Holmesglen Institute of TAFE and the Furnishing Industry Design and Innovation Centre

A greater focus on furniture design, new technology and industry collaboration is enabling Holmesglen Institute’s Furnishing Industry Design and Innovation Centre (FIDIC) to offer new research, design and prototype manufacturing services to the Australian furniture industry.

FIDIC recently completed its fourth industry collaboration project, working closely with Pataki Design, Silverlynx Furniture and Bev Marks retail outlets in the design, manufacture and retailing of a bedroom suite through Bev Marks stores.

Holmesglen Institute was keen to show the manufacturing and retail sectors that the Institute could participate in real-world design and manufacturing while building relationships to develop a better understanding of how each stakeholder works.

According to Simon Bowler of Silverlynx, the project "was a great opportunity to work more closely in partnership. The most noticeable thing for us was to have the designer and retailer working through the development of a design step by step".

Designer Michelle Pataki agreed. "I have been designing for a while, but this project has given me the opportunity to actually see my ideas come to fruition in a real working environment.

"Working with Silverlynx and Holmesglen made me realise that you need to compromise, but at the same time be able to explain the reasons for certain things to be the way you want them."

All parties certainly gained a far better understanding of each others needs and roles, and the project tested FIDIC’s own capabilities, said Philip Ashley, FIDIC's Teaching Centre Manager.
"Traditionally, designers and the furniture industry have not worked closely together. The industry also saw TAFEs as a separate entity, so these projects have provided an opportunity to link us more closely."

With an increasing emphasis on design in its certificate courses, the employment of more staff with design skills and the upgrading of its workshop,  FIDIC will now use platforms such as the national Furnitex trade fair to promote its services to the industry.

"We can assist with furniture design, manufacturing of prototypes, production problem-solving and research," Mr Ashley said. "We can also provide training on CNC (computer numerical equipment) for industry people unfamiliar with this."

CNC enables furniture makers to gain much greater efficiencies in labour-intensive processes such as cutting, moulding, edge slotting, grooving and sanding, all of which can be accomplished by this technology. Costing about $450,000 per machine, CNC was used by a Holmesglen student who won second prize in the latest Furnitex competition.

FIDIC has been increasing its emphasis on design since 2006, when it replaced a pre-apprenticeship program with Certificate II in Applied Design (Furniture). It also introduced a design elective into its Certificate III furniture-making courses and this year introduced Certificate IV in Furniture Technology.

More TAFE industry partnerships.