Production line of hardware factory of Cossla (picture provided by the company)
“Customization” has become a vogue in furniture industry in recent years. As more and more furniture enterprises flood in the customized furniture industry, market competition turns white hot.
“Hardware components for smart furniture independently developed by COOMO found the ‘blue ocean’ in the customized furniture industry.” Xu Guofang, Chairman of COOMO Household Products Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as COOMO) in Houji Town expressed in a recent interview that apart from consumers’ demands for materials and colors, convenience and diversity of customized furniture have become aspects that consumers care the most. Hardware for smart furniture has become a key factor for customized furniture.
Hardware for smart furniture is the “secret weapon” for COOMO to expand market and enables it to achieve development in the “red ocean” customized furniture industry. The hardware products for smart furniture developed by the company have been exported to overseas, such as the United States, Germany, United Arab Emirates, and Spain.
Innovation: exploring new “blue ocean” with smart furniture hardware
When the journalist visited the R&D department of COOMO, he saw furniture with “transformation” functions. The hidden smart hardware components under the sofa can be stretched, turning the sofa into a bed; the hidden smart hardware components beneath the bookshelf can be turned and pulled, turning the bookshelf into a bed; supported by the hardware component beneath, a tea table can be tuned into a desk…
COOMO is a leader in the customized furniture industry. A decade ago, when customized furniture industry was still in its infancy, COOMO has already started to deploy customized business, providing furniture as customized by clients.
Through years of development, however, more and more furniture enterprises flood in. The “blue ocean” of customized furniture once with huge prospects is turning into “red ocean”, making market competition enter white hot.
Being aware of the situation, Xu Guofang started to shift to research and development. From his perspective, customized furniture can be divided into “skin” and “bone”. Apart from consumers’ demands for materials and colors, convenience and diversity of customized furniture have become aspects that consumers care the most. Hardware for smart furniture has become a key factor for customized furniture.
“Similar to China’s automotive manufacturing industry, China is equipped with core competitiveness only after it is able to develop the engine independently.” Xu Guofang expressed that driven by the concept, COOMO has founded two smart furniture hardware factories and started to engage in R&D of smart furniture hardware which was used to the company’s affiliate brands.
In 2015, COOMO set up a subsidiary Cossla Enterprise Co., Ltd (hereinafter referred to as Cossla). In addition to meeting its own demand for customized furniture products, it began to provide smart hardware components for other customized furniture brands.
The differentiation development path allows COOMO to yield fruitful results in the “red ocean” customized furniture industry. Many customized furniture brands also purchase the smart furniture hardware of COOMO.
At the 2018 Canton Fair, all eyes were on the smart hardware components of Cossla featuring super-thin, fast installation and demolition, solid metal.
It is learned that a draw is qualified if it is able to endure 30,000 consecutive pulls on machine. In contrast, the draw of Cossla made of hardware components that use special materials is able to endure 100,000 consecutive pulls. Moreover, the bearing pressure of the draw that uses smart furniture hardware is 5 times stronger than that of similar products.
Cossla obtained orders worth 5 million RMB in its debut at the Canton Fair.
Going global: from technology input to output
In early stage of its development, COOMO introduced advanced production line and manufacturing equipment with high precision from Germany and Italy. Now, with its innovation in smart furniture hardware, COOMO reverses the direction, realizing technology output.
At the launch conference of the affiliate brand “Goth” of COOMO, the brand signed agreement with six US furniture brands with nearly or over one-hundred-year history such as Bernhardt, Century, Vanguard and Hancock & Moore. Goth became their agents in China.
“Agency is only part of the cooperation. Our cooperation with the six furniture brands in fact cover smart hardware technology and products output.” Lu Kai, CEO of Goth told the journalist.
Technology output of COOMO is flourishing. Someone in charge from Cossla told the journalist that she was now on a business trip to Vietnam and planned to export smart furniture hardware to Vietnam.
This constitutes a reflection of hardware output of COOMO. Before that, products and technology of smart furniture hardware of COOMO have been exported to such countries as Germany, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.
COOMO enjoys long-term development by leveraging smart furniture hardware. Its affiliate brands reach 20 and all manage to realize growth even under the current circumstances characterized by environmental pressure and rising costs. COOMO has opened nearly 3,000 stores across the country with its products being sold to Europe, America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Technology development of COOMO does not end here. It has experienced customization and intelligence. In the age of artificial intelligence, last year, COOMO also launched brand new products such as lighting system, air conditioning system, security system, grand health system and smart home system.
Source: timedg.com
