Have you ever wondered how that super comfy chair you're sitting in came to be?
The journey from a simple idea to the perfect piece of soft seating is a fascinating blend of creativity, science, and a lot of hard work. Whether it's a modular collection or a plush sofa, every piece of soft seating starts with an idea and goes through a detailed process before it reaches you.
Let's take a behind-the-scenes look at how designers and engineers turn concepts into reality, creating seating that combines comfort, style, and functionality.
Step One: Identifying the Need & Trends
This step is routine for all manufacturers, but at Flexxform, we take it further by studying upholstery trends, design trends, and every quote request we receive.
We believe the best way to identify needs is by listening to our customers. If we’ve turned down your quote request because we didn’t have anything similar, rest assured we’ve added that product idea to our future designs list. If a particular request comes up often, we fast-track it to ensure we stay flexible and responsive to our customers' needs.
So, even if we don’t have what you’re looking for right now, ask us anyway – we might incorporate it into future designs!
Step Two: Concept Development
Once we identify a specific need or trend, we take one of two approaches.
For some products, we write up a proposal and description, then send it to our external designers to see what they can come up with.
Alternatively, we gather our internal designers to discuss the best way to meet the need and develop a design in-house.
Either way, once the designs are complete, we bring them to our R&D team for a practical review, considering the production perspective. From there, any necessary changes are made or suggested.
Step Three: Designing & Prototyping
Once the design is finalized, it is handed off to our R&D team to build a prototype both physically and technologically.
CAD files are created to guide the production team in manufacturing the different components.
And an actual prototype is also built to ensure it is practical, comfortable, and aligns with our product lineup.
Step Four: Refinement & Final Design
At this stage, the entire team gathers to scrutinize the prototype. Weight tests, final design adjustments, and other evaluations are all part of this process.
The Flexxform team sets a high bar for approval, so we often cycle back to steps 3 and 4 repeatedly until everyone is satisfied with the outcome.
Once all concerns are addressed and the prototype meets our standards, we finally approve the final design.
Step Five: Production & Quality Control
This step begins only after the final sign-off in step four is completed.
Here, we ensure that every aspect of the design is ready for the initial order. Foam templates, upholstery templates, wood templates, and any necessary parts are created or ordered.
Additionally, CAD files are finalized and edited to align with the approved design.
Step Six: Launch & Market Introduction
Finally, we move on to our last step, which is introducing the new product to the market.
During this phase, final renderings are completed, and the product is added to our website with all associated literature.
Once all marketing materials are finalized, we launch the product to our customers through emails and social media, as well as in meetings with sales representatives and dealers, ensuring everyone is aware.
We sometimes launch at NeoCon, sometimes at the beginning of the year, but generally, new products are launched and introduced throughout the year to keep our product line fresh and aligned with current trends.
And there you have it! The concept to reality of each Flexxform piece.
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