Astute facilities planners do not fail to recognize and plan for realistic delivery times of their office systems and furniture. Lead-times for some custom made furniture can run as long as 14 weeks depending on manufacturers' production schedules and raw material availability. Improperly forecasting delivery schedules by even one day can cause great pain and expense.

Be sure the dealer or manufacturer you've chosen isn't closed for a holiday or vacation, inventory or re-tooling. Also look at union holidays - they may or may not affect the dealer or manufacturer, but they can influence trucking companies and even your building's service personnel (elevator operators, superintendents, receiving dock personnel, etc.)

Don't forget about shipping time. Most manufacturers use common carriers and furniture can take as much as two weeks to arrive from the factory to your dealer's warehouse.

If you are buying new make sure the dealer knows your move in date and request a firm delivery date commitment. Allow five business days from date order is placed to obtain this firm date. Some manufacturers only enter orders on certain days (Friday is common). This can add as much as a week to your lead time forecast.

If the manufacturer has a problem meeting your move in date, inquire as to whether choosing different styles, fabrics, or finishes will help to speed up production to meet your date.


Tip: If your purchase is large enough it is possible to avoid the turn around time at the dealer by having the furniture come directly to your location.

Tip: Production times can be reserved. Ask your dealer if this is possible. Not all manufacturers are equipped to handle such requests.

Tip: If you've chosen to use a COM (customers own material), check its availability as soon as your decision is final. You will often find that a fabric or hard surface is not in stock, which will push the lead time out even further. In the case of fabric, most manufacturers will allow you to reserve a specific quantity for an allotted amount of time, preventing anyone else from purchasing your fabric.

Tip: This might be a good time to consider high quality pre-utilized furniture. cubicles.com has a vast inventory of As Good As New product in stock, and access to end users who are purging their inventories daily. Peruse our warehouse to see that saving does not require sacrificing.

Continue: Budget