Sydney-based company Flat is fixing wobbly tables around the world, and the development of a wooden table and base brings new technology to old design.
Founded in 2004, inventor Tony Pike developed a prototype and product using the ‘Patented Actuator Device’ (PAD), which uses hydraulics to remedy an eternal hospitality problem: wobbly and misaligned tables.
In recent years Flat has had success around the world, boasting a tonne of awards, most recently including this year’s Smart Label, held in Milan.
The recent collaboration with British furniture maker Carlick has demonstrated the system’s versatility in being incorporated into bases other than its existing range of self-stabilising cast iron, stainless steel and aluminium table bases.
“The Carlick wooden base development is the first of its kind and has been a great success to date and this could open up further options for end-users in future,” Flat marketing manager Andy O’Donnell told PubTIC.
“From our perspective, the principle of incorporating our technology into a wooden table with a flat-bottomed base is certainly exportable!
“But we’d work with manufacturers in Australia (and globally) to develop their wooden bases to incorporate our technology. This would be more cost effective then exporting wooden bases from the UK to Australia (although that’s certainly possible with Carlick).”
O’Donnell says the addition of the Flat product to an existing or purpose-made table base would add a cost of around $40-50 to the normal table cost.
Of the new product, the Wellington, Carlick managing director Neil Harrison says the technology-based solution fits with their mantra as hospitality furniture specialists.
“Carlick has always pioneered the use of innovative technologies, designs, materials and finishes, and in many cases we have been ‘first to market’ with them.
“Our customers expect us to deliver quality, problem-solving products at affordable prices.
“The collaboration with Flat has been exciting, and we’re now able to manufacture quality wood tables that don’t wobble on uneven surfaces.”
