KOKUYO Furniture

What KOKUYO Furniture does

KOKUYO Furniture (China) Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan's Kokuyo Co., Ltd. (TSE: 7984), operating as the China arm of Japan's largest office furniture manufacturer founded in 1905. The company sells office seating (Task, Executive, Meeting/Training chairs), intelligent height-adjustable desks, bench and panel workstation systems, collaboration and lounge furniture, and storage solutions, anchored by named sub-brands INSPINE, SAIBI, ARCH, ING, Campus Up, AIRFORT, DUORA, and black-box. Underpinning the product line is the "people+design" philosophy emphasizing ergonomic, human-centered workspace solutions, with proprietary technologies such as INSPINE seating and the nendo-co-designed circular whiteboard workspace system.

The business combines one-time product sales with a professional space planning services motion delivered through 37 global flagship showrooms (including Shanghai OFFICE LAB, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok), an approved dealer network of 21 overseas partners, and direct enterprise inquiry channels. The company runs more than 1,000 spatial design projects per year, executing from space assessment through installation and after-sales support, and also maintains a manufacturing footprint in China via a 2011 joint venture with Zhejiang Taili Office Automation Equipment Co., Ltd.

Revenue is generated primarily through enterprise corporate accounts, education institutions (Campus Up, learning commons deployments at Nihon, Ritsumeikan, and Hokkaido universities), and selected healthcare and commercial/hospitality projects. The named customer base spans Sumitomo Life Insurance, Pfizer, Roche Diagnostics, China Life Insurance, NEC China, GoerTek, Canon Marketing, New Balance, FUJI OIL Holdings, and Zhejiang DIAN Diagnostics, among others. The entity holds ISO 9001:2008 certification (December 2014) and has secured multiple iF Design Awards (AGATA/A in 1997, Campus Up in 2016), while leveraging the parent's sponsorship of the Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics as enterprise brand authority.

Name

KOKUYO Furniture

Legal name

Kokuyo (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Co., Ltd.

Website

https://kokuyo-furniture.cn

Company type

Public

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KOKUYO Furniture (China) Co., Ltd. is the China subsidiary of Japan's Kokuyo Co., Ltd. (TSE: 7984), providing office furniture and full-service workspace design to enterprise, education, healthcare, and commercial clients across China and broader Asia via flagship showrooms and a 21-dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Office Furniture

NAICS

Office Furniture (including Fixtures) Manufacturing (3372), Office Furniture (except Wood) Manufacturing (337214), Interior Design Services (54141), Institutional Furniture Manufacturing (337127)

SIC

Office Furniture (2520), Partitions, Shelvg, Lockers, & Office & Store Fixtures (2540), Office Furniture (No Wood) (2522)

akta.pro primary industry

Office Furniture & Workspace Accessories Retail (CRALABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home Office Furniture Retail (Desks, Office Chairs, Bookcases, Filing/Storage) (CRAIAAAD), Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM), Classroom & Student Furniture (Desks, Chairs, Tables, Storage) (EDAEAIAA)

Keywords

• Office furniture manufacturing
• Ergonomic seating solutions
• Workspace design services
• Educational furniture systems
• Height-adjustable desks

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Office Furniture Sales: Direct sales of office furniture including seating, desks, storage, and collaborative furniture. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales and ongoing office space planning services.
2. Space Planning Services: Comprehensive office space design and planning services, including project management from space assessment to installation and after-sales support

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KOKUYO Furniture designs, manufactures, and sells office furniture including ergonomic seating, intelligent height-adjustable desks, bench workstations, panel systems, meeting and training tables, collaboration/lounge furniture, and storage solutions. The company also provides comprehensive workspace planning services covering space assessment, layout design, furniture delivery, installation, and after-sales support for enterprise, education, healthcare, and commercial customers across Asia, completing over 1,000 spatial design projects annually.

Product overview

KOKUYO Furniture is a comprehensive office furniture and workplace solutions provider offering a diverse product portfolio. The core offerings include seating solutions (Task Chair, Executive Chair, Meeting/Training Chair), smart desk systems (Intelligent Height-Adjustable Desks, Bench workstations, Panel Systems, Management Desks, Meeting/Training Tables), Collaboration/Lounge Furniture, and Storage Series. Named product sub-brands include INSPINE (executive seating), SAIBI (bench/table with 'next comfort'), ARCH (meeting tables), ING (dynamic seating), Campus Up (education/group learning chairs), AIRFORT (star seating), DUORA, and black-box (people+design series). The company also provides space planning services and education space solutions, with over 1,000 spatial design projects annually. The company operates under a 'PEOPLE+DESIGN' philosophy focusing on ergonomic, safe, and aesthetically pleasing office environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INSPINE: High-quality comfortable seating product line for executive and task chairs.
• SAIBI
• ARCH
• Campus Up
• ING
• MOV (Creative Lounge MOV)
• The Campus
• THINK OF THINGS

Products and services

• Task Chair (员工椅) Ergonomic office seating designed for employee workspaces, providing support for daily work tasks in standard workstations.
• Executive Chair (管理职椅)
• Meeting/Training Chair (会议/培训椅)
• Intelligent Height-Adjustable Desk (智能升降桌)
• Bench (长条桌)
• Panel System (屏风工作位)
• Management Desk (管理职工作位)
• Meeting/Training Table (会议/培训桌)
• Collaboration/Lounge Furniture (协作/休闲家具)
• Storage Series (储物柜)
• INSPINE Executive and task seating product line featuring proprietary high-quality ergonomic technology for comfort and support.
• SAIBI Bench and table product line described as 'next comfort' for modern workspaces.
• ARCH
• ING
• Campus Up Education seating designed for group learning environments, supporting lectures, practice, discussion and sharing activities in active-learning classrooms.
• AIRFORT Star office chair seating line launched in 2010 as a popular KOKUYO seating product.
• DUORA
• black-box
• Office Space Planning Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 spatial design projects completed annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• nendo design studiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 October 2016Design collaboration with nendo, led by Oki Sato (designer), for booth design at ORGATEC exhibitions and product development including circular whiteboard workspace systems and module-type furniture. The partnership has produced innovative workspace concepts and meeting chairs.
• Design Studio nendocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with nendo for office furniture and workspace design projects, including Milan Furniture Fair exhibition featuring new concept meeting chairs

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sunon: Chinese office furniture manufacturer specializing in seating and workspace solutions, directly competing with KOKUYO in China enterprise tender business.
• Itoki Corporation: Japanese office furniture and space solutions provider competing head-to-head with KOKUYO for enterprise and government contracts across Japan and broader APAC.
• Knoll (MillerKnoll): High-design office furniture brand now part of MillerKnoll, overlapping KOKUYO's premium design-led positioning and enterprise ergonomic seating line.
• Vitra: Swiss design-led office and home furniture brand with comparable premium positioning, designer collaborations, and enterprise project business model.
• Haworth: Family-owned office furniture and architectural interiors company with comparable product breadth (seating, desks, walls, floors) and similar enterprise project-led sales approach.
• Okamura Corporation: Japanese-headquartered office furniture maker and one of KOKUYO's closest domestic competitors with overlapping enterprise customer base and comparable Asia-Pacific showroom footprint.
• Steelcase: Global #1 office furniture manufacturer serving enterprise customers with full-service workspace solutions, identical go-to-market motion to KOKUYO through field sales and large project contracts.
• MillerKnoll (Herman Miller): Design-led office furniture manufacturer (Herman Miller, Knoll, Colebrook Bosson Saunders) with direct competition in the same enterprise ergonomic and high-design chair/workspace categories that KOKUYO targets.
• UE Furniture (U&E): China-based office furniture manufacturer with broad enterprise seating and desk offering that competes with KOKUYO in mainland China enterprise accounts.

Broad incumbents

• HNI Corporation: Multi-brand office furniture conglomerate (HON, Allsteel, Gunlocke) serving enterprise customers across North America with broader portfolio reach but similar product categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kokuyo-china

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KOKUYO Furniture