Owned Manufacturing in Sparks, NV

Aug 09

Not only does Fyrn design all of our pieces, but we manufacture them as well. As systems thinkers and designers, we proudly take responsibility for every step in the process of bringing a new piece into the world. This vertical integration gives us efficiencies that ultimately become benefits for our customers.

After nearly a decade of production in our co-founder Ros Broughton's Mission District wood-shop, in 2021, we moved our production to a 40,000 square foot facility in Sparks, Nevada. 

This new factory is close enough for us to maintain material vendor relationships in the Bay Area, while unlocking capacity and unleashing our unique system of furniture production.

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We’ve all seen the statistics about how much furniture ends up in landfills—12 million tons per year. That waste results from half a century of mass production prioritizing profits over quality and enduring design.

Instead of working within the existing industry framework, we have dedicated time to constructing a closed-loop system of product and production that unites everyday utility and beauty with the complex prerequisites of manufacturing and serviceability. All here in the US, utilizing domestic suppliers as close to us as possible.

We’re able to think holistically about sourcing and materials to avoid waste, maintain a smaller factory footprint without sacrificing scale, and ship with a lower carbon impact.

For example, we receive frame stock in ten- to twelve-foot linear sticks that arrive in two profiles: square and rectangular. These are then cut down to make component parts—one twelve-foot stick is required per chair. 

We can store miles of linear feet within a small footprint, both as it is received and after it has been cut into components. This allows us to store material for approximately 1,000 chairs in the same space that twenty fully assembled chairs would require.

We strive to achieve greater than 90% yield on our frame stock material, leaving very little waste relative to industry standards.

Components are mobile, awaiting the possibility of hundreds of combinations, and are finished assembled to order. The operational efficiencies designed into our manufacturing reduce waste and provide a better experience throughout the full life cycle of the furniture.

This new facility unlocked 20 times our previous capacity and has allowed the system to thrive. Ros didn’t set out to build just a chair company; he began with the chair, knowing that if he could do that well, it would translate into all kinds of other pieces.

Sparks enables us to start offering new products that leverage the same core competencies and principles, adding more value and craftsmanship back into scaled furniture manufacturing.