The company has already established a subsidiary company in Latvia and has also signed a contract for the lease of 3,000 square meters in the business park of Liepāja's Old Port, LIAA said. As previously reported by LSM, an announcement of the identity of a Swedish investor had been expected for some time.
"A large part of raw materials for the company has already been supplied from the Baltic region. In Latvia, raw materials are supplied by companies from Jēkabpils, Ventspils and Jelgava, while a company from Lithuania will supply foam rubber. The decision to establish a production plant in Latvia was made mainly precisely so that it would be closer to suppliers," said the operations director of the new production plant, Matīss Kaneps.
The location in the Vecā Ostmala business park is located in Liepāja's Special Economic Zone, relatively close to the city center, and currently there are already more than 20 tenants.
"The decision of the Swedish company Care of Sweden to build a production plant in Liepāja confirms that Latvia is attractive for investments. Currently, there is a trend that European companies are looking for opportunities to organize production and supply of raw materials closer to the end recipients of the goods. Many companies are leaving Asia and returning to Europe. This opens up opportunities for Latvia. The establishment of the production plant in Liepāja also confirms the advantages of this city as a place rich in textile industry traditions," said Kaspars Rožkalns, director of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency.
Currently, Care of Sweden is negotiating with a Latvian company also about the supply of electronic parts for an adjustable mattress. Until now they have been delivered from China.
LIAA helped the company find premises, organize meetings and provided the necessary information, which facilitated the decision-making process for the new production plant at the start of the project.
Initially, it is planned to employ ten people at the Liepāja factory, whose task will be to assemble mattresses from the supplied raw materials, but it is hoped the number of workers could increase over time.
The product range of Care of Sweden includes two types of mattresses – medical preventive mattresses and electronically controlled medical mattresses. Care of Sweden products are intended for bedridden patients to help treat and prevent bedsores.
The turnover of the company in 2022 reached 21 million euros and it exports its products to about 35 countries of the world. The biggest export market is Australia.
