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Swedish IP and patent company Välinge Innovation primarily known for their invention of click flooring utilizing 2G and 5G locking systems has launched Threespine – Furniture Assembly With A Click in the US. Threespine is a click technology for furniture that is based on the extremely successful 5G technology for flooring. With Threespine there is no need for tools or manuals, the furniture is simply clicked together.
The Threespine tool-less assembly offers a host of advantages over traditional assembly and Välinge strongly believes their cutting edge technology is a game changer when it comes to assembling furniture, casegoods, and cabinets.
Hans Brännström, Business Unit Manager at Välinge states that “Turning Threespine into the new “need-to-have” for certain furniture is just a matter of time. No matter where you find yourself in the value chain, the question is not if Threespine will make your life easier but rather by how much.”
Let’s take a look at how changing to Threespine impact your business:
- New Design Possibilities for Flat Pack
Threespine opens up ways to design RTA furniture as if they were assembled in factory. There are few limitations when it comes to thickness of panels or the mixing of materials that you can use when incorporating Threespine, opening up a host of design opportunities previously unavailable within the RTA category due to the limitations of traditional assembly techniques. Threespine lets you connect the panels with perfectly square joints utilizing a variety of profiles, with no visible holes or hardware. Perfectly square, gap-less joints allow for creativity that until now, has not been available in flat-pack production.
“Since the connection function is integrated in the panels, Threespine ensures that all panels are aligned in perfect angles, thereby making the furniture very stable. Threespine also offers the ability to retrofit existing product designs with little to no impact on size, shape, or aesthetics. Tests have shown that Threespine provides a connection up to 40% stronger compared to traditional assembly methods”, says Martin Borg, Key Account Manager at Välinge Innovation.
- Use for High-Volume Production
Threespine has been optimized for high-volume production in through-feed machines such as edgebanders and profiling machines. However, the technology is just as suitable for production of customized products in CNC machines.
To make the transition to Threespine as easy as possible, Välinge has developed a very compact profiling unit, primarily designed for installation in existing edgebanding lines.
Recent development has enabled fully automatic assembly in the factory. This opens up possibilities to combine flexible production of factory assembled furniture and RTA furniture using the same production line. Whether robotically or manually, assembly is faster, which can significantly impact margin by reducing the manufacturing cost per unit.
Threespine’s team of professionals comprehensively works with each of their licensees, assisting from the first introduction to their Furniture Assembly With A Click, right through completion of implementing within their client’s production lines.
- Increase Customer Satisfaction in New Retail Landscape
As online furniture and cabinet sales increase at a record pace, forward thinking companies are focused more than ever on the customer experience. With Threespine, each piece of furniture consists of just a few parts that can be efficiently packed in flat boxes and thereby reducing the risk of damaged goods. Without the need for any connecting fittings or screws, there is substantially less risk of missing parts and the assembly process becomes a breeze for any retail customer, even those whom have never assembled anything in their life. An easy assembly experience in combination with great design leads to satisfied customers and excellent customer reviews.
“To succeed in this new era of online distribution, retailers not just in North America, but globally, have started to focus on assembly and the ultimate impact it has on the overall customer purchasing experience. Furniture with Threespine ticks all the boxes for success in this new landscape, leaving you with fewer claims and happier customers. Quality control of products assembled by customers in their living room can now be “baked-in” during production. Strong, quick, easy, and perfect, are the cornerstones of a great buying experience and what keeps people coming back!”, added Scott Augustine, Threespine North America at Välinge Innovation.
- Reach your Sustainability Goals
Almost all companies today have ambitious sustainability goals. The area with potentially the greatest opportunity to reduce carbon footprint is transportation. Sending products as flat packages instead of factory assembled, has been proven to positively impact the environment through the reduction of deliveries, lowering a company’s carbon footprint
Take for an example, a complete set of kitchen cabinets utilized within the construction industry for a new build or remodel. By shifting from factory-assembled kitchens to flat pack kitchens with Threespine, companies would be able to deliver twice the amount of cabinets or more, per shipment. This means a significant reduction of CO2 as well as substantial savings in terms of administrative costs related to handling and factory assembly, potential damage claims, and potentially road and environmental taxes, not to mention vehicle-related fuel and maintenance costs.
A Swedish university study comparing the transportation costs per cabinet of factory assembled vs RTA furniture showed that the costs of RTA furniture was approximately 40% lower.
About Välinge Innovation
Välinge Innovation AB is focused on the development of patents and technologies for the flooring and furniture industry. It’s portfolio includes technologies as well as IP for flooring installation and wall mounting systems, material compositions, surface technologies and click furniture. Välinge has strategic partnerships with the industry’s most important IP players, including Unilin, IVC, Pergo, Mannington, Classen, and US Floors and has over 3,000 international granted patents within flooring, furniture and surface technologies. The company has a license base of more than 240 licensees. As of 2019, the company had about 240 employees and a turnover of >120 M€ and is headquartered with the world's most advanced R&D center for floorings in Viken, Sweden.
