As consumers spend more time in their homes, their desire to improve the spaces they live and often work in are increasing too. As a result, demand for tradespeople is unprecedented, with joiners and carpenters seeing an estimated 66% rise in jobs versus the 12 months previous.
While this is great news, it does bring challenges with how to structure jobs, manage enquiries and of course, complete as much work as possible to ride the surge, while maintaining quality standards. To maximise the opportunity that this demand for home improvements presents, joiners should turn to manufacturers who are on hand to help in a number of ways. Natalie Davenport, head of marketing at Häfele UK explains.
Speed vs efficiency
Innovative time saving products are just one way that manufacturers can help joiners and furniture manufacturers maximise their workload.
At Häfele, we have focused on making furniture construction as tool-free as possible. An example of this is Ixconnect CC 8/5/30, a claw connector for wooden drawers that can be used without dowels.
Because it has an innovative claw, it compacts the chips in the front panels of wooden drawers for quick fixing of panels and sides over 12 mm. When combined with a rear panel connector (Ixconnect RPC D 5/24) that clamps the rear panel with the side walls, Ixconnect CC 8/5/30 reduces the number of drill holes needed, dramatically cutting down assembly time and giving complete precision. It’s also entirely concealed once in place.
While a simple piece of hardware, products like Ixconnect make a big difference. In fact, it halves the number of holes required and can reduce assembly time by up to 70%.
Time saving services
Beyond time saving products, leading manufacturers are also creating services that reduce a lot of the leg work for joiners.
During the pandemic for example, we’ve extended Häfele to Order, a bespoke service which allows users to specify products to exact size, quantity and finish. While customers regularly use this service for items such as wardrobe rails or sliding door gear, joiners can now use Häfele to Order for bespoke timber drawers too.
Crafting beautiful, handmade bespoke timber drawers takes skill, care, attention, and time, but sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Through the service, customers can order handmade, solid timber drawers personalised to their needs and complete with full dovetail joints, in up to a two-week turnaround. The Häfele bespoke timber drawer service is completely made to order, meaning customers can tailor their requirements against a long list of design and personalisation options. These include choice of timber, finish and size along with shaped sides - flat or stepped top - and notching and drilling for runners.
A similar approach can also be taken to lighting. Loox by Häfele has been developed specifically for the furniture industry. A simple, modular plug and play system, it can be easily incorporated it into designs to create that all important wow factor. App controlled, it can also be adjusted for different times of the day and lighting conditions, changing the atmosphere as the customer likes at the click of a button.
As well as being easy to fit, furniture lighting schemes can be easy to design too. Häfele offers a free of charge Lighting Design Service. Simply complete an online form with basic information and upload a floor plan, and within 10 days, the company’s team of lighting consultants will return a tailored specification. Usefully, the Lighting Design Service can also be paired with Häfele to Order, making Loox probably the easiest furniture lighting range install in the UK market.
