An event held by FIRA International Ltd, the UK’s leading furniture technology centre, at the House of Lords last Friday (12th September) attracted 250 guests.
The prestigious annual event, hosted by Lord Hoyle of Warrington, took place in the Cholmondley Room and on the terrace overlooking the Thames.
Phil Reynolds, FIRA’s COO, says: “The night was a great success, with thanks again to Lord Hoyle for hosting and to everyone involved in the organisation of the event. It has been a busy year for flammability testing following the Fake Britain programme in January, with a special mention to our testing team who have worked hard to pull out all the stops to help our clients make sure their products were safe and legal.
“Since last year, we have welcomed 51 new members to the Furniture Industry Research Association, the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) has gained 13 new members and we have nine new Ergonomics Excellence Award holders. This event provides a fantastic opportunity to meet new members, present awards and certifications and catch up with long-standing members, associates, clients and friends. I look forward to working with them in the coming months.”
Speeches were made by Phil Reynolds, Furniture Industry Research Association council chairman, Michael Powell, and Lord Hoyle of Warrington.
FIRA took the opportunity to present awards and certifications on the night, including the Ergonomics Excellence Award, FIRA Gold Certification and the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) Certification.
Ergonomics Excellence Award winners:
BMA Ergonomics - Axia 2.0 Smart Seating System
Colebrook Bosson & Saunders - Flo Monitor Arm
Ergonomic Café - Agile Laptop Stand
SBFI - Aspect Dealer Desking
The FIRA Ergonomics Excellence Award identifies genuine ergonomic excellence in both domestic and workplace furniture products by clearly distinguishing those that are outstanding from other products in the marketplace.
In order to receive the award, stringent ergonomic criteria, safety, user-friendliness and the comfort and wellbeing of the user are considered, as well as whether the product is fit for purpose both structurally and ergonomically.
The Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) Certification was awarded to KI (UK).
FISP, which is audited by FIRA International, was launched in 2006 by the industry to support and promote sustainable development. Today, FISP is the standard of sustainable excellence for companies across the furniture supply chain and is recognised as the industry’s environmental benchmark.
Finally, FIRA Gold Installation Certification was awarded to:
Panorama Kitchens - Fitted kitchen furniture (Independent Retailer Scheme)
Premier Kitchens and Bedrooms - Fitted kitchen and bedroom furniture (Independent Retailer Scheme)
Regal Kitchens - Fitted kitchen furniture (Independent Retailer Scheme member)
The Symphony Group - Retail kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture
