Customizing Upholstered Seating with a Standard Product Line
By Brooke Baldwin
Although RJones & Associates of Dallas, Texas, has been around for more than 25 years, it’s not the same company that Rob Jones started. It continues to evolve both strategically and systematically. When Jones took over his father’s local upholstered seating manufacturing company back in the ‘70s, he started building relationships with local designers and showrooms. Now RJones is represented across the entire country and has been installed throughout the world.
RJones has a distinctive line of residential upholstered furniture that is engineered using only hardwood frames, hand-tied coil springs and down filled cushions. "We do not sell retail, we only sell to the design trade," says Bryan Campbell, executive vice president of RJones. "Most of our work is right out of the standard catalog, but since we cater to interior designers and architects, we will customize. Our price list offers more options than the normal furniture manufacturer’s price list. We have multiple blends of downs for cushions, multiple lengths of sofas, multiple lengths of modular units and after all that, we’ll customize further with extra firm, extra deep, extra height or a different arm."
Strategically, RJones has evolved over the years from a totally custom manufacturer to customizing only its standard line. "RJones will do anything to our standard line the customer wants within reason, but no longer do we build totally custom products. We really don’t have to anymore. Plus, eliminating the scheduling uncertainty associated with producing one-off items has allowed us to maintain very consistent lead times and maintain a very high level of customer service."
All information from an order is keyed in by order entry people and includes all the details that the client sees and wants. Then RJones’ engineers process the information on AutoCAD with all the final dimensions.
A Vanishing Art
RJones is one of the very rare companies that still does a true eight-way hand tied coil system. It is a very high-end feature and also a vanishing talent, according to George Koeninger, consultant to the company. "It is this that gives RJones pieces their exceptional comfort. It gives what is called "the ride" of the cushion. No matter what amount of weight is applied, the same comfort in the cushion is given."
"RJones has three standard cushion fills," says Campbell. "The first consists of a foam core wrapped with several layers of Dacron, an installation where people want a soft cushion without the maintenance of down. The next is 25/75, which is 25 percent down and 75 percent feathers and our most common type of fill. An upgrade from that is 50/50 - 50 percent down and 50 percent feathers. We are occasionally asked for 100 percent down which we have done for special orders."
For curved or profile frame parts, engineered hardwood specifically made for the furniture industry is used. RJones uses a one-inch material, which combines very nicely with the 5/4" poplar that is used for horizontal pieces, according to Campbell. An ANDI CNC router, which has multiple tools for upholstery frames, is used to cut the components.
RJones has just purchased a Gerber 3500 conveyorized cutting system, with the extended matching capabilities, that will be in place next month. "Fabrics never have a straight line - there is a lot of "bow and skew" in the weave and this machine accommodates for this inconsistency," explained Koeninger. "Fabric patterns are digitized into software systems, patterns are drawn, matches are made and all this is imparted into the Gerber machine."
High end products for upscale residential applications account for most of RJones’ $4 million a year in sales. "Our typical customers are interior designers, from one-person shops to some of the largest design firms in the country, who specify our products for either residential or commercial applications. As far as pricing, RJones’ sofas run from $1,800 to $3,500 wholesale COM (customer’s own material), according to Campbell. Its lounge chairs range from $800 to $2,400 wholesale COM.
Campbell feels that what sets RJones apart from its competitors are its style and custom abilities. "In fact, we have just started an ad campaign in Southern Accents magazine to spread this message to the ultimate consumer." As for customization he adds, "There are still a lot of companies that won’t go to the extent that we will for our clients to customize. There’s still a need for that and we do an excellent job of satisfying that need."
But RJones continues to evolve. "Unlike some of our competitors, we’ll always handle our upholstery in-house," Campbell said. "But as far as I’m concerned, everything is still on the table. We’re continually trying to improve upon what we do best."
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