Developing new and improved furniture products such as domestic and office furniture.
This occupation is found in the Furniture, Furnishings and Interiors manufacturing industry. The UK furniture, bed and furnishings manufacturing is substantial with over 8,000 companies contributing over £11 billion to the country’s GDP. Over a quarter of a million jobs are dependent on the success of the industry, with 118,000 in manufacturing alone.
The broad purpose of the occupation is developing new and improved furniture products such as domestic and office furniture. New Furniture Product Developers develop new products or improve existing products so that the company can meet customers’ needs more effectively. They create design briefs using their knowledge of industry specific legislation and understanding of products and materials. They manage the furniture product development and improvement process from conception through to completion.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a range of people including production/manufacturing managers, quality technicians, product developers, engineers, purchasers, customers and suppliers. They understand design, testing, materials and manufacturing processes.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working as part of a team, collaborating with marketing, technical, suppliers and manufacturing specialists throughout the product-development/improvement process. They will report to a senior member of staff such as the Design Director. A New Product Developer combines design, business and engineering skills to create products that meet both market and production requirements. They also test products both internally and externally.
New Furniture Product Developers can work in a range of environments from small workshops to large factories.
| Duty | Criteria for measuring performance | KSBs |
|---|---|---|
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Duty 1 work safely at all times following relevant legislation and regulations and ensuring the safety of self and others |
complying with relevant health and safety requirements and legislation | |
|
Duty 2 Plan, organise and manage furniture design projects from conception to completion on time and within budget |
delivered in line with agreed timescales, costs and budgets | |
|
Duty 3 create suitable furniture design briefs and concepts for the furniture products to be produced |
delivered in line with agreed timescales, costs and customers expectations | |
|
Duty 4 investigate new and existing furniture products and materials in order to incorporate these into future furniture designs |
delivered in line with industry standards | |
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Duty 5 create and introduce new/improved furniture products, proving and testing both internally and externally and collaborate with marketing, technical, suppliers and manufacturing specialists to combine furniture design, business and engineering skills |
delivered in line with agreed timescales, costs and budgets | |
|
Duty 6 choose appropriate furniture manufacturing methods, processes and techniques to produce furniture designs |
delivered in line with industry standards | |
|
Duty 7 produce 2D and 3D drawings, prototypes, models, mock-ups, artwork, samples or test pieces of furniture designs to bring these to life |
delivered in line with specifications and industry standards | |
|
Duty 8 present furniture designs to customers (internal/external) in order to get buy-in |
delivered in line with customer expectations/specifications | |
|
Duty 9 collate costing information and present this in a comprehensive format (Bill of Materials) |
delivered in line with customer expectations/specifications | |
|
Duty 10 develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, customers, suppliers and other relevant stakeholders |
delivered in line with customers' expectations |
K1: Health, safety and environmental management and risk assessment for example Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER), Health And Safety At Work Act (HASAWA), Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) and manual handling
Back to Duty
K2: Codes of Practice, industry testing and environmental standards and legislation affecting furniture design for example British Standards or Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations
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K3: Basic project management including principles and techniques of good project management
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K4: How to create and scale furniture designs
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K5: Sustainability and protecting the environment in furniture design
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K6: Furniture design trends, technological developments, new markets and innovation
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K7: Ergonomics and anthropometrics in furniture, including relating to an ageing population
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K8: Commercial and domestic furniture designs such as living room or office furniture
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K9: How to design for furniture assembly/ disassembly – ensure product build is as quick and simple as possible, likewise disassembly to be the same as appropriate
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K10: Furniture industry materials and modern and traditional manufacturing methods including plywood, MDF (Medium Density Board) and MFC (Melamine Faced Chipboard), veneers, laminates, edging materials, stains and finishes, fixtures and fittings (glass, plastics, electrical components and fittings), fabrics, springs, manmade and natural fillings and adhesives
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K11: Strength of materials and material selection including how/where to apply them
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K12: Product and material investigation techniques for example analysis of properties, flammability, abrasion, impact, scrape and scratch resistance
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K13: Furniture products and services offered to customers
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K14: New furniture product development introduction processes
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K15: Furniture product testing methods and processes for example testing which simulates real-life use and foreseeable misuse
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K16: Furniture product and material investigation techniques for example performance and durability
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K17: Furniture product development processes and how to improve existing products
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K18: Furniture manufacturing methods, processes and techniques for example CNC machining
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K19: Furniture product specifications
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K20: How to produce 2D and 3D furniture drawings, prototypes, models, mock-ups, artwork, samples or test pieces
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K21: Presentation techniques for example voice tone, positive body language and use of visuals to enhance messages
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K22: How to communicate furniture design proposals visually and in writing, different methods and how to use them effectively to reach agreement
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K23: Bill of materials and costs to produce furniture designs
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K24: Effective communication skills and techniques including verbal, written and physical non-verbal
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K25: Equality and diversity and how this applies in the workplace
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K26: Importance of developing good working relationships with others
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S1: Work safely at all times, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and completing health and safety records and reports
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S2: Plan, organise and manage furniture design projects to successful completion
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S3: Maintain furniture design records
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S4: Create suitable furniture designs and concepts for furniture to be manufactured
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S5: Apply furniture industry specific regulations, legislation and standards, covering COSHH, British Standards, European and American test standards, Conformité Européenne (CE) Marks, Intellectual Property, ergonomics and renewable practices to designs as appropriate
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S6: Create furniture designs for assembly / manufacturing capability including the use of computer aided design (CAD), 3D modelling and surfacing
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S7: Select appropriate furniture materials, products and components for the furniture designs to meet customer requirements
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S8: Investigate new and existing furniture products and materials and record findings of investigations
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S9: Develop new furniture products and improve furniture existing products that meet customers’ needs more effectively
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S10: Prove and test new and improved furniture products internally and externally
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S11: Collaborate with marketing, technical, suppliers and manufacturing specialists
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S12: Arrange and coordinate test build programmes for value engineering of product and componentry
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S13: Choose furniture manufacturing methods, processes and techniques to suit customer requirements
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S14: Develop furniture specifications for products to be manufactured
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S15: Produce 2D and 3D furniture drawings, prototypes, models, mock-ups, artwork, samples or test pieces to industry standards
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S16: Present furniture designs to customers (internal/external)
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S17: Produce visuals that demonstrates how furniture designs meets the strength, aesthetics, cost and other relevant requirements of the brief"
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S18: Collate comprehensive costing information such as a Bill of Materials
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S19: Apply effective communication techniques at all levels including written and verbal communication skills
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S20: Develop and maintain effective working relationships
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B1: Have a safety-first attitude, ensuring the safety of self and others as appropriate
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B2: Takes personal responsibility for meeting objectives of the team and business
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B3: Shows integrity, aims for excellence and manages time effectively
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B4: Is efficient when working individually and as part of a team, with ambition to achieve in all aspects of work
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B5: Thorough and accurate when accomplishing tasks
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B6: Is friendly and approachable in a furniture design environment
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B7: Demonstrates creative thinking when creating designs and concepts
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B8: Has a methodical approach to furniture design tasks
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B9: Demonstrate a positive work ethic and can-do attitude showing initiative and self-motivation
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B10: Demonstrate professional standards of behaviours and positive personality, to dress appropriately and be aware of personal presentation
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B11: Sets an example to others, is fair, consistent and reliable
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| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 27/09/2019 | Not set |
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