Founded in 2005, Artmatrix Technology Sdn Bhd designs, manufactures and supplies ergonomic seating, system furniture and collaborative furniture in answer to today’s changing office needs. They also offer solutions for interior design, space planning, project management and planning services; and they do all this whilst keeping in mind their mission, since inception, which is to be kind to Mother Earth. Their latest bestselling creation, the OE Desk, was born from the global pandemic. This mobile and flexible desk caters for those who WFH (work from home) or in the office; it can be folded up and kept when not needed, packed and sent to where it’s needed. The cutting-edge design kept in mind the need to be physically distanced during the pandemic, yet versatile enough to be configured differently if needed.
Going green from the inception
Herbert founded Artmatrix back in 2005 with a few of his like-minded friends and says that the office furniture industry was relatively easy to break into. However, they decided from the inception that they would take the path less travelled and launched their green initiative during the early days. In 2009, Artmatrix received their ISO 14001 certification and two years later, became the first Malaysian office furniture company to receive the Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA ) licence. Herbert says “GECA has strict standards; they look at our materials and product’s emissions and assess the entire sustainability of the products’ supply chain, which includes material processing and life cycle assessment”. Artmatrix have since been certified with Malaysia’s green recognition scheme MyHIJAU Mark and the Singapore Green Building Product certificate.
Although Artmatrix started off as a small office furniture company, it has quickly grown to become a mid-tier company with a presence in five continents and 22 countries. Herbert says their secret to success was in being able to produce impeccable high-quality products. Each Artmatrix product is the result of a vigorously tested design process that has gone through creative intuition, feasibility and industrial analysis; thus gaining the confidence of their customers. Koh says that the company’s green certificates are crucial in opening doors. It has given them the green light to tender for international projects thus putting them on equal footage with big players. Koh is passionate that ‘going green is not another office trend’ as it is the company’s responsibility as a corporate citizen to address critical environmental issues and combat climate change. “Sustainability is the keyword here. We must act to preserve our environment so that future generations can enjoy the same resources we have now. We also design our products to be completely recyclable so that it can have a brand-new life at the end of its lifespan”. Herbert says that greening is also healthier as the materials used are eco-friendly and harmless to humans. All of Artmatrix’s green furniture have undergone emission testing to ensure they provide a safer indoor environment.
Reducing the carbon footprint
Taking the green initiative further, Artmatrix also measures the carbon footprint of its products. They work with a third party to audit and inform them how much energy is used to create their products. “We want to know how much C02 is released to produce a product, and our mission is to see how we can reduce those amounts. When a consumer picks up a chair, they can see that over the past few years, we have managed to reduce the energy required to make this chair – that is a company effort that can be quantified when we trade. All this helps when we are tendering for Green Building projects. Artmatrix’s headquarters, a GBI (Green Building Index) certified building is a proud testament to their eco-commitment. From designing sustainable products, to their key performance index which includes the development of two green products every year, to implementing green practices in many aspects of their product operations. Factory staff work in an airy environment with big fans circulating the air around. “It is in the little things like this that have an impact in keeping people happy working for us. We want to provide them with long-term security and part of that is providing a good environment in which to work”.
Eco-trendy is the way forward
In 2017, Artmatrix moved into e-commerce as part of their plan to expand into different regions. Says Koh: “E-commerce is a whole new kettle of fish. We have to think of easy-to-assemble products and flat packing. Our R&D efforts have to align with our future approach to digital marketing.” Social media is a main tool to convey information to their worldwide customers and stakeholders. From e-brochures to product animation, going digital means that information can be shared instantly via online platforms and also reduces printing demands which is once again in line with the company’s vision of environmental conservation. Not surprisingly, Artmatrix has clinched numerous sustainability international awards and recognition, the latest accolade being the SME Overall Winner for Sustainable Business Awards 2020/2021. With Herbert leading the way, Artmatrix as the onestop solutions provider of design-centric and highquality office furniture is planning to play a bigger role in contributing towards the nation’s economic growth that is both prosperous and sustainable.
