Workplace Productivity
FURNWARE
Overview
Furnware is Hastings oldest manufacturing company, established in 1934, and is currently a privately owned company. Furnware is a world leader in the design and manufacture of furniture for the education sector. It has 65 staff, who operate the factory 24 hours a day, up from 18 in 1993, and has an annual turnover of over $10 million.
Productivity Challenge
Prior to 1989, Furnware, Hastings oldest furniture manufacturing company, had been the major supplier of school furniture to the Ministry of Education. The education reforms "Tomorrow Schools' meant that the central tendering system was changed to allow each school the purchasing power to buy their own furniture. This meant that Furnware had to compete and to innovate to provide schools with the best possible product. All this at a reasonable price.
The Productivity Achievement
Innovation and the development of superior quality products that match the needs of Furnware's customers has been a successful way of competing with cheap products. Focusing on a research and development knowledge base in differentiating from its competitors has led to:
- Increased emphasis on innovation as a competitive edge
- Increased networking and collaborating capabilities with businesses and customers in similar fields
- Increased knowledge of work processes and knowledge of product
- Improved evaluation and review processes for further product development and improvements
- Staff buy-in and providing training that is relevant to the process is vital for those directly involved in producing the new product/service
To find out more about the Furnware productivity case study, order a free copy of The Workplace - Productivity Challenge DVD/CD by emailing your name and physical address to info@dol.govt.nz putting Workplace Productivity CD (or DVD) in the subject line.
The full Furnware productivity case study is available as HTML and PDF
For further information on Furnware, please visit their website www.furnware.co.nz