A Conversation with Edwin Saquic: Bringing the Science of Continuous Improvement to Furniture Remanufacturing

We recently sat down with Edwin Saquic, Head of Production at TFX, to discuss his approach to continuous process improvement, his experience driving operational efficiencies, and his commitment to transforming the way furniture is remanufactured. 

Through a focus on smarter processes, consistency, quality, and continuous improvement, Edwin and his team are helping advance TFX’s remanufacturing operations and the value we deliver to our clients. 

Question: Edwin, how long have you been with TFX, and what did you do before you joined? 

Edwin: I've been with TFX for a little over five years, but honestly, my entire 22-year work history managing production environments led me here, even if the path wasn't direct. 

I started out in the military reserves as a nutritional specialist while working a manufacturing assembly job. Both taught me discipline and a responsibility to do even the smallest tasks well. More recently, I oversaw fulfillment at a hearing aid distribution center with a team of 30 people, and before that, I spent nine years on the assembly line and eventually supervising production at a company that built high-end technical testing equipment for the pharmaceutical industry. I also ran production at a plant that retrofitted vending trucks into food trucks, mobile healthcare units, and technical repair vehicles. 

It was at the pharmaceutical testing equipment company that I was trained in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Kaizen principles and that's where I developed a passion for transformation through process improvement. 

Question: Talk about your current role at TFX, and how your previous experience is relevant? 

Edwin: I manage the Furniture Remanufacturing department, about 55 people through six supervisors who report to me. Their functions include Chair Inventory, Chair Production, Fabric, Shipping, Aeron Inventory, and a combined department handling sit-stands, phone booths, modifications, and R&D. 

The most direct parallel is probably the truck retrofitting company. There, I coordinated 25 people, welders, sheet metal workers, and electricians, who all had to work together seamlessly to deliver a flawless final product. Our customers were often entrepreneurs whose $100K–$200K vehicles were essential to running their businesses, so delivering a good product really mattered. My job was to train and incentivize the team while constantly improving processes so we could work efficiently and profitably. 

That’s really similar to what I do at TFX. 

Question: You don't often hear about Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma in a "blue collar" sector like office furniture remanufacturing. Tell us about that background and how you apply it here. 

Edwin: For anyone who doesn't know: 

Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing are management methods that help businesses improve their work. 

• Lean Manufacturing focuses on speed and cutting waste — removing any step that doesn't add value to the customer. 

• Six Sigma focuses on quality and consistency — fixing errors at the source and reducing variation to improve efficiency. 

Pharmaceutical testing is a highly regulated industry, so at the testing equipment company, we had to prove our processes were reliable through certifications like ISO. That's part of why we were also trained in Lean and Six Sigma. 

Six Sigma training is rigorous and rooted in solid research. What struck me was that a lot of what I learned, I was already doing instinctively. I just didn't know there was real science behind why it worked. 

The biggest lesson: transformation through incremental improvement takes time, and even small changes are hard. It works best when you empower workers to own ideas and implementation. Over nine years at the pharma equipment company, and later in other roles, I saw firsthand how that kind of effort ladders up to a company achieving its bigger goals. 

When I got early warning that my last company was moving out of New Jersey, I started looking for something different, not necessarily the same industry, but a company genuinely open to transformation. Ideally, I wanted something small enough that I could work closely with owners and founders to help them rethink processes that had been in place for years. I wanted a place where I could apply what I'd learned and see what I could build in, say, three years. 

Then I found TFX. 

Question: How does that passion for transformation play out in practice at TFX? 

Edwin: From day one, TFX management didn’t tell me what to do, they gave me the autonomy to come in, assess the warehouse and remanufacturing operations, and work with the teams to implement change. 

It hasn’t always been easy. Many people at TFX have been here for 30 years, and change is hard, whether it’s within my own teams, among peers in Decommissions, Liquidations, Sales, Finance, and Purchasing, or with leadership above me. It takes patience, and you have to keep showing how small, incremental changes add up to real results. 

Question: Can you give some examples of those successes? 

Edwin: A few things I’m really proud of. 

It took time, but after getting to know the 50+ people who originally reported directly to me, I built a layer of six supervisors who now run those individual departments. They’re empowered, experienced, and understand exactly why their piece of the puzzle matters. They might not use the words “circular economy,” but they know how their departments connect to deliver jobs on time, with zero waste and maximum efficiency. 

And guess what — all six of my supervisors are women in a male-dominated, blue-collar environment. It just worked out that they were the best candidates for the roles. For several of them, English is a second language, so part of their growth has meant building communication skills alongside manufacturing know-how. Watching them grow and expand their impact genuinely energizes me. 

Once they were in place, we started cross-training. That allows us to respond to the natural ebb and flow of production, when one department slows down, they can help another with tighter deadlines without resorting to overtime the way we used to in the old single-function setup. 

The supervisors and their teams love it. It gives them room to build new skills and show the leadership potential to compete for future promotions. Because they understand the “whys” behind how different departments operate, they’ve become active participants in building organizational flexibility. 

And their growth and transformation free me up to focus on new opportunities to reduce waste and extend the useful life of high-end office furniture as efficiently as possible — which, at the end of the day, is what keeps our customers happy. 

Question: What keeps you up at night when you think about the future? 

Edwin: Honestly, it’s not the challenges that keep me up at night, it’s the opportunity to help build a future where TFX’s business keeps evolving. Real transformation, done right, never really stops. 

I never imagined staying at TFX for more than three years. Five-plus years later, I still wake up every day thinking about how we can continue evolving our processes. 

Remanufactured high-end furniture is going to stay in demand as a cost-effective, reliable alternative to buying new. Leading in this space always comes down to having a skilled, motivated, and dedicated workforce. What keeps me going is helping the TFX team stay ready and excited for whatever comes next. 

(If you'd like to discuss a project with TFX, reach out to inquiry@tfxfurniture.com. We'd love to hear from you.)