Two former Steelcase employees launch Knead to make high quality, ergonomic office furniture accessible to all
Ontario, California / July 7, 2021 – Knead today announces the launch of their online platform offering high-quality, ergonomic office furniture at affordable prices. Co-founded by Allan Guan and Jenkin Au who have spent 15 years in the industry at Steelcase, the world's largest office furniture company, Knead sets out to democratize quality office furniture and bring the ability to work comfortably to all. Guan, who headed Steelcase’s online consumer business and Au, who managed the global seating portfolio, came to realize that large manufacturers in the office furniture space were not positioned to cater to the growing demands of the work from home sector.
"The demand for office furniture increased greatly this past year with the rise of work-from-home arrangements" says Guan. "We saw the opportunity to leverage our industry experience to create a collection of premium products, with the transparency, honest pricing, and speed that consumers demanded."
To provide an elevated standard of quality, Knead works with a network of suppliers and manufacturers who also make products for high-end office furniture companies and developed their product line to offer a comprehensive list of ergonomic features. At launch, Knead is offering a focused collection of ergonomic office chairs, standing desks and accessories to provide the necessities for building a healthy workspace.
“Our experience showed us that the premium prices charged by the likes of Steelcase and Herman Miller have less to do with the actual product cost, but more to do with the inefficiencies in the business model,” says Au. “By leveraging an ultra-lean business model, we cut out the various levels of middlemen traditionally involved to be able to provide quality products at a fraction of the cost.
Knead is also setting out to tackle other challenges consumers face when purchasing from contract furniture companies such as long lead times and a lack of pricing transparency. To cater to consumer expectations, products are delivered in 4-6 days rather than 4-6 weeks of contract furniture manufacturers. The product costs and margins that Knead makes on each product is on full display with their Honest Pricing model, a start contrast to the traditional practice that relies on contracts and negotiations.
About Knead Ltd.
Knead was founded in 2021 with a portfolio of products for the office, designed to help people work more comfortably and be healthier. With a focus on design and wellbeing, Knead's mission is to democratize great workspaces, wherever work happens.
Inspired by the culinary world, to knead is to blend several elements to create a cohesive single entity. This is how Knead approaches space. Knead provides products to create a space that not only makes you feel better and healthier, but enables you to work happier.
