Bodyfriend Selected as 'World-Class Product and Manufacturing Company' for 2 Consecutive Years

Bodyfriend massage chair 'Phantom Robo'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Bodyfriend announced on the 28th that its flagship healthcare product, the massage chair, has been selected for the second consecutive year as a ‘2022 World-Class Product and Manufacturing Company,’ certified by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and operated by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

The World-Class Product and Manufacturing Company certification is an annual certification system operated by KOTRA under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to lead the global market, enhance corporate competitiveness, and promote exports. To be selected, companies must pass specific evaluation criteria such as ranking within the top 5 in global market share with over 5%, and an annual global market size exceeding 50 million USD.

Bodyfriend was the first massage chair company to be selected as a World-Class Product and Manufacturing Company last year and has been listed for two consecutive years. According to a survey by the global market research firm Frost & Sullivan, Bodyfriend surpassed Japanese brands such as Panasonic and Fujiiryoki, pioneers in the massage chair industry, to claim the world’s number one position in 2017, just 10 years after its founding, and has maintained the top spot in the global market for five consecutive years.

The global massage chair market is estimated to be approximately 6.6 billion USD (about 8 trillion KRW) this year. Bodyfriend began exporting massage chairs in 2015 and has been actively expanding overseas markets since 2017, currently operating in 11 countries including the United States, Europe (Italy and France), Vietnam, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Recently, Bodyfriend has been focusing on expanding global sales centered on the high-growth potential U.S. market. The company operates five directly managed stores in Los Angeles on the U.S. West Coast and recently opened a new store in Atlanta, strengthening its regional presence within the U.S. Its flagship medical device, ‘Phantom Medical Care,’ was registered as a Class 1 medical device by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and completed its local launch at the end of last month. It is also scheduled to showcase various products at CES 2023, the world’s largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, held in Las Vegas, U.S., in early January next year.

A Bodyfriend representative stated, “Being selected as a World-Class Product has recognized the quality and technological prowess of our massage chairs, and we will do our best to widely promote the status of Korean healthcare.” They added, “Building on the strength that has driven growth in the domestic massage chair market, we will focus on expanding our presence in the global market.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.