MODULAR FURNITURE

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}   Furniture industry has thrown up a whole newsegment in premium modular office furniture — and big-ticket Indian firms arediversifying their product lines to cater to this cash-rich sector. KrishnaKumar Mangalam reports   Furniture industry in India is concentrated in the unorganized sector with 85%of it coming from individual, cottage, and small industries. One studyestimates the total size of this market at Rs 3,500 crore. Of this, the marketfor office furniture in commercialestablishments and service sectors accounts for Rs 1,100-1,200 crore, whilepremium office furniture, or designer furniture, commands a market share of Rs400-500 crore.    With government liberalizing FDI norms in thissector, several MNCs and bigticket Indian players have set up state-ofthe-artproduction facilities aimed to cater to the IT, ITeS, and other service andmanufacturing industries, which have hired a lot of office space and hope toboost their operations, even during this period of a global downturn, as India and China are the only two major economies in the world withtheir GDPs growing at around 7%. Some of these players, including MNCs, areHaworth, Herman Miller, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd, BP Ergo,Steelcase, Teknion, etc.    Starting in 2004, Wipro started to manufacture and market furniture andseating products, and in 2009 it invested Rs 100 crore in a state-of-the-artmanufacturing facility at its Waluj factory in Aurangabad ( Maharashtra ). The furniture division is part of its ConsumerCare and Lighting facility at Waluj and seeks to tap the high-end customerswith customized, international line of modular office furniture.    “We were already into the popularend products andwith this new facility, we are entering the premium-end, designer modularfurniture for offices. We will be targeting the IT, ITeS, telecom andbusiness-to-business segment for our growth. Unlike other players in thissegment (who also export to the US and European markets), we are focused on providinginternational quality, designer products to our clients in the Indian market,”says Parag Kulkarni, vice-president and head of Wipro Furniture.    Kulkarni says their latest product line uses steel,aluminum, and MDF (medium-density fiber) with powder coating technology from Germany and that the nano-ceramic rust inhibiting coatingis completely eco-friendly.    The latest USP of Wipro is ‘Startline’, a signatureproduct, designed by Tim Wallace, a London-based furniture designer who spenttwo years surveying the Indian market and interacting with various end users.    “ The Indianmarket is very exciting and people here are open to ideas. Most of thetop-end executives have worked in the US and European institutions and are willing toborrow and even innovate on the products. But, in India , designing office furniture is a big challengeowing to the climactic considerations, and the market is very dynamic. I use avery high proportion of recyclable material with steel, aluminum and polymersas base material — and 30% of these are recycled material! Startline is targeted specifically at the Indian market .All the furniture products are modular and can be open-bench, panel based, orconfigured for personal cabin use — and, they can be easily swapped andreconfigured across these categories, and also upgraded to meet the evolvingneeds,” says Tim. A product of Royal College of Art, Tim has been intofurniture designing for nearly 30 years, with his clients spread across the UK , Europe , and the US .   Courtesy:- TOI dt:- 11-07-09

Was this helpful? 0 0 Comments

Did this article MODULAR FURNITURE solve your question / problem? If not, read following similar tutorials & articles or ask a new question.

• Use of ergonomics and aesthetics in Modular furniture?

  The trend of using modular furniture in offices, homes and other places has increased in the past few years. Not only, it is designed and constructed with standardized units.

• Modular furniture for better working space and environment?

  The use of modular furniture at homes, offices and several other places not only allows easy assembly, repairing and flexibility in its use, but also offers multiple utility and...

• Modular Furniture Manufacturer - A New Look of Furniture?

  Are you thinking of changing the old furniture’s of your office and get something new which could give style as well as sophisticated look to your office. So for your office...

• Increasing Importance of the Office Modular Furniture?

  Beginning 1991, there ushered in an era of the new economy in India where computers and internet were expected to have a path breaking influence on not only the functioning of...

• How To Getting the Best Modular Furniture for Office?

  Office plays a major role in human lives as people spentmost of their times in offices. Life has become busy and challenging in moderntimes. The office�...

You're reading MODULAR FURNITURE.