Design Engineer - Upholstery

Key Responsibilities

Furniture Design & Engineering

• Develop detailed furniture designs and engineering solutions for upholstered furniture

products.

• Create accurate 3D models, assemblies, and manufacturing drawings using

SolidWorks.

• Translate design concepts into production-ready engineering designs while considering

manufacturability, durability, comfort, and aesthetics.

• Develop components, assemblies, joints, frames, mechanisms, and structural elements

for upholstered furniture.

• Prepare detailed 2D drawings, BOMs, specifications, and engineering

documentation.

• Ensure appropriate tolerances, dimensions, and design standards are maintained.

Upholstery Product Development

• Work extensively on sofa, lounge chair, recliner, ottoman, bed, and other

upholstered furniture.

• Strong understanding of:

Wooden and metal sofa frames

Plywood / solid wood construction

Foam densities and specifications

Webbing and spring systems

Fabric and leather application

Stitching and seam construction

Cushion construction

Recliner and other furniture mechanisms

Upholstery allowances and fit

Ergonomics, comfort, and structural integrity

• Convert upholstery concepts into designs that can be consistently manufactured at

scale.

Prototyping & Manufacturing

• Collaborate with manufacturing teams to develop and validate prototypes.
• Work closely with production teams to resolve design and manufacturing issues.
• Conduct design reviews and identify potential DFM/DFA issues before production.
• Support first-piece development, pilot production, and product industrialization.
• Modify designs based on prototype feedback, testing, quality observations, and

production requirements.

Cost & Process Optimization

• Design products with a strong focus on material efficiency, manufacturability, and

cost optimization.

• Work with sourcing and manufacturing teams to optimize material usage and component

specifications.

• Identify opportunities to simplify assemblies, reduce material wastage, and improve

production efficiency.

• Standardize components and design modules wherever possible.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Work with Design QC, Production QC, and Quality teams to identify and resolve

recurring product issues.

• Perform root-cause analysis for design-related defects and implement permanent design

solutions.

• Incorporate customer, production, and quality feedback into future product development.
• Ensure engineering changes are properly documented and controlled.

Must-Have Skills

• 37 years of hands-on experience in Furniture Design / Furniture Engineering.
• Mandatory experience in Upholstered Furniture / Upholstery industry.
• Strong hands-on expertise in SolidWorks including:

Part modelling

Assembly modelling

Surface modelling

3D modelling

Engineering drawings

Design modifications

BOM generation

• Strong understanding of upholstered furniture construction and manufacturing.
• Experience designing sofas, chairs, recliners, beds, ottomans, or similar

upholstered products.

• Good understanding of materials including solid wood, plywood, MDF, metal, foam,

fabric, leather, webbing, and springs.

• Strong knowledge of DFM/DFA and production-oriented design.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, and BOMs.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Comfortable working closely with manufacturing and production teams on the shop floor.