Young entrepreneurs from St.Gallen want to stir up the office furniture industry

ofinto promises an uncomplicated and cost-effective solution for office furniture - both in the shop and in the home office.

Getting premium office furniture easily, quickly and uncomplicatedly is the goal of the St.Gallen-based start-up ofinto. "Through a lean effective supply chain and distribution without intermediaries, we can save up to 50% of the costs compared to conventional manufacturers," emphasises Jonas Romer, co-founder ofinto. "Take a height-adjustable office desk, for example: conventional manufacturers procure the electric motors from the Far East and then have another supplier install them in the desk frame. These components then come to Switzerland, where the manufacturer assembles them into the actual office table. But that is only the first step. From the manufacturer, the table then goes to the specialist dealer, who in turn passes the product on to an external logistics company, which then brings it to the customer. This process is not only very expensive, but also extremely slow". ofinto wants to simplify this process: "Our furniture comes directly from the original manufacturer to the customer - this not only saves us up to 50% of the costs compared to other premium manufacturers with the same quality, but also allows us to act and deliver much faster".

"We only have the maximum equipment".

The company from eastern Switzerland is also breaking new ground in its product range: "We have deliberately decided against offering different gradations of our products," says Romer. "With us, every customer can be sure that they are buying the best product with all functions and without concessions." The young entrepreneurs have taken a lot of time to achieve this: "We have spent the last 10 months developing the ideal product in each category. Our office chairs and desks have the maximum features and have all the ergonomic and functional possibilities. For example, our height-adjustable desk is suitable for people from 1.60m to 2.10m and sets standards for stability and speed. It is also particularly quiet, has 4 memory functions and an anti-collision device. The same applies to our office chairs: they have all the ergonomic functions and are made from the best components. They are assembled in less than 5 minutes".

Service orientation and a product promise that goes far beyond the purchase

"We have paid special attention to quality and durability," Romer assures. For this reason, a 5-year warranty is standard at ofinto. In addition, customers have the opportunity to test ofinto products for 30 days. "But we also offer services," Romer proudly adds. "ofinto-flex is the first trade-in programme for office furniture. When companies move, they often dispose of their old office furniture. We offer a trade-in service in exchange for credits for future purchases. In addition, we have solutions such as an employee discount platform and the Home Office Subscription, where companies can furnish their employees' homes for a monthly fee." These rental and trade-in solutions also help the environment: "We pay close attention to the environment and try to keep our emissions as low as possible. We compensate for the rest. So our furniture is 100% CO2 neutral".

The model finds favour

Romer: "We were able to win our first customers quickly". Especially during the COVID crisis, the demand for good office furniture at a fair price had once again increased strongly: "Many had to equip their home office. But demand also increased among companies. For example, many had to distribute their open-plan offices over several rooms. Especially there, it plays a big role that we can usually deliver within 24 hours".