IKEA

IKEA furniture manufacture is known around the world for their high quality affordable home decor and furnishings designed for the everyday customer and families.

The primary materials of IKEA are wood, metal, fabric, plastic, rubber, MDF, particle board, masonite, and hollow core honeycomb technology. The tools used to manipulate these materials are thus; press, saws, sanders, laser cutting, CNC routing, roller, glue binding, rapid prototyping, as well as automated craftsman technology in the form of an assembly line. 

The parts are held together with many different mechanical fasteners as well as a myriad of glues and adhesives. These parts are finished with paint, lacquer, paper and foil, UV paint, and upholstery.

The basic in home shelf is the staple of IKEA furniture.  Through this simple piece IKEA discovered a shipping and packaging method that revolutionized the industry. Flat packing allows customers to take product home the day they buy it. It also allows the company to be much more efficient with their stocking and supply chains. Because the material is in a near perfect compact box shape the items fit easier onto shelves, into trucks, and into customers vehicles and homes. This is very helpful considering IKEA has over 10,000 different products.

In the IKEA outlets something else was done to keep customers spending money in the store. Employees discovered many customers would leave to eat then return to buy. So to keep them in the store talking about their potential purchases IKEA put in a resturant for them to eat and then continue shopping.

IKEA's manufacturing and selling strategy is unique to them and a destinct mark in the furniture industry.