The industry’s mark of excellence, the coveted Manufacturing Guild Mark, not only distinguishes Britain’s top furnishing manufacturers, but the rigorous audit itself has been designed to help a company, large or small, achieve the highest standards throughout its operations. We take a look at how the process has positioned Dreams for continued success.
Held by less than 30 leading British manufacturers, the Manufacturing Guild Mark, which is awarded by The Furniture Makers’ Company, is one of the industry’s most sought-after accolades. Earlier this year, leading bed retailer Dreams, joined the illustrious band of outstanding businesses which have achieved the mark.
Established nearly 40 years ago, Dreams, which is a corporate member of The Furniture Makers’ Company, is the UK’s most-loved bed retailer and now manufactures over 1,000 mattresses, 700 divan bases and 200 headboards every day. With in-depth skills training key to enabling the company to consistently supply high-quality products and adhere to outstanding manufacturing standards, Dreams’ Bed Factory in the West Midlands, is at the heart of the business.
The Oldbury manufacturing facility is home to a 230-strong team of craftspeople, including three apprentices, who provide a range of skills from quilting, sewing and fabric cutting to upholstery, mattress tufting building, tape edging and frame and drawer assembly. The specialist skill of tape edging, the process of bringing mattress edges together, is a particularly complex procedure, partly because it requires walking backwards while working. At Dreams Bed Factory, all of the 18 tape edgers currently employed have trained for six months to get up to speed.
Ian King, operational excellence manager, who successfully led the Manufacturing Guild Mark audit at Dreams’ Bed Factory, explains why the company took on the challenge. “Having never had a manufacturing specific accreditation, we felt it was about time that our fantastic team here got some well-deserved recognition as bed experts. The Manufacturing Guild Mark is widely recognised in the industry as a sign of excellence and as a leading player in the UK beds market, we felt it perfectly aligned with us.”
The comprehensive assessment process required Dreams to pass a rigorous, independently reviewed audit carried out by the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA). This was set against an extensive set of criteria including design, product development, manufacture, HR, financial stability, sustainability, sales and marketing.
Established in 1993, The Manufacturing Guild Mark gives assurance to retailers, distributors and customers that the products they purchase are made with care and that the company that manufactured them has exemplary standards throughout its operations.
Mr King continues: “The audit process itself took a few weeks of preparation, collecting various records and documents to send off to the auditor for pre-reading. The inspector then spent a full day on site, looking at every aspect of our production. Some of the key criteria we were assessed on included innovation in terms of products and production processes, product quality standards, testing records and robust inspection criteria, customer service standards and complaints procedures, health and safety standards and colleague training programmes, and also our ESG activities.
“I am proud to say that Dreams passed every single element of the audit which was a superb achievement for the Dreams Bed Factory team. The audit was a valuable opportunity to review all aspects of our manufacturing process and it was reassuring for an independent auditor to confirm that we are the best we can be. It was also useful in reaffirming to the factory team that we are one of the UK’s leading bed manufacturers and have robust systems, policies and procedures in place to ensure we are not only conforming to, but surpassing, many of the standards required to meet the audit criteria.
“Another constructive move which resulted from the audit was a suggestion by the auditor that we go on to obtain FISP (Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme) certification as a next step, to formalise our commitment to driving continuous environmental improvements. We have also started the process of becoming FSC certified to further demonstrate the value we place on supporting responsible forestry. Overall, the audit was a very positive process and a great way of congratulating our expert team on their outstanding work.”
Find out more about Dreams’ quest to achieve the Manufacturing Guild Mark in the October issue
www.dreams.co.uk / www.furnituremakers.org.uk/excellence/manufacturing-guild-mark/
