About TEAM 7

“design meets nature” – this is the successful slogan of the Austrian furniture manufacturer TEAM 7: with growth of 40 percent in 2006 the company is top in its branch. No other European quality furniture manufacturer was able to achieve similar growth. TEAM 7 combines design with ecology and has quickly become recognised as a branch leader. The company’s excellence in design is demonstrated by numerous international prizes such as the “red dot design award 2007” for the girado chair and the stretto bench. TEAM 7 has undergone an astonishing change of image in recent years – known in the 80’s as an ecology pioneer, which introduced alder as a wood for furniture, the company is now a top designer. And this was achieved without betraying its roots. The wood surfaces are still treated with solvent-free herbal wax, the glue is of course free of formaldehyde. Long transport ways are avoided: the high-quality three-ply panels are produced in the company’s own Alfa panel factory in Pram. This allows the manufacturer to have optimal influence on the whole production process. Equally important: the woods can also be perfectly selected and creatively combined. “We paint with wood”, says TEAM 7-Managing Director Dr. Georg Emprechtinger. The wood itself becomes a design factor.

The furniture is manufactured exclusively in Ried in Austria. More than 60% of our production staff are cabinetmakers. Growth despite high wage costs – the Austrian company has found a way to remain competitive in a global market. This strategy is based on exceptional quality, as no manufacturer in high-cost Europe can be competitive on price alone. “The market will polarise between cheap and expensive, premium and volume – and those in the middle will be squeezed. Only those who are better, quicker, more innovative or individual will be able to survive in the long term”, says TEAM 7 Managing Director Dr. Georg Emprechtinger. The company brings international prize-winning designs onto the market at breathtaking speed – and these find the immediate approval of both trade and consumers. There have been no flops, on the contrary – they have been best sellers, 47 percent of the turnover in 2006 can be attributed to designs from the previous two years. This gives a good indication of the company’s innovation, which can only be achieved, according to Dr. Georg Emprechtinger, as a self-owned family business. “No roadshows, no payment of dividends to shareholders – instead more money and energy for development. An entrepreneur can decide to take less out of the company and can invest more quickly and efficiently”, explains Dr. Georg Emprechtinger. This policy has been successful for the company – further growth has been predicted for 2007. Company founder Erwin Berghammer can look back at a perfect generation change and with the sale of his remaining holding to Dr. Georg Emprechtinger in 2006 sees the company in responsible hands.

Emprechtinger, for his part, manages the company according to Berghammer’s legacy, in addition to the design element, selective distribution, order-determined individual production, genuine Austrian craftsmanship and ecology. The motto is “design meets nature”. Due to the dominance of design in countries such as Italy aesthetics alone are not enough to be successful in the market. While many design labels elevate form to dogma, TEAM 7 has perfected the implementation of customer’s requirements – also including made-to-measure. “The customer in the quality furniture market has a right to individuality. Those who can anticipate and implement this find themselves in the fast lane”, says Dr. Georg Emprechtinger regarding the sensational success of TEAM 7.