Upgrading metal furniture craftsmanship: durability and easy-to-clean features become new competitive advantages

In high-traffic dining environments, furniture not only needs to withstand frequent use but may also face cleaning challenges such as oil stains and spilled drinks. Market research data shows that up to 83.14% of consumers consider "waterproof and moisture-resistant" as the primary factor when choosing bathroom cabinet materials, and this demand is equally prominent in dining furniture.

The current dining furniture market is gradually moving away from a mere price war and shifting towards value competition centered on durability and ease of maintenance.

In 2023, the global penetration rate of stainless steel office furniture has risen to 18.6%, and it is projected that by 2025, the global market size of stainless steel office furniture will reach approximately $21.8 billion. This trend is equally evident in the catering industry, where metal furniture, with its characteristics of being 100% recyclable, corrosion-resistant, and having a service life of over 30 years, is gradually replacing traditional wooden and plastic furniture.

Catering business owners are willing to pay a premium for high-quality products, driven by considerations of long-term usage costs. For a set of kitchen cabinets priced at 50,000 yuan, if its service life exceeds 30 years, the average annual cost is only 1,660 yuan, and the recyclability rate reaches 85%. This logic of "durability equals value appreciation" aligns with consumers' pursuit of "quality-price ratio".

In the post-pandemic era, the catering industry has continuously raised its requirements for hygiene and safety. Antibacterial and easy-to-clean features have become essential rather than optional for catering furniture.

Faced with the issues of moisture-induced deformation, mold growth, and corrosion of traditional solid wood and board materials in high-temperature and high-humidity environments such as restaurants, new composite materials have emerged as the times require.

Jingangmu is a typical innovative material, consisting of double-layer austenitic stainless steel plates, aviation-grade aluminum honeycomb cores, double-layer rust-proof layers, and electrostatic powder coating layers. This unique structure endows it with composite characteristics of "strong core, tough core, and smooth surface".

The anti-mildew grade of Jin Gangmu reaches the highest grade 0 according to GB/T1741-2007, effectively preventing mold growth from the source. Its anti-fouling and wear-resistant properties are six times better than the national standard, achieving dual breakthroughs in scratch resistance and ease of cleaning.

All-aluminum home furnishings also demonstrate excellent performance. They are made of 6063A grade raw aluminum ingots (aviation-grade silicon-titanium-magnesium-aluminum alloy), which have superior density and corrosion resistance compared to ordinary aluminum materials. They can withstand high temperatures up to 200°C and are highly suitable for wet environments such as bathroom cabinets and kitchen hanging cabinets.

Significant progress has also been made in aluminum surface treatment technology. The vacuum wood grain thermal transfer technology results in clear and realistic texture with strong adhesion, addressing the pain points of traditional aluminum materials such as "cold and hard feel" and susceptibility to fading.

The advancement of surface treatment technology directly determines the durability and ease of cleaning of metal furniture.

Nanocoating technology, a significant breakthrough in recent years, allows stainless steel to exhibit 12 textures such as wood grain and stone pattern, completely breaking the cold impression of metal materials. This technology not only enhances aesthetics but also provides a warm and fingerprint-resistant surface, making it easy to maintain in daily use.

The application of PVD vacuum coating technology has expanded the color options for products from the traditional 6 colors to 120 colors, and increased the wear resistance index by 4 times. This technological advancement allows metal furniture to maintain durability while offering more design possibilities.

The surface processing technology for metal furniture materials with insulation and corrosion resistance ensures product durability through multiple processes: pretreatment (rust removal, polishing), welding treatment, electroplating (coating thickness of 2μm~5μm), insulation paint application (paint film thickness of 0.1mm~0.2mm), and outer layer anti-corrosion paint coverage (paint film thickness of 0.2mm~0.3mm).

The application of micro-arc oxidation technology in antibacterial metal products further enhances their functional value. By introducing a micro-arc oxidation ceramic layer on the metal substrate, the mechanical properties of the metal substrate surface are improved. Additionally, by incorporating an antibacterial layer, the micro-arc oxidation ceramic layer can be effectively sealed, thereby enhancing antibacterial stability.

The antibacterial performance of catering furniture has become a new competitive focus. The preparation methods of antibacterial metal products encompass various innovative processes, such as embedding antibacterial ions onto the metal surface through electrolysis.

Silver ion antibacterial technology is widely used. It inactivates surface proteins of bacteria and viruses through the antibacterial properties of silver ions, and then combines the antibacterial properties of calcium, iron, and zinc to further inactivate bacteria and viruses.

The phosphate slow-release system represents another innovation. Phosphate possesses a unique network structure of phosphorus-oxygen tetrahedra, which endows it with slow-release properties. By loading antibacterial ions into this phosphate network structure, the antibacterial material achieves a slow release effect, effectively prolonging the antibacterial durability.

Innovations in materials and craftsmanship are translating into tangible business value. Restaurant owners are increasingly realizing that investing in high-quality furniture not only reduces long-term maintenance costs but also enhances their brand image.

The stainless steel custom home furnishing industry has experienced rapid development in recent years, with an annual growth rate exceeding 25%, significantly higher than that of traditional wooden home furnishing. Market acceptance is also rapidly increasing, with 73% of respondents viewing stainless steel as a standard for a healthy lifestyle, and acceptance in the high-end market reaching 85%.

The regional market exhibits differentiated characteristics. The market size in East China reaches 12.74 billion yuan, accounting for 39% of the national total, with a strong demand for product innovation. The South China market, relying on a complete metal processing industry chain, has formed an industrial cluster centered around Foshan and Dongguan, with an annual output value exceeding 20 billion yuan.

In the next five years, the dining furniture market will exhibit three major trends: an increasing proportion of smart manufacturing, a circular economy model driving sustainable development, and a service-oriented transformation becoming the mainstream.

The key to future competition lies in transforming technological advantages into user experience advantages. The exploration of Sange stainless steel customized home furnishing demonstrates that by providing a solution for "six major spatial systems throughout the entire house", covering scenarios such as the kitchen, bathroom, and living room, and integrating cabinets, lighting, and hardware accessories to form a closed loop of "design-manufacturing-service", the unit price per customer can be increased by 40%.

For catering operators, investing in durable and easy-to-clean metal furniture is no longer merely a cost consideration, but a strategic choice to enhance operational efficiency and strengthen brand differentiation.