The Manufacturer Magazine : Promoting best practice in Manufacturing

Meadowmead, Take a seat

Manufacturing in Action, Source : The Manufacturer
Published : August 2005

Are you sitting comfortably? You certainly would be if you were reclining in a beautifully upholstered example of Meadowmead’s craftsmanship says Julia Smith

At its best, the British furniture industry is noted for meticulous design, painstaking product development and rigorous manufacturing. These are the values that have traditionally epitomised the operations of the Nottinghamshire manufacturer Meadowmead, based at Long Eaton. This is a company that wants nothing to do with the new ‘throw away’ end of the market, whereby cheap furniture is consigned to the trash can every couple of seasons in favour of the latest fad.

Meadowmead is proud to have followed a different trajectory of evolution. Its continuing emphasis on fine craftsmanship has seen the company emerge as one of the country’s foremost designers and manufacturers of upholstered furniture.

The company’s classic furniture designs are firmly orientated towards the mid to high end of the market. Over the last ten years, Meadowmead has used its skills to conceive and launch a number of premium designer upholstery brands including the well-known names of John Sankey, Henderson Russell and Insitu. Each has its own unique design philosophy. John Sankey for example, is a byword for vintage style – the brand is intended to recall the grand proportions of Goya and the country house grandeur of Tolstoy. The Henderson Russell brand features clean, clear lines that bring calm and comfort to contemporary modern living. Insitu takes the concept a stage further. It embodies a classic design feel, yet is wholly in tune with the new emphasis on minimalism.

All furniture is hand-made and engineered to last for years. This is not furniture that will disintegrate after six months of daily usage. Given the right care – and Meadowmead provides clear instructions on how to do this – it should last a lifetime. The company takes great pride in its traditional craft skills, which are shown to great effect. The latest CAD/CAM design software supports the design process and fabric cutting is almost wholly automated, but producing fine upholstered furniture is still a very labour intensive process.

Despite the deliberately traditional emphasis of the business, there is a new emphasis within the company on continuous improvement. Over the last year or so, there has been a strong recognition of the importance of modern manufacturing techniques such as the philosophy of continuous improvement. Implementing continuous improvement is now a management priority. Educating the workforce on the benefits is another challenge. Meadowmead prides itself on having a forward-thinking culture, but admits it is a difficult area for a company that has always placed such strong emphasis on craft skills.

An aspect of its traditional heritage that Meadowmead is determined never to compromise is the importance attached to customer service. John Lewis, for example, is a major customer and has worked with Meadowmead for a number of years in close partnership. The working relationship with John Lewis and others has benefited from Meadowmead’s high level of attention to the sales process. This means the company has direct ownership and control of a network of designer showrooms, which are targeted at the retail trade rather than the end consumer and enable Meadowmead to showcase its products to their very best advantage. Each showroom is carefully designed to display a full range of our current products, dressed in the latest fabrics, set in a lifestyle environment and accompanied by up-to-the-minute accessory ranges.

Retail partners can see furniture in something very close to a real life situation. They are welcome at any time to visit the showrooms to view the latest models and fabric combinations, or to take part in training activities or marketing discussions that Meadowmead offers to support its products. Customers can also use the showrooms as an extension of their own floorspace and offer the facilities to their own customers to view products they cannot see in-store. Product presentation in this way has an unusual flair. It is far easier to appreciate the quality and style of the furniture than if it were presented through brochures and this has been responsible for a significant proportion of new business.

Looking to the future, Meadowmead wants to continue bringing together the old and the new; blending fine craftsmanship with the latest manufacturing practises. Pushing forward the boundaries of the sector means that designs and working practices must be continually updated, but never at the cost of product quality. For Meadowmead, the manufacture of fine furniture will always ultimately rest on time-honoured human skills in carpentry, joinery and upholstery.

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