Like many contract furniture manufacturers, DCI is feeling the impact of lumber shortages because of global supply chain disruption. For contract furniture manufacturers like us, plywood is a key issue. Baltic birch plywood from Russia, a mainstay for case goods, is no longer available because of the war in Ukraine. But even before the war, tariffs on Chinese imports put huge demand on local plywood supplies. When that demand intersected …
Case Study: University of Tampa
Summary: In 2010, DCI started working with the University of Tampa. Over the last 11 years, we’ve upgraded the design standard across the UT campus upgrading 10 residence halls and 4,430 beds, including Vaughn Hall next year. Furniture: Bunkable Bed, Adjustable Height Bed, Tall Bed End, Mattress, Wardrobe, Pedestal Desk, Three Drawer Chest. Wood: Solid Maple, Natural Finish University of Tampa The University of Tampa is a medium-sized private university …
How Finger Joint Boards Make Campus Furniture More Sustainable
When you think about sustainability and dorm furniture, you probably don’t visualize the wood joint that holds it all together. But that would be a mistake. Joints matter. A lot. And not just for durability and strength. In particular, I want to highlight the positive impact that finger joint boards can have on the overall resource footprint of your campus furniture. In fact, finger joints conserve more wood than any …
How to Manage Furniture Supply Chain Disruption
Updated 3/2022 If you’re like a lot of purchasing officers or housing professionals in higher ed, you might be scrambling to ensure that you can fulfill your purchasing requirements for 2022. And that makes sense. Furniture supply chains have experienced a perfect storm over the last two years. The global pandemic and its cascading variants. The blockage at the Suez Canal. The US-China trade wars. Even climate change. For example, …
UCSB Case Study – New Soft Seating & Repurposed Sofas
Summary This summer at UC Santa Barbara, we installed 70 premium sofas from our mid century-inspired Boulevard Collection. There were two highlights to this project. First, the timeline was extremely compressed. Second, because we have a local assembly plant in San Diego, we were positioned to reclaim a large volume of furniture from UCSB that was otherwise destined for the landfill. DCI’s Journey Into Soft Seating Before we jump into …
Plywood Bed Decks vs Metal Bed Springs
Should you buy a plywood bed deck or metal bed springs for your residence hall beds? We get this question a lot. And the truth is, there are benefits to both. There are some popular misconceptions too. For example, most campuses stick to the same standard for compatibility, and that isn’t necessary. Why? Because, it’s not hard to convert from metal springs to a wood deck assembly while maintaining compatibility …
DCI Awarded $706,000 Community Wood Grant From US Forest Service
DCI will use the Community Wood Grant funds to install a renewable biomass cogeneration system to supply heat and electricity to its operation. As part of a decades long initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of our work, starting last year we applied for and won a series of major clean energy grants to upgrade the renewable energy system the heats our factory, kilns, and offices. The Forest Service Community …
Case Study – Travis Air Force Base
Summary: DCI installed solid wood bedroom sets in a three-building cluster at Travis Air Force Base. The project presented unique challenges including installing new furniture in occupied rooms, removing, palletizing, and transporting the old furniture, and using a reach lift. Travis Air Force Base Travis Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force air base under the purview of the Air Mobility Command, located in Northern California. In 2020, DCI …
The Circular Economy: DCI End Of Life Furniture Program
What should you do when your furniture reaches the end of its useful life? That’s a question that we get a lot. And at DCI, we have a program to help you manage your retiring furniture. In short, our goal is to help you keep it out of the landfill. And to be honest, that’s easier than ever before. If you have solid wood furniture, you have lots of options …
DCI Furnishes Headrest Sober Living Facility
It was a cold and grey New Hampshire day in early December when Natanya Champney, the HR coordinator for DCI, pulled up to the Headrest Residential Facility for substance use recovery on Church Street in Lebanon, NH. She was on a mission. Natanya and her crew were delivering fourteen beds, seven wardrobes, desks, task chairs, and a single kitchen table to Headrest’s home for folks recovering from substance use disorders. …