A North Devon firm that has invented desks made out of cardboard has attracted big name customers including Hinkley Point C as part of the hotdesking boom.
TCi Furniture Works in Bideford has supplied 99 of its eco360 desks at the nuclear power site in Somerset, the largest construction site in Europe.
And it has also secured orders with construction industry giants Skanska, Multiples and Bouygues º£½ÇÊÓƵ for desks at prestigious projects including the Chelsea Barracks redevelopment, New Papsworth Hospital in Cambridge and the UN’s 2030 hub in Liverpool.
Ben Gibbs, marketing manager said: “There’s nobody else doing it in the South West. As a hot desk, it is ideal and its futuristic appearance enables it to blend into modern workspaces easily.â€
TCi furniture WORKS specialises in supplying furniture and welfare equipment to º£½ÇÊÓƵ construction sites for major development projects.
The brand is part of TCi (GB) Ltd, which began life in 2006 as a commercial furniture supplier, gaining traction within the construction industry, installing workstations, lockers, benches and canteen units.
Its sister company, TCi Construction Works fits out, refurbishes and undertakes building improvement specialist works in commercial workspaces and has carried out big projects at Hinkley Point C.
It has a track record of supplying hundreds desks, chairs and office storage with lockers, benches and canteen facilities for staff working in temporary office spaces.
Its recyclable desks are just as strong as conventional desks, tested to take 400kg of concrete blocks and it doesn’t go mushy if you spill your coffee on it - it has a clay coating that’s water resistant and an acrylic top that doubles as a wipe board.
And the whole lot can be recycled afterwards.
Ben said: “We identified that the problem arising from the temporary nature of the accommodation required on construction sites is the waste-to-landfill generated at the end of the project. Wesupply products made from responsibly sourced materials, reuse and manage furniture where possible and by introducing fully recyclable options.
The business launched the recyclable desk in 2017 as a sustainable alternative to traditional MFC (Melamine-Faced-Chipboard) products.
It is made from FSC certified corrugated board which comprises 70% recycled fibres.
Ben said: “The philosophy behind the product is to encourage the wider circular economy of materials, with cardboard recycling available throughout the º£½ÇÊÓƵ at little or no cost to the customer.â€
TCi Managing Director Adrian Sealey has taken a trade trip to Australia and had attracted interest from construction and mining industry specialists and distributors.
The plan is to develop other products created from recycled and recyclable materials with circular or closed loop process in place.
