Trendway’s New Line Diverse

HOLLAND — With a new line of chairs, Trendway Corp. is aiming to meet customers’ needs by tailoring its products to the various office roles.

“We have a basic platform for each series of seating that creates a family of products designed to meet the different needs of the work environment,” said Phil Pritchett, Trendway seating product manager.

Pritchett said several of Trendway’s lines offer office chairs in two to three sizes, along with coordinating conference chairs, stools and guest seating.

“This concept allows the end user the ability to maintain consistency throughout the workplace where different applications are employed,” he said.

The new line is the largest Trendway has offered, coming after the acquisition of CompuChair in October. CompuChair, based in Everett, Wash., designed and produced affordable, ergonomically balanced office seating, which was distributed throughout the northwest United States

Chair manufacturing has been consolidated to the Holland manufacturing plant and the new line includes both Trendway’s existing seating designs and CompuChair collections.

“It’s a huge commitment on their part to seating,” Nancy Douglas, a public relations representative, said of the expanded line.

Trendway also has entered into a design partnership with POSH Office Systems Ltd., an office furniture distributor in Hong Kong and the operator of a franchise network in China. The company plans to develop a complete office furniture product line through that relationship.

There are four categories in the new collection: On Task for task seating; In Charge for managerial task seating; Up Scale for executive seating; and At Will for multipurpose seating. Within these categories are 10 lines of chairs, each with its own set of options, such as arm style, back style, size and applications.

“Seating is a very personal experience and is driven by many variables to include price, value, comfort, performance, esthetic appeal and status,” Pritchett said. “We have set a good foundation in our product offerings that addresses the core of the market.”

The new collection was available to order for the first time at NeoCon 2005 in Chicago June 13-15.

Buying office furniture can be complicated, Pritchett said. Trendway is helping to make the process easier by offering more options within the same line.

“The expanded seating line is another way that we can address the needs of our customers by providing them cost-effective seating solutions all under one umbrella,” he said.

As a smaller company, Douglas said, competition with larger furniture manufacturers has to take place on a different level.

“The way they have chosen to be different is by having outstanding service,” she said.

One example is the Trendway Xpress program, which ships in three business days or less for no extra charge. Five of the 10 new lines, including two of the Up Scale executive chairs, are included in the program. Pritchett said the chairs are listed at $460 to $750, positioned to hit the core demand of the mid market.

“It’s no secret there are hundreds of choices in seating manufacturing,” he said. “However, we are confident in our ability to impact this segment of the market through our relationships, people and organization.”

For more information, visit www.Trendway.com.