How to ensure the quality of office furniture?

Preparation before purchase
Define requirements and criteria
Functional requirements determination: Before purchasing office furniture, the actual functional requirements of the office scene need to be considered in detail. For example, for office tables and chairs, it should be clear whether they are used in different scenarios such as daily office, meetings or receptions. If it is used by the design department, it may require a large desktop to house drawing tools and computer equipment; Administrative desks, on the other hand, may be more focused on document storage, so they need to have enough drawers and paper shelves.

Quality standard formulation: According to the office environment and frequency of use, formulate the corresponding quality standards. Refer to the relevant national standards (such as GB/T 3324-2017 “General Technical conditions for wood furniture”, GB/T 3325-2017 “General technical conditions for metal furniture”, etc.) to determine the specific requirements such as the material, structural stability and environmental protection indicators of furniture. For example, in open office areas with frequent staff turnover, the stability and wear resistance of tables and chairs should be considered; For filing cabinets that store important documents, their tightness and fire resistance may be key quality indicators.
Supplier selection
Qualification inspection: Select suppliers with good reputation and qualification. Check the supplier’s production license, quality management system certification (such as ISO 9001) and other relevant certificates to ensure that they have legal and compliant production conditions and quality control capabilities. For example, certified suppliers have relatively standardized operating processes in raw material procurement, production process control and product inspection.
Word of mouth survey: Understand the supplier’s word of mouth through the Internet, industry associations, other user reviews and other channels. For example, you can view customer evaluations of suppliers on professional business evaluation websites, including feedback on product quality, delivery time, after-sales service, and so on. You can also ask companies in the same industry about their experience working with this supplier to understand how their products perform in actual use.
Sample evaluation: Request samples from suppliers for quality evaluation. The material, process, dimensional accuracy, appearance and other aspects of the sample are examined in detail to see if they meet the previously determined quality standards. For example, check whether the wood texture of the wooden furniture sample is natural and flawless, and whether the finish is smooth and uniform; Check whether the welding points of the metal furniture samples are firm, and whether the surface treatment is fine.
Production process supervision (if custom furniture)
Raw material inspection
Material inspection: Ensure that the raw materials used by the supplier meet the requirements. For wood, it is necessary to check its type, grade, moisture content and other indicators. For example, the moisture content of high-quality office tables and chairs should generally be controlled between 12%-18% to prevent deformation, cracking and other problems in the use of furniture. For metal materials, check their material composition, hardness, surface treatment quality and so on. Such as office furniture made of aluminum alloy, it is necessary to ensure that the alloy composition of aluminum alloy meets the standards to ensure its strength and corrosion resistance.
Environmental protection materials verification: Suppliers are required to provide environmental protection testing reports of raw materials, such as wood formaldehyde emission test report, environmental protection grade certification of plates (E1 or E0), and environmental protection indicators of auxiliary materials such as paint and glue comply with national regulations. For example, the artificial plate used should meet the E1 level standard, that is, the formaldehyde release does not exceed 1.5mg/L, to ensure the health and safety of the office environment.
Production process monitoring
Processing accuracy supervision: regularly to the production site to check the processing accuracy of furniture. For panel office furniture, it is necessary to check the cutting accuracy of the plate and the accuracy of the drilling position. For example, the stitching accuracy of the drawer side plate and the bottom plate should be controlled within a small tolerance range to ensure that the drawer draws smoothly. For solid wood furniture, it is necessary to check the processing accuracy of the mortise and tenon structure to ensure that the mortise and mortise are closely matched to ensure the stability of the furniture structure.
Assembly process inspection: Observe the assembly process of the furniture to ensure that the components are installed correctly and firmly. Check whether screws, nuts and other connectors are used reasonably and tightened properly. For example, when assembling an office chair, it is necessary to ensure that the five-star foot is firmly connected to the gas rod, and the gas rod is tightly installed with the seat surface to avoid the safety hazards of loosening or falling off during use.
Surface treatment quality control: check the surface treatment process of furniture, such as painting, veneer, etc. For painted furniture, it is necessary to ensure that the paint is uniform, no flow hanging, no bubbles, and has good wear resistance and corrosion resistance. For example, the quality of the finish is checked by a wear test (such as running a pencil with a specific hardness over the finish to see if the finish is damaged). For the veneer furniture, it is necessary to check the adhesion of the veneer, whether there is foaming, degumming and other phenomena.
Receiving inspection
Visual inspection
Overall appearance assessment: When receiving the goods, the overall appearance of the office furniture is checked first. Check whether the shape of the furniture is regular, there is no deformation, damage. For example, check that the door of the filing cabinet is flat and the four corners are vertical; Check that the top of your desk is flat and that the edges are smooth.
Surface detail inspection: Carefully check the details of the furniture surface, including whether there are scratches, bumps, paint, stains and other problems. For wooden furniture, it is also necessary to check whether the texture of the wood is natural and beautiful, and whether the veneer is tightly fitted. For example, check the surface of the conference table for scratches caused during transportation, and whether the surface of the leather seat is damaged or stained.
Structure and function test
Structural stability test: simple test for the structural stability of furniture. For the table and chair, gently shake, check whether there is loosening, shaking; For large furniture such as filing cabinets, check whether it is placed smoothly, and whether the opening and closing of cabinet doors and drawers will cause the cabinet to shake. For example, try tilting your office chair back at an Angle to see if it stays stable without tipping over.
Functional parts inspection: Check whether the various functional parts of the furniture are working properly. For example, check whether the desk drawer can be smoothly opened and closed, whether the lock can be used normally; Check whether the adjustment functions of the office chair, such as lifting and rotating, are flexible and without stalling. For furniture with moving parts, such as an office chair or file cabinet with a pulley, check that the pulley rotates flexibly and that the braking device is effective.
Quantity and specification check
Quantity count: Carefully count the quantity of office furniture against the purchase order. Ensure that the quantity of furniture received is consistent with the order to avoid short supply. For example, if you buy an office desk and chair set, check whether the number of tables and chairs is correct.
Specification check: Check whether the specifications of the furniture meet the requirements. Use measuring tools (such as tape measures) to measure the key dimensions of furniture, such as the height, width, depth of tables and chairs, the internal dimensions of filing cabinets, etc., to see if they are consistent with the specifications agreed in the contract. For example, check whether the length of the customized office sofa meets the requirements of the office space.
After-sales service guarantee
Installation and commissioning services
Professional installation team confirmation: The supplier is required to provide professional installation service team. Professional installers can correctly assemble furniture to avoid damage or affect the use of furniture due to improper installation. For example, for a complex office partition system, the installation personnel need to be familiar with its structure and installation methods to ensure that the partition is firmly installed and beautiful.
Installation and debugging inspection: After the installation is completed, check the installation quality and functional debugging of the furniture. Make sure all components are in place and the furniture is functional. For example, check whether the office bed is smooth after installation, and whether the connection between the headboard and the bed end board is firm; Check whether the installed office lamps can emit light normally, and whether the brightness and Angle meet the requirements.
Quality assurance period agreement
The warranty period is determined through negotiation: the quality assurance period of office furniture is clearly defined in the procurement contract. In general, the quality assurance period should be determined according to factors such as the type of furniture, the use environment and the quality requirements. For example, for ordinary office tables and chairs, the warranty period may be 1-2 years; For high-grade solid wood office furniture, the warranty period can be extended to 3-5 years.
Clear warranty content: clear supplier’s responsibility and obligation during the warranty period, including free maintenance, replacement of parts and other services. For example, during the warranty period, if the office furniture has structural damage, hardware failure and other quality problems, the supplier shall be responsible for free repair or replacement of the faulty parts.
After-sales service response mechanism
Response time agreement: Agree with the supplier on the response time of after-sales service. When there is a quality problem with office furniture, the supplier should be able to respond within the specified time to provide a solution. For example, for some emergency problems that affect normal office work (such as desk drawers that cannot be opened, affecting access to documents), the supplier should be able to respond within 24-48 hours and arrange for maintenance personnel to come to the house for repair.
Smooth after-sales service channels: Ensure smooth after-sales service channels, such as telephone, email, online customer service, etc. Users can easily contact the supplier’s after-sales service department, feedback quality problems and timely treatment. For example, make clear the after-sales service phone number and email address on the manual or warranty card of the furniture, and set up a special after-sales service entrance on the official website of the supplier.