Fibreline / 44 Forte

FORTY YEARS OF FILLINGS

Today, Fibreline is known for its quality products across a broad range of cushion seat fillings – often combining different fillings to achieve specific results – and behind this achievement is a distinguished, 40-year history …

www.fibreline-ltd.co.uk

Fibreline was founded by John Prudhoe in 1982, and has grown to be the largest independently owned upholstery cushion fillings manufacturer in the UK.

John had significant experience in the upholstery market, and could see the potential for carded synthetic fibres in upholstery – consequently, Fibreline became a pioneer in the use of polyester fibre in the UK furniture industry.

Initially based on Marley Street in Keighley, the company soon outgrew its location and, in 1992, moved to the old Waddingtons playing card factory – Victoria Park Mills on Hard Ings road.

Over the following decade, Fibreline diversified into feather and foam cushion fillings, thus offering a one-stop shop for all cushion fillings.

Innovations came thick and fast, and in 2003 Fibreline became one of the first foam convertors to install a fully integrated foam-cutting line.

One of the main problems with 100% fibre seat cushions is that they flatten over time and require strenuous plumping. Fibreline sought a remedy for this problem with Encore.

Fibreline started to develop the Encore range in 2010. Initially, this comprised Encore Fibre, which had the look and feel of a fibre cushion but recovery characteristics that were more like foam. Encore Fibre was quickly awarded the FIRA GOLD seal of approval, and went on to become a great success story.

Encouraged by the success of Encore Fibre, Fibreline developed Encore Feather and Encore Foam. Encore Feather has the look and feel of a feather cushion, but with much-improved recovery when compared to a traditional, feather-filled seat cushion. Encore Foam provides the clean lines of a foam seat cushion but the snug feel of a fibre seat.

While all this innovative development was going on, Fibreline also introduced a number of industry production process firsts – for example, pioneering the robotic drilling of foam components in 2015, and installing a robotic fabrication line in 2019.These improvements and innovations have helped Fibreline remain competitive in terms of both pricing and delivery.

The latest product from Fibreline is Fibrefill Blue. Fibreline recognised the need to offer cushion manufacturers an environmentally friendly solution using recycled plastic, so found a way to convert the equivalent of 100 plastic bottles into each “very comfy” cushion.

Fibreline will continue to innovate and provide customers with high quality solutions across fibre, feather and foam. This, along with a high level of customer service and tight delivery schedules, promises to set Fibreline firmly on a successful path for the next 40 years, and beyond

FORTE AT 30

Having regained a firmer foothold in the UK marketplace, and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Polish RTA powerhouse Forte is primed to prove its prowess through its latest on-trend lines. Furniture News spoke to national sales manager Victoria Ross about the brand’s background, values and market-matching portfolio …

www.forte.com.pl

FORTE PRODUCT OFFERS THE HIGHEST QUALITY IN TERMS OF VALUE

FOR MONEY

What’s Forte’s story? Founded 30 years ago, Forte is one of the largest European manufacturers of furniture for self-assembly. We have five state-of-the-art manufacturing plants, and offer self-assembly furniture for all areas of the home. We offer a comprehensive living and dining range, but are best known for our upstairs collections of bedroom and home office furniture.

How long has the brand been present in the UK? Forte has been present in the UK market for 15-16 years, but only in a very limited way.

Why did the business choose to relaunch its UK offer, and how has it evolved? The decision to relaunch Forte was taken in 2019 following an in-depth analysis of the current marketplace. We could see the trend towards welldesigned self-assembly furniture, and knew that we had already-successful products that would fit well in the UK.

Our original plan was set for a soft launch in summer 2020, but this was delayed due to the pandemic. We used that time to further develop our UKtailored offer and to build processes, enabling us to supply customers with delivery terms that suit them, following the changes since Brexit.

We’ve taken a selection of the larger Forte offer and made all of the necessary adjustments to have these products immediately available to UK customers – bed sizes and styles have been changed to suit UK trends, and sideboards and TV units changed to better fit the size requirements of UK consumers. Where applicable, light fittings have been changed, and now come with either a UK or USB power supply.

Do UK buyers still have access to the complete offer? Absolutely! The UK catalogue is just a snapshot of what Forte can offer. Customers can access our entire catalogue, and order most items without having to meet high production minimums. We can also tailor any lines or programmes for a more specific need where justified.

Kashmir Malamati

High Rock

How does the product stack up in terms of value, quality and materials? Forte product offers the highest quality in terms of value for money. With our in-house design team working closely with our quality department, all items are developed and tested for the rigours of everyday use. We are constantly updating our range of finishes and our build technology, to offer the consumer the best possible experience.

What are the likely lead times? The current lead time is six weeks, although we are often able to offer quicker turnaround. Since Brexit, we have invested heavily into our UK business to ensure we can offer customers the most practical ways to purchase and receive our products – including a fully declared option, minimising paperwork and costs for our customers.

Forte’s facility in Ostrów

Do Forte’s products come with any additional guarantees? Everything is offered with a 12-month guarantee against manufacturing faults or problems. All of our facilities are audited by ISO and SMETA. We also support responsible and sustainable forest management – as a manufacturer, we source our woodbased materials exclusively from legal sources, certified and controlled in accordance with FSC standards.

In terms of supply continuity, our wholly owned chipboard manufacturing plant means we’re not subject to the supply issues that have affected some of our competitors.

Do you offer any services to streamline the buying process or support stockists? We work closely with our customers to support them with whatever materials they need to maximise sales. We supply high-quality imagery and, in some cases, product videos, along with additional PoS material if required.

Can you give us an idea of Forte’s ambitions? Because we are starting with only a handful of existing customers, our growth plans are ambitious. We saw significant YoY growth last year, and we have no limit to the infrastructure investments we are willing to make to ensure we have the best offer for our customers – both in terms of product, and the service they can expect to receive from us.

What brought you to the business? Who else is involved in the UK operation? I joined Forte in 2019 following a long recruitment process. I joined at a time of change within the business, and have seen our back-office systems and processes adapting and changing to meet the demands of the current market.

I am fully supported by a team of experts in terms of product development, sales, quality and logistics, both in Poland and here in the UK.

What would you say to a retailer who has never bought from Forte before, but is keen to broaden their bedroom furniture offer (in-store or online)? Just get in touch – we have such a wide variety of products in our good, better and best offer, covering most of the market’s requirements in terms of pricing and quality

WE ARE FORTE

HOYVIK collection