Made to Order

If you've ever purchased commercial office furniture then you've probably heard the term: made to order. But what does made to order mean? To begin with; commercial furniture, by and large, is not stocked. There is no mammoth warehouse that contains every furniture component a manufacturer offers in every available finish. Logistically, it would be impossible to stock all of these items, and that doesn't even take into consideration multiple quantities. So, what "made to order" means is it is literally made only after it has been ordered. In fact, most manufacturers practice what is known as "just in time manufacturing". This means they don't even stock the raw materials for their furniture. They obtain them only after a customer has placed an order and then your furniture arrives "just in time" for your requested delivery date. So, how does "made to order" differ from "custom"? Made to orders means that all of the engineering review has been completed and the tooling is in place to process your order. All you have to do is place the order and it will arrive "just in time". Custom furniture means non-standard, such as a non-standard dimensions or even finish color. Custom furniture is still "made to order" it just takes a little longer because it has to be reviewed and approved by an engineer before it's produced. The concept of made to order is designed to benefit both the manufacturer and the customer. The manufacturer can minimize the size of their operation by not having to maintain a large product inventory; and the customer has the opportunity to select the exact furniture and finish they want. Just make sure you plan ahead to account for the lead time.

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