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April 2004

Steve Sauerwein

Rehab Management spoke with Steve Sauerwein, director of marketing and sales for Star Cushion Products Inc, Freeburg, Ill, about the company, its product line, and industry trends.

Q: Tell us about Star Cushion Products Inc.
A: Star Cushion Products Inc has been around for approximately 10 years. We carry a full line of therapeutic and positioning cushions, as well as a therapeutic mattress overlay line. Our cushions conform to clients’ unique shapes and contours through individualized adjustment, providing a low-pressure, low-shear environment for the end user.

Q: What is your latest product?
A: We introduced the StarLock™ cushion at Medtrade 2003 last October. The StarLock is an innovative, new air-filled cushion that allows you to lock each individual cell into place once the cushion is adjusted to the client’s needs. This enables the therapists to perform aggressive positioning for clients who are hard to fit/position. The response to the StarLock cushion has been excellent. Therapists and end users see many benefits to this cushion, such as that it provides a very stable base, which enables clients to function more efficiently throughout the day. Also, the cushion allows patients to continue to use the cushion even if one cell punctures, because only that one cell affected loses air while the rest of the cushion maintains inflation.

Q: What led to the development of StarLock technology?
A: Star Cushion takes the approach in product development that you have to listen to the therapists and the end users about issues regarding air-filled cushions, or any product for that matter. Our customers stated that air cushions can sometimes be unstable, are not traditionally good positioning cushions, and if they do develop a leak, the patient can be put into a bottom-out situation. Air-filled cushions can also complicate transfers, because the transfer boards sink down into the cells as opposed to sitting on top, making transfers more difficult for the end user. Star Cushion looked at these negatives and addressed them through the design of StarLock technology. I believe we now have a high-end cushion that more effectively addresses the needs of the market, from both a therapeutic and positioning perspective combined, than any other cushion on the market.

Q: How do you stay on top of the trends in your industry?
A: What we try to do is communicate with our customer base, with the experts in the field. We have a network of professional independent representatives out in the marketplace who talk to the DMEs and therapists. Additionally, we talk directly to the rehab technology suppliers (RTS) and the therapists and rely on the information they give us. They are the experts. I think that the RTS and therapists are looking for products that meet patients’ needs, provide additional functions, are cost-effective, and enhance the quality of life of the end user. At Star Cushion Products Inc, our goal is to redefine cushion technology.

--By Arati Murti

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