Food for Thought: How TFX Defines Quality in Office Asset Management
Spoiler: It’s Not Just About Perfection. It’s About Progress.
We were recently chatting with a colleague who brought up Total Quality Management (TQM) a concept that had its heyday back in the 1990s thanks to efficiency expert Edward Deming. After World War II, Deming introduced a revolutionary idea: instead of fixing mistakes after the fact, build quality into every step of your process. And more importantly, empower your team to always be on the lookout for ways to improve.
That idea stuck with us. Not because we’re TQM experts (we’re not), but because it’s exactly how we’ve always operated at TFX.
For us, quality is about showing up to solve problems, whether that’s a massive decommission, complicated liquidation, or helping a client reuse office furniture in a way that’s smart and sustainable. After every project, we pause and ask ourselves:
“How can we do it better next time?”
Every. Single. Time.
The corporate real estate world is moving fast. With companies downsizing, embracing hybrid work, responding to return-to-office pushes, and managing tighter leases, facilities teams are facing more pressure than ever. In a recent Commercial Observer article, it was noted that in markets like New York City, economic uncertainty is pushing many tenants into smaller spaces with shorter lease terms. That means more frequent moves, faster timelines, and far less room for error.
In that kind of environment, quality means something more. It means being efficient. It means being cost effective. And most of all, it means being reliable.
A lot of how we deliver on quality is our commitment to continuous improvement in the operations of our primary lines of business (decommissioning, liquidation and then remanufacture and resale of previously owned furniture). That includes big changes like upgrading our dispatch and scheduling systems and revamping our project management platform so that every team member has the info they need when they need it. It also means refining how we pass information between teams, from those scoping the work to those executing it in the field and even improving how we track and report on project progress.
We’ve also rethought our remanufacturing floor layout, bringing materials and parts closer to workstations to shave off unnecessary steps and boost efficiency. It may sound small, but it adds up fast when you’re giving office furniture a whole new life.
Meanwhile we continue to deliver on our promise of circular solutions that eliminate waste and actively support sustainable reuse. Everyone on our team has a voice in how we do that and how we keep getting better.
Clients feel the impact of our continuous improvement efforts through our ability to deliver complex projects on time and on budget even in today’s increasingly challenging corporate real estate environment.
We’re currently pursuing ambitious plans for expansion both geographically and into adjacent service areas that our clients are seeking. We know that the success of these growth initiatives will rely on our continued commitment to process improvement and consistently meeting our clients’ needs. Because that’s how we define quality at TFX.
Do you have an office asset management project where quality matters? Let’s connect: inquiry@tfxfurniture.com.