For the industry:

• AFRDI exists to raise the standard in the manufacture of furniture, reflecting changing social expectations for quality, the evolving understanding of sustainability through better design for whole of life product performance including recycling, and environmentally responsible manufacturing.
• AFRDI works in close co-operation with industry bodies through independent professional testing and credible product certification, accessing technologies from within Australia and overseas.
• Furniture carrying one of our well recognised certification marks has a pedigree of quality. This pedigree is further expanded with the addition of AFRDI Green Tick product certification, utilising AFRDI Standard 150, covering the sustainable manufacture of commercial furniture. AFRDI standards 142 and 151 – the AFRDI Rated Load standards for heavy people covering height adjustable and fixed height chairs – recognize the rapid changes in human sizing over the past four decades.
  

For the member:

• Access to information about standards and testing developments, particularly important during a period of rapid change to meet heightened environmental expectations and the accompanying need for greater durability.
• ‘One-stop-shop’ for advice on furniture standards.
• Testing and research facilities which can play an important part in product liability risk management. AFRDI is a Registered Research Agency (RRA) which can carry out development work for members while attracting for them a tax rebate under the Australian government’s Research and Development support program.
• Competitive advantage through product testing and certification.

In addition, there is a range of flow-on benefits arising from AFRDI membership, many of them having a direct dollar benefit. These include:

• Reductions on commercial services.
  Membership brings discount on a range of technical services. Remember to ask for your discount when placing orders for testing. Discounts can be as high as 30% if a number of similar items are submitted for full testing at the same time.


• Access to technical advice.
  Just call AFRDI on (03) 6326 6155.


• Use of the AFRDI member logo.
  Details can be obtained by contacting the Institute.


• Membership of the AFRDI Board.
  AFRDI members may nominate for a place on the AFRDI Board, ensuring that this industry body gets the widest possible range of input in the setting of policies and objectives.

In total:

• AFRDI supports members’ businesses.
• Adds value to your products and processes, through helping to design and manufacture better products.
• Identifies superior tested and certified products in the marketplace (particularly important for government, major business and educational contracts), and
• Helps improve your bottom line.