At the end of 2018, I purchased a functional sofa for my home.

In the days that followed, everyone got used to sitting on it after meals to scroll through their phones, lifting their legs to relax after work, or rocking back and forth after dinner. It quickly became the most frequently used and beloved member of the household. Plus, inspired by us, even our neighbors began adding functional sofas to their homes.

Behind this everyday scene lies the rapid growth of the functional sofa market in recent years. According to data from the China Business Industry Research Institute, the functional sofa market in China was around 5.665 billion yuan in 2016 and grew to approximately 9.983 billion yuan in 2022, nearly doubling.

As a fast-growing category, how can functional sofas better capture user demand? How can the many pain points in product development and manufacturing be solved?

The core issue may lie in the "CPU" of functional sofas—the functional sofa frame. It is the key component that determines the comfort and aesthetic appeal of a functional sofa. In other words, if the sofa frame is well-made, the product is halfway to success.

As the invisible giant in the global functional sofa frame industry, Germany's OKIN proposed the concept of the "one-stop smart solution for functional sofas" as early as 2014. Its industry-first "mechatronics" integrated design has made breakthrough improvements in the cost, configuration, and installation of functional sofa frames.

Why OKIN? What are the "secret weapons" of OKIN in the field of functional sofa frames? Today’s Furniture Today has taken a closer look and discovered many interesting new details.

Low seat, high feet, zero wall, rotating massage multifunction

OKIN Functional iron frame's “hundred variations”!

The greatest charm of the Chinese market lies in the huge scale and diversified levels of consumer demand, bringing unlimited business opportunities. In order to capture consumer demand, precise product development is needed. According to OKIN's statistics, in recent years, some functional sofa models have been widely welcomed at the consumer end, for example:

• The short seat height sofa which is more in line with the ergonomics of Asian people and more comfortable lying feeling;

• High sofas that can pass the sweeping robot;

• Zero-wall sofas that are suitable for small families and save space;

• A non-motorized lounge sofa with a swivel function to add a little fun to your life;

• Sofas with massage function for releasing physical stress at home;

• lderly sofas and chairs with heating and massage functions;

• As well as the fashionable and technological “all-round sofa”: head, waist and leg precise zoning control, enjoying all-round comfortable lying feeling at the same time, equipped with wireless charging, USB charging port, and voice/Bluetooth control, intelligent armrest box, etc..

These models are highly sought after in the Chinese market, and for functional sofa manufacturers, different product configurations require multiple integration of resources, and the versatility between different product models is also a challenge. Not only that, the complex procurement and production process, will also directly increase the cost of enterprises, and invariably increase the incidence of product quality problems.

Because of this, OKIN provides a more professional one-stop solution for the hot models of functional sofas in the Asian market. From the choice of single, double and triple motors, different configurations for low and high sofas, swivel function, zero wall leaning, and even the choice of wood or metal subway frames according to the sofa's load-bearing requirements.

The first “mechatronic” integrated design.

“Two plus and two minus” to solve big problems

To solve the diversified needs of consumers, in addition to more flexible product configurations, the most fundamental is to solve the “efficient one-stop” in the production process.

On the basis of serving global customers, OKIN has put forward the industry's first “mechatronic” solution, which has obtained five patents at home and abroad.

Simply put, it is like manufacturing chips, integrating different components on a “base plate”, and realizing the goal of efficient, convenient and stable production of functional sofas through “two plus and two minus”:

（1）Two reductions: subtracting the number of accessories and installation time.

The so-called “subtraction”, “mechatronics” iron frame through the streamlining of the drive on the push rod, push rod bracket, push rod cover, bracket strips and other accessories, greatly reducing material costs;

On the other hand, it can save about 15% of the installation time, and at the same time, it can increase the packing quantity of the products, realizing a double “reduction”.

（2）Two plus: add function and stability.

Based on the design of “Mechatronics”, OKIN has launched the head and waist integrated functional sofa iron frame, which increases the stability of the iron frame as well as the whole sofa itself, and makes the installation more convenient;

On the other hand, OKIN's Mechatronics series can be compatible and adapted to 80% of the metal-on-metal sofa frames on the market, which allows the company to expand its functions to meet consumers' needs.

One-stop smart solution.,

7 Hardcore Strengths Make Enterprises Lightly Loaded

The development of China's functional sofa market has just begun. According to statistics, the penetration rate of functional sofas in the United States in 2019 will be as high as 41.5%, while the penetration rate of the Chinese market in 2020 will only be about 14%, and there is a huge space for development.

In order to seize the vast opportunities of the functional sofa market, whether enterprises can meet the market demand efficiently and with high quality requires a strong core supply chain support. However, the actual situation is that many functional sofa enterprises are still facing a lot of problems waiting to be solved.

For OKIN, which was founded in 1982, there are complete solutions to these problems.

（1）In terms of product configuration and cost-effectiveness

The production of functional sofas requires very complex components with diverse needs, which is a problem for many manufacturers.

OKIN's advantage lies in the fact that on one hand, it can provide one-stop functional sofa solutions from functional sofa iron frame, hand controller, headrest/lumbar support, to heating cushion, massage function, intelligent armrest box, Bluetooth APP/voice control;

On the other hand, in the face of diversified product demand, OKIN can meet the conditions of various configurations as mentioned above, such as single motor, dual motor, triple motor, pneumatic lever and manual configuration, headrest, lumbar support, swivel, footrest, one piece/KD backrest, intelligent armrest box, with USB+TypeC charging port and so on.

What's more, thanks to the “mechatronic” integrated design, OKIN is able to help functional sofa manufacturers realize more cost-effective solutions by directly reducing material costs and assembly costs under the same functional conditions.

（2）In terms of lead time and quality assurance

“Faster delivery cycle” has become a new test for manufacturers in today's home furnishing market. After addressing product features and production costs, especially in a globalized competitive environment, companies may also be affected by supply cycles and whether product quality is stable.

OKIN's 7 production bases around the world, 150,000 square meters of Asia-Pacific headquarters, and an annual production scale of 25 million sets of linear actuator systems solve the worries of enterprises.

In addition, OKIN has a high-level national laboratory accredited by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS), and the functional sofa iron frame can work more than 25,000 times under a load of 350 pounds, so that companies can travel light.

（3）In technical support and after-sales service

Finally, it is the complete and professional after-sales support.

OKIN has set up 5 major R&D centers around the world, and the Intelligent Research Institute with a doctoral station as the core, and has been granted a total of up to 1500 patents, including more than 900 invention patents.

In addition, the sales and service network set up in 24 countries and regions around the world can quickly provide localized product services and technical support for global customers.

 OKIN全球5大研发中心

In 2023, with the liberalization of epidemic policies, the global market, especially China, is witnessing a rapid recovery. The country's continuous guidance and promotion of fashionable and intelligent consumption, as well as the gradual explosion of consumer demand for healthy and comfortable upholstered furniture, the functional sofa market is about to usher in a new market stage.

As the “master behind the scene”, Germany OKIN, with its profound accumulation in the field of functional sofas, gives full play to the ability of functional sofas as “one-stop intelligent solutions”, which will help Chinese enterprises to better serve Chinese consumers and go to the global market at the same time!