 1kg. The side rails were also raised two centimeters to reduce accidentally rolling over the side rails.

Auto lock bed grip with pad KneeparoPⅡ