Excellence Accelerated: Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman

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Decorati interviewed Jobi Blachy to get the inside scoop about new manufacturer partner Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman.

What are some inspirations for your furniture designs?

Our roots have always been in European design. Lewis Mittman and then Steve Mittman both traveled around Europe and the world extensively to create the designs for our line. More recently, we are fortunate to have been associated with a group of licensees that collectively are some of the most talented designers in the world. Marshall Watson, Jamie Drake and Roger Thomas have all brought their own flavor to EF+LM, and as a result, have continued the tradition of world-class design at EF+LM.

EF+LM stands out when it comes to operations. Tell us more about your lead times for standard upholstery products, custom products, and rush orders.

I always tell people that there are loads of companies that make “pretty” furniture. There are few though, if any, that are as focused on operational excellence as EF+LM. We have put great emphasis on reducing our leadtimes during the past 2-3 years. We currently ship standard upholstery products in 2-3 weeks and completely custom upholstery products in 4-6 weeks.

Because our lead-times are so fast on upholstery, rarely is there a need for a rush order.

How are you able to achieve such short lead times?

Well most importantly, let me be clear that nothing has been taken out of our product or out of our processes; except for the things you don’t want there anyway (like waiting time, re-work, poor quality, lots of questions) . Let me clarify. Two years ago we began a journey with a philosophy called Lean Manufacturing. Lean, or the Toyota Production System, is a process of trying to take all waste out of a process or system.

Basically, if you as a customer wouldn’t want to pay for it, (like the wastes listed above) then we eliminate it. So as a result, when a product starts in the production queue at the factory it flows through with almost no interruptions. And the best part about Lean, is that our employees came up with almost all of the improvements that have made us so successful in the past few years.

What inspired you to introduce LEAN manufacturing techniques into your business?

I didn’t come from an operations background. I knew that our operations weren’t efficient, but I also didn’t know how to fix them. So I started touring other manufacturing facilities around North America looking for a solution, or at least a common language that I could share with our operations team. I discovered Lean techniques at another furniture factory, and then read dozens of books on the subject and hired a consultant to help with our implementation.

We took the approach that we were jumping in feet first and that there was NO looking back. But had we not made these changes, we would not be surviving this economic downturn as well as we are.

What are the advantages of LEAN manufacturing for your company and your clients?

The single most important advantage is that we are focused only on processes and activities that add value to our clients; nothing else. And the most important part of Lean is that you never reach an end-goal; there is ALWAYS something that you can improve upon. So no matter how good we are today, we will not be satisfied unless we are measurably better tomorrow.

Do you see a trend in clients requesting items with faster lead time?

Of course, everybody does. The question though, is anyone doing anything about it? The idea that high-end, custom furniture has to take a long time is simply a closed-minded view on our industry, typically reinforced by companies that won’t change. 2-3 weeks on upholstery is only a start for us….we will get even better.

What type of design assistance do you provide for custom orders?

We have a design and engineering team that reviews every order before it goes into production. Our goal is to answer all questions prior to the beginning of production, but even more importantly to look out for the best interest of our clients. Every custom piece and every fabric-to-frame application creates new questions and challenges for the workroom and the designer. Our objective in having this focused team is to make sure that we all look good in the eyes of the end user.

Has having a presence on the internet changed your business (Giving more access to designers, placing orders online)?

Absolutely. Once again we bucked the trend of the industry by moving away from a “secretive” website with limited information to one that provides as much information as possible for the designer; even list pricing. We offer a program on the website called Preferred Designer. If a designer registers on our website, providing at least their tax ID or three showroom references, we give them access to tear sheets and list pricing on our website. Then the best benefit of the program is if they ship a certain level of volume in one calendar year with EF+LM, we take them with us to Maison Objet in Paris each January. Its our way of thanking them for their loyalty to our brand.

How do you think the internet will change the future of design?

As a company that has developed a sustainable brand and many sustainable processes, it is our hope that the internet will eliminate our need for a paper catalog and pricelist. I know that we’re all still addicted at this time, but I think it will change. Because of the ease of use of our website, we have designers frequently telling us that they do not need our catalog anymore. Think of how many trees we would save if we all used electronic catalogs.

How do you collaborate with designers to create a line that conforms to your brand and reflects their style and concept?

The collaborations we have had are all unique and special in their own way. We have the opportunity to introduce the color and excitement of Jamie Drakes designs, to the classical forms that Marshall Watson brought us, and then most recently we had the opportunity to work with Roger Thomas. I was intimately involved in that launch, and I can’t begin to tell you how much of a treat it was to work with him, learn from him, and watch his creative genius at work. The common thread of all three of their brands is that they were all customers of ours before licensing partners. They all wanted to be with an American manufacturer that was innovative, and still believed in building a quality product; quality product that they had all experienced first-hand.

Roger often says that one of the reasons he chose EF+LM for his collection is that as a vendor for his hotels, we are one of the only companies that has ever exceeded his expectations; many have met his expectations, and many more have not met them…but we exceeded his expectations.

What are your new furniture collections designed in collaboration with other designers?

Our newest collection was actually designed by Skip Rumley, our Vice President of Design. Pure: Sustainable Luxury was introduced late last year. When Skip joined our company, we asked him to design a classic modern collection to fill a major void in our brand. AFTER he had designed it, I asked him to go back and reselect all of the materials and processes to make it sustainable. The reason I did this is that I didn’t want him to design to sustainable materials available at that time. I was afraid that everything would be bamboo or that it would be too “shop-made” looking. Instead, we designed a beautiful new collection and then really challenged ourselves to find the materials that were necessary to make it sustainable. The result is a collection that sells as often for its beautiful design as it does for its sustainability. We’re very proud of this collection.

What does it mean to be a member of the Sustainable Furniture Counsel?

We are very proud to be the first trade-only company accepted into the SFC. While the fabric side of our industry has many more certifying agencies and watch-dog groups, furniture has gone for the most part without sustainability leadership. The SFC really filled an important role there, and we are extremely proud to be a member. My personal goal is to actively support the organization by promoting it to the trade side of the business and by helping to make sure that more companies follow the SFC guidelines.

How does your membership play a part in the design and construction of your furniture?

Well for PURE it obviously guided our decisions in what materials we used. That was just the start for us though. As we become more comfortable with the sustainable materials, and as they become more affordable and readily available, my goal is for more and more of the company to follow sustainability guidelines. For example, we now use SFC certified maple for all of our upholstery frames, and we are testing a new low-VOC finish that could be applicable for our entire line in the not-so-distant future.

What do you think sustainable furniture means for the future of design?

As Henry David Thoreau said, “What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”

Please describe your new Edward Ferrell flagship showroom opening in April.

We are thrilled to be opening our new flagship Edward Ferrell Showroom at the D&D. This is the only market where Edward Ferrell and Lewis Mittman are in separate showrooms. With 4500 sq ft we also decided to make the showroom a multi-line showroom. As such, this is the beginning of exciting new partnerships between Edward Ferrell, Berman Rosetti, Carole Gratale, The McLaughlin Collection, OEco Textiles, and several artists. The initial reaction has been incredible.

Our previous showroom was only 1500 sq ft. So designers have commented that we have moved from the studio to the penthouse! All of the brands and accessories blend beautifully with the Edward Ferrell upholstery and will give the designer the ability to create stunning interiors from one location.

What exciting grand opening events do you have planned?

We have put together a series of educational and networking events, and of course a kicking grand opening party.

We will have three events on April 1. We begin the day with an educational lecture by Steve Mittman called “Fabric 101: The wrong fabric for the right chair.” Steve has taken this lecture all over the country. Even designers who have practiced for 30 years rave about how much they learn. Then we will have a fascinating lunch and learn with Carole Gratale. The afternoon will finish with a very important lecture by Patty Grossman from OEco Textiles on how to select and use sustainable fabrics in your projects. Then from 5-7pm on April 1st we are having our grand opening party. Hundreds of designers and industry leaders are expected for this much anticipated event.

On Thursday, April 2 we will be hosting our final two lectures. In the morning Pat McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Collection will take you into the fascinating world of acrylic; showing how it is manufactured and the many creative uses for this wonderful material. The Grand Opening Celebration concludes with a lunch and learn by Nick Berman and Gennaro Rosetti of Berman Rosetti. They will share the inspiration for their most recent designs, as well as the joys and pitfalls of working together in a partnership.