What kind of company is O-TWO?

O-TWO is a business-to-business (BtoB) manufacturer of chairs and tables. It started out as an ironworks, and later began pouring energy into making “horn-legged chairs,” which are often used at pachinko and mahjong parlors. Eventually, it expanded into the commercial-use furniture business. Because the company makes furniture for commercial use, it is not well-known by average consumers, but certain chairs that people are likely familiar with from countrywide shops and cafes are actually the products of O-TWO. In addition to offering catalogue products, the company can also work with customers to realize made-to-order designs. Ever since launching the new brand QUON in 2011, O-TWO has been steadily expanding its scope to push into the worldwide market.

What is so impressive about O-TWO?

① Since the company has its own ironworks, it can work closely with customers to fulfill specific, detailed orders
O-TWO is a one-stop shop that listens closely to its customers to hear what kind of furniture they need, then does everything from drawing up proposals and designing to manufacturing the product themselves. Thanks to having both a clerical office and an ironworks, the company is able to fulfill even the most meticulous of orders. They can, for instance, meet requests to adjust the feet of chairs by 5mm, or manufacture just single legs.

② O-TWO’s steel pipe making is considered top-notch, even among other chair manufactures
What everyone agrees on is that O-TWO’s steel pipe making is top of the line. The company utilizes its rich experience gathered over the years since its inception to guide it in everything from material selection and processing to welding, coating, and so on. Along with whole chair units, O-TWO can also manufacture individual legs, and the company works closely with customers to reach a finished product that fully meets their needs.

Techniques and Technology

① The company has a large assortment of steel pipe sizes available, and can process them in 5mm units
② They manufacture chair upholstery as well, so they have fabrics available
③ They can make combination pieces using wood and other materials, although they do not manufacture such materials themselves.

Things O-TWO is not equipped for

① Company does not offer woodworking services
② Company cannot produce products with resins or other things that are poured into molds

Main products we make

Commercial chairs
Rather than the sort of chairs you might find at home, O-TWO primarily specializes in manufacturing chairs for commercial use at stores. These chairs can help liven a store’s atmosphere, and customers can choose the chair-frame’s color and type of fabric that best matches their shop. The company makes chairs and sofas of all shapes and sizes, from orthodox four-legged chairs and retro single-legged “horn-legged” chairs, which they have been making since the company first started out, all the way to large sofas. They even sometimes make chairs completely made-to-order, basing the product off designs sketched by the customer.

Inner workings of the factory

① Processing the metal and making chair frames

Chair legs and bases are made by bending iron pipes and putting metal through a process called “metal spinning,” in which metal is placed in a high speed rotating press and spun to be stretched and molded. Depending on the customer’s order, there are times when multiple pipes will have to be welded together. Every step of the manufacturing process is completed at one factory, from minute leveling adjustments to polishing and coating.  

② Adding cushioning and fabric to bring chairs to form

On the top floor of the ironworks is an area where cushioning and fabric are added to chairs. There are many different kinds of chairs and sofas that can be made, such as high-back chairs often used at bars, wheeled office chairs, and heavy leather sofas sometimes seen at high-end bars. Since everything, including adding the final upholstery, is done inhouse, the company is able to maintain reasonable prices.  

The love from the maker

O-TWO started out as an ironworks, but it was quickly decided that dealing with iron alone was stale, and the company worked from Japan’s post-war period of rapid economic growth all the way to its economic “bubble” period to branch out into chair manufacturing. The fact that the company has always produced furniture for commercial use gives it its distinct flavor.

The biggest difference between chairs made for commercial use and chairs you find at home is the durability expected of them. Commercial-use chairs are often used in public spaces, where many people will pull them around and sit on them. It’s vital that chairs don’t give out under this stress. They cannot afford to break, no matter the time or place. That is why we always use thick pipes and hard woods, as well as do things like fill gaps between legs with lumber—it’s all so that our chairs and sofas can be three times stronger than those you’ll find at home.

Of course, it isn’t enough to simply be strong. It’s also important that our chairs have a good design to complement the spaces they are used in. This is why we started the brand QUON. Since the brand’s inception, our products have been inspected by inhouse designers and at Milano Salone to make sure that they are not only strong but also aesthetically pleasing. We get single-orders to create designer chairs, and lately we’ve made some rather non-standard pieces, in which pipe welding was purposefully left exposed. This goes to show that, as a company, we are able to meet a large array of needs.

There are many other chair makers out there. When it comes to the question of how to compete with them, we believe it’s best to rely on our strengths in metal-working, which we’ve cultivated since the company’s birth, as well as our willingness to fulfill our customers’ needs by 100%. We aim to harness the qualities and traits of “commercial-use furniture,” a furniture genre that doesn’t exist in Taiwan, and make globally competitive products.

Official HP：http://www.otu.co.jp/

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