Comfort through innovation

Metal, and mainly powder-coated metal, has always played a major role for Mara. In 1960 Camillo Marchina, Laura Marchina’s grandfather, founded the company in Brescia in Lombardy. It specialized in making chairs that contrary to local practices at that time did not rely on wood as a material. “The first chairs conceived for the contract market were fashioned of wood and a metal frame,” she recalls. They were followed by seating for stadiums and cultural locations. In 1984, the family firm registered its first patent for an office chair mechanism, marking the start of what is today Mara’s core business.

The company’s current portfolio includes multifunctional, space saving and height adjustable table collections but also seating and complements – all longstanding bestselling products. The idea here is a reduced, straightforward design that can be integrated into any architecture and offers versatile functions. Flexibility is a top priority at Mara, and thus you can choose from different sizes and shapes for the perfect ensemble of tables; from rectangles to circles. The height of the tables can also be adjusted to make your work more comfortable. And if a long table is required instead of the solitaire, the single units can be easily combined: A kit with a sliding lock is attached to the underside of the top, which can be closed after the tables are assembled. As quickly as the formation is created, it can also be released and folded up again. Fitted with wheels, the lightweight tables can then be easily transported and stowed away by one person. You don't have to worry about your own fingers when opening and closing the tables, because Mara has equipped its tables with an anti-shock system, similar to that of drawers, which glide gently back to their original position after opening. Depending on the usage concept, optional extras such as a cable management system with sockets can be added. “Our philosophy is to help make people’s lives easier through innovative and practical furnishing solutions,” says Laura Marchina.

For 14 years now Laura Marchina has headed the company together with her father Luciano Marchina. “It was a childhood dream of mine to work with my father to guide Mara into the future. So it means a great deal to me to contribute continually to the coordination and development of new processes. And I’m very proud when I see how happy he is about the constant expansion of our company,” she says. Sustainable production is an important aspect of Mara’s forward-looking vision. “Apart from reintroducing all material waste back into the production cycle we currently generate 65 percent of the energy we need for production ourselves, for example via solar panels,” explains Marchina. Moreover, the manufacturing facilities which since the company’s foundation has remained in Brescia have been modernized in recent years and are now state-of-the art. A vital piece of equipment is the 3D laser cutting machine with its integrated welding function – a device normally to be encountered in the automobile industry. Mara is one of the first corporations in the furniture sector to use such a machine in manufacturing. And, naturally, meanwhile product development has not been forgotten; on the contrary: “We are currently adding the finishing touches to a collection of height-adjustable tables which will achieve even more,” comments Laura Marchina.