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Tennessee retailer patents no-tools RTA upholstery

Heath E Combs -- Furniture Today, January 23, 2012

This ready-to-assemble sofa group uses a new six-bolt RTA system patented by Billy Joe Griggs, the owner of Pulaski, Tenn., retailer Flatrock Furniture.LAS VEGAS - Ready-to-assemble upholstered sofas had always been a bit of a mystery for Billy Joe Griggs, owner of Pulaski, Tenn.-based retailer Flatrock Furniture. But no longer.
     Griggs has developed a newly patented six-bolt, no tools required RTA system that he will demonstrate for potential buyers or licensees with investment banker Tim Stump of Charlotte, N.C.-based Stump & Co. at the Las Vegas Market next week.
     "I had seen some RTA sofas in the past but I couldn't figure out why they had RTA'd it. Because they were not saving enough space (in shipping containers) to justify doing it RTA," Griggs said.
     Another problem with RTA sofas, he said, was that most either didn't closely resemble fully assembled sofas or had a smaller scale to save on shipping costs.
     "In designing, I wanted it to where there's no way that you could walk around that sofa and look it and tell that it was ready-to-assemble," Griggs said.
     His design's pieces consist of a sofa base, two arms and a back. For assembly it uses six screw-in bolts with star-shaped handles so no tools are needed. Cushions are vacuum-compressed for shipping.
     Griggs said he designed the sofa to maximize the number of boxes that would fit on a shipping container. He says his RTA system will allow 108 sofas that are 97 to 100 inches long on a 40-foot container, compared to about 36 per container for a fully assembled imported sofa. For an 80-to-84 inch RTA sofa, its 144 per container, he said.
     Griggs claims the RTA sofas also have about a 38% cost savings at wholesale price versus some comparable quality fully assembled, promotionally priced sofa.
     Additionally, Griggs said his cost savings also include better materials than are often used in upholstered sofas.
     His RTA cost is for a sofa with a pocketed coil spring and cushion, high quality 2.4 density foam, virgin fiber fabric and a metal tube frame, Griggs said.
     "There's a lot of advantages and selling features to what I've got compared to the competition," he said, adding that typically the sofa can be assembled in less than 10 minutes.
     Griggs said suppliers could also gain costs savings because the sofa boxes can be efficiently stored in warehouses.
     He added some repairs could be easier with the sofa, for example, replacing sofa arms.
     The RTA sofa patent isn't Griggs first foray into product innovation. The retailer has devised RTA packing solutions for bar stools and rocking chairs, among other items.
     Tim Stump, president of Stump & Co., said he and Griggs will demonstrate the sofa units at market and will begin discussing sale or license agreements, likely receiving offers in late February.
     He said the process will include sending potential buyers a unit to break down. Interested parties can also receive a copy of the patent. There is also a demonstration video, he said.
     "We want to make sure everyone who has an interest fully understands the features and benefits," Stump said. "There's lots of fact finding still going on."
     To set an appointment with Stump and Griggs in Las Vegas, call (704) 905-2058 or e-mail tim@stumpnet com.

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