The Furniture Development Journey: From White Seal to Gold Seal

Deepak Madnani, DeepGreen Design

September 20, 2023

When you're in the business of making furniture, the journey from design to finished product is a thorough one. At DeepGreen, we've adopted a stage-gate product development system as part of our DeepGreen Standard™, a fully documented process that ensures every piece of furniture we produce meets the highest, measurable standards of design, safety, and quality – a key differentiator in our processes is the fact that we are continuously improving it with data and customer feedback, forever staying open to create the safest and most beautiful products possible. In this blog, we'll take you through our furniture development process, from the early stages of White Seal to the final step of Gold Seal.

White Seal: The Raw Beginnings
White Seal represents a key step forward into turning a conceptual design into a real product. At this stage, we get our first glimpse of the product in its raw materials and shape, before it undergoes the finishing touches like sanding and lacquering.

Here's what happens during the White Seal phase:

Unveiling the Physical Product in Its Raw Form During White Seal, we witness the actual product for the first time. This is where the vision begins to take shape in the physical world. It's an exciting moment, as we get to see the furniture piece in its most elemental form.
Safety Testing Safety is paramount in our furniture development process. We conduct in-house safety testing to ensure that our products meet rigorous safety standards, led by the market-leading safety and performance standards developed by the British Standards testing. This includes evaluating the durability, strength and stability of the furniture.
Functional Checks We meticulously examine the product to ensure it functions as intended. Does that chair provide optimal support and comfort? Does the table's design fit the user experience? These questions are answered during this phase. This is also when we do the assembly check to ensure we have a comfortable and realistic assembly experience for the customer.
Design and Proportions Evaluation White Seal is also the stage where we check if the design and proportions align with our initial vision. If any adjustments are needed to enhance aesthetics or functionality, this is the time to make those changes.
Inspection Report (Internal) A dedicated inspection report is generated during the White Seal stage. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the product's current status, highlighting any concerns or areas for improvement. It remains an internal document, serving as a guide for refinement. As part of our continuous improvement efforts, we’ve recently moved to a digital inspection system called Qarma that allows us to save time and extrapolate more insights and training from our work.

Gold Seal: The Final Product Unveiled
Once the necessary refinements and finishing touches are applied, the furniture product reaches the prestigious Gold Seal stage. This industry-generic term refers to the completed product that the retailer/furniture brand will receive into their warehouse, and the end customer as the final product into their home. The ‘Gold Standard’ should be presented in its shipment packaging, which in turn should have passed the drop-test requirements.

Here's a rundown of what happens in the Gold Seal phase:

Finished Product Showcase Gold Seal is the stage where we proudly showcase the finished product, complete with its final finish. It represents the culmination of our design, process and workmanship efforts.
Client Approval At this point, the sealed sample, in its shipment packaging, is sent to the retailer for final approval. It's the decisive moment when the client sees exactly what will be produced in larger quantities. They see the result of our collaboration and hard work – a beautiful and well-made product that strengthens and grows their brand value proposition. The client also now begins the process to prepare their marketing and promotion efforts. Exciting times!
Separate Report As part of the stage-gate and customer communication process, we maintain total transparency throughout by creating a separate report for the Gold Seal stage. This report outlines the product details, testing, packing drop tests, and weights, and we prepare it well in advance so the client is clear about what they will receive.
Customer Servicing and Account Management A core service function of DeepGreen is to communicate regularly and clearly, with the relevant report at the right time – this includes weekly Design-Quote-Development-Shipment Status updates, monthly business performance reporting on aftersales data, and on-time shipment, among other things.

We understand the market and customers well – retail, distribution and supply chain management are competitive and high-risk businesses that move fast, and buyers and merchandisers are time-poor. We ensure we communicate clearly and regularly to help our clients stay informed and focused on their markets.

DeepGreen’s furniture development process is a well-defined journey that ensures each piece meets the high standards we’ve set for ourselves – we are so proud of our process that we’ve trademarked it as the DeepGreen Standard™. From the raw beginnings of White Seal to the final unveiling of Gold Seal, we take pride in crafting furniture that not only meets but exceeds our clients’ expectations.

This dedication to market leadership and continuous improvement is what sets DeepGreen apart in the world of furniture design and manufacturing.

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