FLI Workshop Series

Koenig Repair & Maintenance workshop

Close to 30 participants attended the Koenig Repair and Maintenance workshop on 8 April 2009. The workshop was organised by the Furniture Learning Institute (FLI) in conjunction with Heinrich Konig & C.KG, one of the world’s leading and most established specialists in touch-up and repair systems for wood and stones.

Materials Repair Specialist, Mr Kevin Coburn shared important lessons on the various repair and maintenance kits and tools that are available today. The participants were introduced to the various repair techniques for stones, pressure marks and fine scratches on laminates. Besides understanding the theory behind the techniques, they also had a chance to witness step-by-step demonstrations by Mr Coburn.

Through the application of these effective repair and maintenance processes, the participants were pleased to learn that they would be able to reduce manpower cost and wastage of time and materials, thus, increasing efficiency while reducing overall operation costs.

During the Koenig Repair & Maintenance Workshop

Is your Furniture up to ‘Standard’ for European Market?

Increasingly, companies have identified Europe as one of the markets they are keenest to enter. As a result of the intensified interest in the region, the FLI specially organised a workshop, “Is your Furniture up to ‘Standard’ for European Market?”, which was held on 16 April 2009.

The workshop was conducted by Mr Mark Bronka, Operations Manager of FIRA International Limited, the leading authority on furniture and flammability testing. Mr Bronka shared his insights and imparted the participants with knowledge on the technical requirements for furniture sold in Europe, especially in areas of ergonomic design for furniture and European Standards for imported home living furniture.

During the half day workshop, participants were introduced to the Readiness Check Guidelines for Furniture to enable them to assess their current furniture standards. Besides this, Mr Bronka also shared with the participants in-depth knowledge on the importance of ergonomics. He cited ways to design and create such furniture, and used a case study on children’s furniture to illustrate his points. With quality ergonomically designed furniture, users stand to reap health benefits such as the correction of sitting posture to prevent Musculoskeletal disorders.

Following that, the participants were also brought to the TÜV SÜD PSB lab, an established and internationally recognised testing body that provides a comprehensive and integrated suite of product testing, inspection and certification services. Introductions on the testing equipment and facilities as well as a tour of the lab were conducted to give the participants a better overview of the testing processes. A ‘live’ demo was also conducted by testing experts to allow participants to have a greater practical understanding on how various product testings and quality certifications are done.

This coming July, SFIC will be organising two intensive workshops – “Handling Difficult Customers” and “Negotiate A Better Deal” – to equip participants with the necessary skills to overcome and handle difficult customers and their complaints, and for business negotiation respectively. Please contact Mr Russell Giam at +65 6505 9196 or email learning@singaporefurniture.com for more information.