Company History

It was in 1946 when Luís Sousa established and founded the company as an individual, dedicated to the manufacture of electric motors. After the dispute for permits, common at the time of the regime of the new state, he reconverted to the production of electric welding machines – by electrode and by points. He also embarked on the production of motorised cars for the handicapped and others.

Then came the autoclaves for hospital disinfection. This high-tech equipment would be the genesis of the definitive turning point for the production of hospital products, especially ward furniture, articulated and medical office beds, desks, cupboards and chairs. Thus, he stabilised the production range in the areas of furniture for hospitals, schools and offices, fundamentally with metallic base and under the brand MóveLongra – L. de Sousa Gonçalves.

The company ended up by specialising in hospital furniture and it develops all its activities in this area nowadays. In a small town, with scarce resources, Luís de Sousa Gonçalves consolidated his enterprise step by step, with the sweat of his brow and the seriousness of his work, allied to the commitment of his employees. Idealistic by nature, committed to achieving excellence through hard work, demanding, but always conscious of his social responsibility, he quickly transformed IMO into an industry of national importance. In the 1960s, it already had a consolidated structure with over 100 employees.

In 1966, understanding the vitality of the partnership established with its main – and almost exclusive – commercial agents in Oporto, Robinson-Bradsley, IMO was transformed into a limited company, welcoming as partners Mr. José Roquette, some members of his family, and also Mr. Álvaro de Sousa, the commercial director who helped to seal the partnership. The Robinson-Bradsley headquarters, at Rua do Rosário, was transformed into the first IMO showroom, which increased visibility and, thus, the sales volume of the company. With this change, and with the capital input it represented, it was possible to make a considerable investment in more modern and productive machines and in works to improve the factory facilities.

Thus, in the late 70’s, IMO reached the leadership of the national market in the sector of hospital furniture, which it maintains until today. In the following decade, IMO developed and produced internally the first electric bed in Portugal (one of the first in the world). In 1970, the second IMO showroom emerged, this time in Lisbon, with great success. In only two years, about half of the sales volume came from the Lisbon sales department. In the 1990s, already under the command of the second generation of the family and due to the retirement of the remaining partners, the totality of the capital was taken by the founding partner, his two oldest sons, Pedro Sousa and Jorge Sousa, and his cousin, António Gonçalves, who, in the meantime, pointed new directions for the company.

This was the decade when, based on a firm commitment to design and engineering, the company embarked on an export strategy, initially in countries like the Netherlands, Germany and Spain, among others. A few years later, Luís de Sousa Gonçalves’ youngest son, Rui Sousa, joined the team, taking over as commercial director. At the end of the 20th century, hospital furniture started to have an accentuated growth and became the object of international demand. With an increasingly globalised economy and an increasingly intense international growth, it forced a change in the internal paradigm of product development with an increasing focus on design and durability of IMO products, and a reinforcement in production terms with state-of-the-art technologies applied to hospital beds.

In the first two decades of the 21st century there was continuous investment in the improvement of production processes and equipment, confirmed by a process of quality certification, both with ISO 9001 and ISO 13485. Today, the third generation takes over the controls of this family company, but the principles of its founder have remained firm over time. Each with their own style, all the generations have been able to adapt to the ever-changing world and the new challenges that have emerged. With a new lease of life and a great desire to carry on the business of their grandfather and fathers, IMO’s new management has designed a vertical restructuring of the entire company, with a new strategy for strong international growth, symbolised in 2020 by the launch of a new, rejuvenated and impactful image, marking a new era for the company.

Over more than 70 years of existence, IMO has shown great social responsibility towards its customers, suppliers and employees, as well as the surrounding society.
Very honoured to have employed employees for over 50 years in the company, with fair recognition from all the hospitals with a continuous assistance to the products, many with more than 30 years in use. These are the good moments that remind the whole IMO family, that even a small company, from a small town, from a small country, can have a leading word to say all over the world and that, with patience and perseverance, IMO will become a world reference in the sector.

IMO together with all Caregivers.