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Bristol: A Sagacious Engineer

By Nicole Liang

Winner of top accolades at the Furniture Excellence Award and MIECO Designer’s Choice Award for two consecutive years, Bristol Technologies Sdn Bhd is more than a run-of-the-mill manufacturer/designer of office furniture. It prides itself as a sagacious engineer of shrewdly designed premiums.

To participants at the annual Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF), Bristol is a familiar name even to those who do not buy or make office furniture. It has won, in two consecutive years, top accolades at the MIFF’s Furniture Excellence Award and MIECO Designer’s Choice Award. Under founder/managing director Yong Yook Seng’s leadership, Bristol was also awarded Malaysia’s Creative and Innovation Award 2004/2005 presented by Malaysia’s Prime Minister. This inaugural award was bestowed to recognise Bristol’s achievement in design and industry excellence.

Among these world-class designs was the O Series, newly launched at the MIFF in March 2009. According to the judges, this range boasted “international standard design” and “attention to details”.

Such lauds were thanks to Yong and the importance he places on design. With a design team of 30 staff, he steers the vision and details of each collection. The hands-on captain also often sketches out the look of a new range he envisions. Yong graduated as an electronic engineer and said his understanding of concepts such as load, stress, as well as wear and tear come in useful while working on the drawing boards.

The sagacious engineer also knew better than to be a mere armchair strategist. Actively, Bristol invests about three percent of Bristol’s annual turnover in research and development (R&D) – on the combination of design, quality, innovation and reasonable cost. “We can pay attention to the engineering of a piece of furniture and design and leave those low quality products behind us. We put in a lot of effort to engineer a product, which is of the highest quality at its given price, while maintaining its aesthetics.”

Despite the economic dark clouds, Yong said this allocation will remain. “We knew this economic crisis was coming and it is something we cannot control. We just have to do what we have to do. In order to stay competitive, we must continue efforts in R&D, particularly for high quality, good aesthetics and innovative designs using lower costs.”
“As early as in the design stage, we have to determine the cost of production and level of complexity. These two factors must be reduced as much as possible,” Yong added. “Our designs really stand out. But having good designs does not mean the prices have to be very high. It is about using the right materials to achieve a reasonable price.”
Yong said that the brand new, award winning O Series is fruit of all these factors. He emphasised in addition that relevance and functionality is associated to all requirements of design, cost and aesthetics: “People today like to work in a lively environment in which they don’t feel crowded. The trend is now for an open concept. Therefore design has to be minimalistic. While the look is minimalist, the features have to be functional and practical. The furniture must be easy to install and IT compatible.”

“In the O Series, very fine functional details are built into minimalist designs. Cable management details, for example are cleverly included and hidden from sight. Clean lines are the range’s main draws. Also importantly, there must be a degree of flexibility that facilitates different configurations,” Yong continued.

The O Series features simple lines and shapes that are subtle and can blend easily into any office. The devil is in the details, especially the functions it offers. The O Desk boasts a premium personal drawer that can be slid open to keep confidential information and personal objects. Power can be accessed through a plug box inside the drawer. Integrated wire management comes in a side credenza. Power is routed from the floor to the top of the credenza hidden under a flip board. Complimenting storage systems are available too. The range includes: desk, storage, workstation and conferencing. Materials such as aluminium, steel, wood in terms of MDF and veneer are used.

At the same time, Bristol is making efforts to be “greener”. Yong said that his products now use a lot of recyclable materials and the factories are trying to promote environmental friendliness in the production processes. “Making furniture today means we also have to consider the materials that go into it, and the process of making it. Environmental issues must be strictly and seriously considered.”

“Going green is more costly. But our customers are more discerning; they don’t really care so much about price. The number of customers asking about green certifications in our products is increasing. These are mostly multi-national companies who adopt a global perspective on the well being of the planet,” Yong added.

Besides product development, Yong added that it is crucial to upkeep sales training to stay alive. Bristol depends on its resellers to do this. “Not only must they have good sales techniques, they must also be conversant in terms of product and interior design because the clients they deal with are professionals. It is not just a price they are selling,” Yong said. Primarily, they should also be quite established for a good number of years with an extensive distribution network.

Portfolio: The International Folio

Yong Yook Seng began his furniture career more than 30 years ago. Bristol Industries Sdn Bhd was founded in 1983 and began exporting six years into its incorporation. In the beginning, Bristol manufactured only office chairs. Today, it has branched out into office solutions and workstations with ISO 9001:2000 certification. About 80 percent of its output is for export.