TÜV Rheinland Opens Furniture Testing Lab in Michigan

January 31, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Visitors to the grand opening festivities on March 5 will be able to speak with the company’s technical experts and see demonstrations of the testing procedures, which meet the requirements for office chairs established by ISO, BIFMA, and European certification authorities.

“Furniture manufacturers are eager to ensure that their products meet these standards, including the ISO 24496 requirements, but there’s been very limited test capacity in the United States,” said Stephan Pesch, local field manager, Hardlines, for TÜV Rheinland North America. “With the opening of this new lab, we’ll be able to help those manufacturers comply with legal, fitness for use, and quality requirements. More than that, we work closely with our customers not only to ensure they meet all the necessary requirements, but also provide the customer satisfaction that quality-minded manufacturers seek.”

Besides regular and large-occupant office chairs, TÜV Rheinland can ensure manufacturers meet the requirements for lounge seating, desk products, panel systems, storage units, educational seating, and occasional-use seating.

Choosing Grand Rapids as the homebase for its furniture lab was a strategic decision for TÜV Rheinland, as it is also the home of BIFMA (Business and Industrial Furniture Manufacturers Association). Such close proximity will allow its field managers to be more involved in the standardization process and work closely with the BIFMA experts as it is implementing its testing operations. The lab, located at 3650 Broadmoor Avenue, Kentwood, Michigan, is a 3000 square foot facility focused exclusively on furniture testing.