Aram is the most experienced supplier of high quality modern furniture and lighting in the UK. We work with architects, interior designers, specifiers, and end users to deliver high quality environments for them and their clients' employees and customers. Aram has been specifying and sourcing the best furniture and lighting for our clients since 1964. With our extensive experience we are in a unique position to provide our clients with the optimum solution every time.Services
Furniture Consultancy
Sixty years helping clients specify the right products for their projects
means we are able to provide unique insight and extensive knowledge
to help clients meet the requirements of their next project.
Assessing Requirements
How many desks do you actually need? How many seats are really required? Can storage be reduced by clever document management? What should the balance between formal and informal be? How do employees want to interact with their working environment? These are just some of the questions we explore at the beginning of a project with our clients.
Furniture Audits
Not everything needs to be new, so Aram audits existing furniture to assess what can be re-used within a new scheme to reduce budgets and waste. There are numerous ways to achieve the desired result and Aram can advise on how to achieve the best result in the most cost effective way.
Budget
What result are you trying to achieve for your client and what budget do they need to achieve this? There are numerous ways to achieve the desired result and Aram can advise on how to achieve the best result in the most cost effective way.
Regulation
Different regulations and certifications are required depending on the type of site and environment (public, private, school, office, shopping centre, medical, etc). Aram has the experience in selecting and adapting products to meet these different environments.
Environmental Impact
For Aram and most of our clients, sustainability, recyclability, minimum pollution, carbon emissions and minimising the overall impact on the environment is very important. Aram only works with responsible suppliers who also take these issues seriously and work them into their designs and manufacturing processes, and Aram can advise clients on the merits of different designs and suppliers in this regard.
Furniture Specification
What are the right products taking various elements into account, and which should be considered based on aesthetic, budget, timing, adaptability, manufacturer support, environmental impact, longevity, etc? What technical elements need to be incorporated (AV, Power/data, etc)? Aram has vast experience in dealing with this complexity and is not tied to any single source meaning we can put forward the best options to meet the requirements.
Sampling
There is a world of choice and at Aram we use our knowledge of the market to short list several designs or solutions that we feel most appropriate. It is then important to allow the client’s team to sample these before making their final decision, and we organise this in the most appropriate way for the client (e.g. organising mock ups in our showroom, on the client’s premises, organising showroom tours, etc).
Space Planning
Understanding the usage requirements and planning the best use of the available space to achieve this and producing space plans. We also work with space plans produced by architects/designers to optimise the furniture layouts.
Project Management
Specification is only half the story.
Having managed hundreds of successful projects,
we know that professional and detailed planning is the key to success.
Scheduling
Projects are usually time constrained, and finishing on time is business critical for our clients. The first task for Aram is to understand the client’s critical milestones and build a realistic, detailed step by step procurement schedule to ensure these critical milestones are met.
Specification and sampling
It is important to leave enough time to allow the right choices of products and finishes to be made. Once orders have been placed it is much more difficult to alter these choices. Aram works hard to encourage clients to make these choices in time so the procurement timing is not compromised.
Ordering
Making sure the order is correct is a very critical step and Aram focuses a lot of attention at this stage. Many elements need to be correctly specified so that no mistake or misunderstandings can occur. The Aram purchasing team manages this complexity every day constantly dealing with many suppliers, numerous detailed specifications, complex mixes of materials, bespoke unique pieces, adaptations to existing designs, and so on.
Monitoring progress
The Aram purchasing team maintains a constant and regular monitoring process over all orders associated with every project. In this way we are able to ensure that the timing is maintained, and that any potential production issues are highlighted early enough for us to resolve them with the suppliers.
User Manuals
Once installed on site Aram provides user manuals covering all the items that have been supplied.
Day 2
There are often little snags that need resolving, or staff training on product usage that is required. Some products may also not perform and need repair or replacement. The Aram project team is always on hand to provide that Day 2 support, and for Aram this is just as critical as any other element of the service we provide.
Logistics
The last stage in every project, delivery and installation to site is critical for our clients and their clients.
It is why we pay extra special attention to this on every project.
Site survey
Aram’s project team will survey the site and liaise with the main contractor/client as soon as possible in the process so that we fully understand the delivery and installation requirements. Is access difficult perhaps requiring special equipment? Is access possible in normal hours or only out of hours? What size delivery vehicles should be used, specialist tools, protection of client site, rubbish removal, PPE required, etc?
Risks and Method Statement (RAMS)
The project team produces a RAMS for the project so that everyone is very clear about what will be done and how. The RAMS is as detailed as possible covering every aspect of the delivery and installation process. Once agreed by the client all Aram personnel must adhere to this RAMS.
Warehousing
Aram’s warehousing and logistics is organised through a few well trusted and long-standing partners. Deliveries from the numerous suppliers are consolidated into one warehouse and checked so that we can be sure that everything is correct before delivery and installation commences. We are also able to store items should there be delays on site, which can often happen.
Delivery
Coordinating deliveries from numerous origins to site destinations within the UK and beyond requires focus and attention. We may combine direct supplier deliveries with consolidated deliveries via our warehousing partners; it depends on what makes most sense from a timing and budget perspective.
Installation
Aram works with a few trusted and long-standing partners specialising in different aspects of furniture installation. Our Logistics Team plan each installation well in advance adapting the method to suit the project and site requirements. All these details are included within the RAMS.
Featured Projects
Architect: Westfield Projects: 2008 - 2016 Architect: N/A Project completed: 2016 Architect: Allies & Morrison Project completed: 2016Westfield Shopping Towns
The Quarry & Whitehouse Post
Banham Patent Locks