Back in 1888, Johannes Albertus Auping was a hard-working blacksmith in Deventer, who did not shy away from any challenge. When the director of a hospital asked him for a ventilating bed, he created a woven mesh mattress. He did this by attaching iron wires to the cutting plate of a bean mill, and then rotating it along an axis. This resulted in a beautiful braiding piece. Later on, he ensured that the bed base became flexible.
Big improvements sometimes come in small steps. In 1963, for example, the steel wire was no longer stretched lengthwise, but widthwise. This change in turn led to the invention of adjustable bed bases at Auping.