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SATRA reveals major drive to support furniture, furnishings and floor coverings industries

Tristine Hargreaves joins as Divisional Manager and a new partnership with the National Bed Federation begins.

24th December 2021

SATRA has announced a key appointment and an exciting new partnership as part of a commitment to grow its expertise for companies working in the furniture, furnishings and floor coverings sectors.

Tristine Hargreaves

Tristine Hargreaves

Tristine Hargreaves will be joining SATRA in January 2022 to lead the organisation’s furniture and flooring section. As divisional manager, she will drive SATRA’s strategy to be the UK’s preferred testing and technical partner for companies in these industries.

Tristine has over 27 years’ experience in the furniture industry, having worked directly for manufacturers, importers, retailers and trade associations, including FIRA and the National Bed Federation (NBF).

Currently a technical committee member on many British Standards Institute (BSI) furniture, textile and flammability standards committees, Tristine is also one of the UK experts representing BSI on European and international standard committees relating to furniture and flammability.

The combination of her knowledge of standards and regulatory requirements, product safety, compliance, risk assessments and technical files has enabled Tristine to provide a broad range of technical advice and consultancy services to the furniture industry.

SATRA chief executive John Hooker comments: “We are delighted to appoint Tristine to this senior management position at SATRA, which further strengthens our commitment to offer world-class services to the furniture, furnishings and floor coverings industries. We have ambitious plans for the division, investing in further testing capacity, expanding our training and consultancy services and enhancing our technical knowledge hub.”

SATRA has unparalleled expertise in testing furniture, floor coverings and associated consumer products and, indeed, has one of the most comprehensive test facilities in the UK. This is utilised to provide not only structural assessments, but also the evaluation of textiles, leather, flammability and emissions, as well as chemical testing.

Tristine’s appointment continues to enhance SATRA’s expertise and knowledge in this industry sector, complementing the expertise of Phil Reynolds who has worked with SATRA since early 2021 and continues to provide his vast industry experience and knowledge in furniture testing, standards and regulation.

In addition to having Phil as part of the team, Tristine will be working with SATRA’s head of furniture and floor coverings Geoff Bindley, senior team leader Johnny Worthington and team leader Phil Weal to grow the division.

Alongside Tristine’s appointment, SATRA’s executive team has also announced the signing of an agreement with the National Bed Federation to provide a comprehensive package of technical support and guidance to the UK’s trade association for bed manufacturers and suppliers.
This package will provide the NBF with technical support, regular feedback, consultation and updates on developments in British, European and international standards, as well as on REACH and other chemically-related topics. The technical support will also extend to addressing any queries relating to the NBF’s code of practice audits.

The agreement will allow SATRA to continue to support the furniture, furnishings and floor coverings industries to not only meet current requirements but also embrace future innovations in products, materials, standards and sustainability, along with the many other future challenges which may be faced.