NEW  ANSI/BIFMA STANDARD FOR SMALL OFFICE/HOME OFFICE FURNITURE (SOHO)

I am pleased to forward you some information regarding the upcoming BIFMA (Business Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association) performance standard covering the products that you manufacture.

The new BIFMA standard will be called “Small Office/Home Office Furniture – Tests”.  The goal of this standard is to provide the market with a level playing field to evaluate the security, durability and resistance of small office/home office furniture.  This standard is designed for office furniture sold in retail stores and/or ready to assemble furniture.

This standard defines tests used to determine acceptability of products for their intended and reasonably foreseeable use. It specifies acceptance levels to help ensure safety and performance standards independent of construction materials, manufacturing processes and/or mechanical designs.

Amongst the manufacturers who participated in  writing the standard are Ameriwood, Bush Industries, Hon Industries, O’Sullivan Industries, Kimball, and Sauder.

The standard will definitely have an impact on the North American market and most especially in the United States where, on top of constituting a non-tariff barrier, it could also serve as a basis for liability law suits.

Micom laboratories offer all of the ANSI/BIFMA, CGSB, ASTM  standards related to furniture as well as mechanical testing of raw products and composite materials.

Furthermore our facilities have already conducted test programs based on the upcoming ANSI/BIFMA  SOHO standard.

We hope that you will find this information of interest to you.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Micom Laboratories Inc.

Michel Comtois

President