Everyone has sat on a chair or barstool that can rotate, whether at a bar or restaurant or in your own home. The part that allows chairs and barstools to have this range of motion is known as a swivel. Swivels are typically made from steel and feature full bearing plates that allow for the smooth motion of the seat. They can allow anywhere from 180 degrees to 360 degrees of motion and feature slight tilts as well as auto stop and return features.
Trendler started producing swivels in the 1960s at the request of one of our customers. In the coming years, the design and manufacturing process was further developed and Trendler began offering several models of chair and barstool swivels, as well as custom swivels for specific applications. It did not take long for our heavy-duty swivels to become among the most trusted swivels in the world and over the course of our history, Trendler has produced and sold over 100 million swivels.
In this episode of Brothers, Battles & Bounty titled “100 Million Swivels,” the Gfesser brothers discuss how their father Tony Gfesser affectionately known as, “The Swivel Doctor” began producing swivels and how Trendler became renowned for their swivels which have been trusted worldwide by OEMs and furniture manufacturers.
You can watch the entire episode here:
Trendler’s First Swivels
Today, Trendler is a leading produce of swivels for chairs, barstools, and marine aftermarket boat chairs. But how did Trendler start producing swivels?
Anton Jr. explains that in the 1960s, Trendler was producing metal kitchen cabinets, but wood soon took over as the main material for cabinet production. This left Trendler with a surplus of metal materials when we stopped producing metal cabinets. Tony Gfesser put an ad in the paper for metalwork and Douglas Furniture, one of the largest dinette furniture manufacturers in the world, contacted Tony and asked him if he could make metal brackets for their furniture. Tony returned a week later with examples of the product and pricing and Douglas Furniture placed a big order.
About a year later, Douglas Furniture called Tony again and asked him if he could make a swivel. Tony returned 6 weeks later with a swivel sample that was approved by Douglas Furniture and they began placing orders for swivels from Trendler. It was this request from Douglas Furniture that launched Trendler into the swivel business.
Tony Gfesser Sr.: The Swivel Doctor
After Anton Jr. finishes the story of how Trendler got into the swivel business, Martin asks how the swivel was designed as at the time, Tony was not an engineer. Anton Jr. explains that Tony Sr.’s brother-in-law Frank was the foreman of a company that made metal light fixtures, fans, and swivels. Frank helped Tony build some dies and get some samples and different materials to start building swivels. Trendler then had to get new machinery and equipment to be able to produce swivels efficiently.
Every new customer that approached Trendler for swivels wanted something a little different, such as different pitches, hole and slot sizes, and plate types and sizes. Tony Sr. never refused a request and instead would design the swivels to meet these specific needs. He ended up developing more than 500 different swivel models and earned the nickname swivel doctor for his ability to create custom swivels that could solve any swivel problem.
The Gfesser brothers acknowledge that this approach has been integral to Trendler’s success and is still part of our core philosophy as we rarely say no to a customer request which continues to spur product development.
Global Marketing
As Trendler expanded into global markets, so did our swivels. We had distribution centers in Australia and Germany that were selling swivels all over the world including China, Russia, South America, Japan, the Philippines, and the Middle East.
Andreas recalls going to a tradeshow in Malaysia and at the time, swivels made in Asia were not of the same quality as the swivels from Trendler. At this tradeshow, Andreas approached one of the competitors in Asia and gave them a business card. The competitor immediately recognized the Trendler name and made a comment about how Trendler offered excellent quality at a great price. By this point, Trendler had a reputation around the world as one of the top swivel manufacturers.
There was a time when Trendler was one of the only manufacturers selling swivels directly to Chinese factories who would put them on their chairs and barstools. In the mid-1990s, Andreas and Stefan visited and toured every manufacturer in China that was considered a swivel competitor with the goal of becoming the top swivel supplier in China. This was part of Trendler’s global market research to help determine their potential market share for swivels.
Expanding Manufacturing
In the 1990s, Trendler had between 45 and 50 percent of the total swivel market while the next closest competitor had a share of about 10 percent. Stefan also realized that only about 10 to 15 percent of chairs and barstools on the market had swivels on them which the Gfesser brothers recognized as an opportunity for Trendler. At the time, Trendler was not producing chairs and barstools, but had the infrastructure, knowledge, and market to expand their manufacturing.
Trendler decided to begin manufacturing chair and barstool frames in addition to the swivels. When expanding the manufacturing, it was important to the Gfesser brothers to maintain control over as much of the manufacturing process as possible without relying on outside sources.
Trendler received an Industrial Revenue Bond from the city of Chicago in 1996, that was used to buy the 4540 facility, equipment needed to manufacture chair and barstool frames, including injection molding, dies, and powder coating equipment. The Gfesser brothers invested in the best equipment available at the time, much of which is still being used, which helped boost Trendler’s manufacturing. The production of chair and barstool frames now makes up around 50 percent of the business.
Martin explains that the swivels were the catalyst for expanding manufacturing. Trendler was selling millions of swivels and understood that many customers buying swivels likely need a frame as well. The Gfesser brothers expanded into manufacturing wood and metal frames when they identified these as the most commonly used materials for swivel chair barstools. They also discovered that there was more volume in chairs and barstools without swivels which helped them expand into a new market.
Trendler has since expanded even further into cutting the metal and wood for custom designed seats and backs and upholstery to offer upholstered seats for our chairs and barstools.
It Started with the Swivels
As the Gfesser brothers discuss, the success of their swivels led to the exploration of new markets and expansion of manufacturing to include chair and barstool frames and eventually finished products. While the swivel is no longer the largest part of the business, it was the catalyst that spurred product development and growth and Trendler is still one of the top swivel manufacturers in the world.
For more episodes of the Brothers, Battles & Bounty podcast, visit Trendler’s YouTube channel. You can hear the complete discussion about swivels here: