The reception hosted by the Furniture Industry Research Association and FIRA International, the UK’s largest furniture association and leading furniture technology centre, at the House of Lords on Friday 17th June was a great success.
250 guests attended the prestigious annual event hosted by Lord Hoyle of Warrington which took place in the Cholmondley Room and on the terrace overlooking the Thames.
Charles Vernon, the new chairman of the Furniture Industry Research Association said: “As the first major event since I took the role as chairman, I was pleased to see what a success the event was. The association has had a busy year with 20 members joining the Association over the last 12 months, many of whom were in attendance.
“Thanks again to Lord Hoyle for hosting and to everyone involved in the organisation of the event. This event provides a fantastic opportunity to catch up with long-standing and new members, and meet our award and certification holders.”
Phil Reynolds, FIRA’s general manager, added: “The event is a great way to celebrate the success of the furniture industry, with 14 of our clients receiving their certificates for achieving FIRA Ergonomics Excellence, FIRA Gold Certification or membership of the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme. We were also particularly pleased to present a long service award to one of our key staff, Vaughan Taylor, who has been with us for over 40 years”
FIRA Gold
FIRA Gold Product Certification was awarded to:
• Kitchen doors and panels – Burbidge & Son Limited
• Zig Zag Sinuous Springs – Wade Spring Limited
• Foamflex Cushions – Recticel Limited
• Furniture Spring Range – Heico Fasteners UK Ltd
FIRA Gold Installation Certification was awarded to:
• The Symphony Group – retail kitchen, bedroom and bathroom displays
• Woodson Contract Kitchens – fitted kitchen furniture
FIRA Gold Certification is the recognised quality mark for products or installation services within the furniture and kitchen industries. To be awarded FIRA Gold, a product or installation service must be assessed against specified performance levels through independent tests or evaluation by furniture industry expert, FIRA.
It is documented proof that products and installation processes are of the highest standard with consistency in production and installation quality verified through regular audit testing and inspections.
Ergonomics Excellence
The Ergonomics Excellence Award was awarded to:
• Mirra 2 Chair – Herman Miller
• Smart Chair – Humanscale
• IN Chair – Wilkhahn
• Go Flex document reading and writing slope – Ergonomic Café
• Shadow laptop stand – Ergonomic Café
The FIRA Ergonomics Excellence Award identifies genuine ergonomic excellence in both domestic and workplace furniture products by clearly distinguishing those that are outstanding from other products in the marketplace.
In order to receive the award, stringent ergonomic criteria, safety, user-friendliness and the comfort and wellbeing of the user are considered, as well as whether the product is fit for purpose both structurally and ergonomically.
FISP Certification was awarded to:
• Delta Laminates Ltd
• Elite Contract Furniture
• Mobili Office Limited
• Sven Christiansen
FISP, which is audited by FIRA International, was launched in 2006 by the industry to support and promote sustainable development. Today, FISP is the standard of sustainable excellence for companies across the furniture supply chain and is recognised as the industry’s environmental benchmark.
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www.fira.co.uk
