Office Chair Manufacturing, The Right Ergonomic Support

Aug. 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Karo Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd was established in May 1986 when the company began to manufacture office task chairs specifically for the South African health and computer-user markets. As the company grew, Karo's design engineers developed a broad range of high quality office chairs specifically for the corporate market segment. Through its consistent policy of high quality, customer service and competitive pricing, Karo has become one of the leading manufacturers of corporate office chairs in South Africa.  
Gaming Chairs.......

In mid-1997, Karo entered the casino gaming chair market when the company secured the order for South Africa's first casino located in northern Johannesburg. Since then, Karo has designed and manufactured a broad range of casino gaming chairs that have been successfully sold and marketed under the GAMER brand-name in Europe, Asia, Russia, Southern Africa, South America, New Zealand and Australia.
Australian market expansion.....

In a move to capture a greater share of the global market, Karo expanded its base when in the latter half of 2004, we opened our permanent office in Sydney.
Quality.....

Quality is synonymous with the Karo philosophy of continuous improvement. To this end Karo makes use of a multifaceted approach, including a formal quality management system, a state-of-the-art ERP and CRM systems, and finally the emphasis that Karo places on the continuous training of its employees. This integrated approach towards quality, allows Karo to confidently offer customers an extended warranty on all its products.

With a modern, sophisticated office chair manufacturing plant located on a 6500 m2 site on the outskirts of Johannesburg, Karo is ideally situated to service the entire Southern African region for any .

With our wealth of knowledge and experience in office ergonomic chairs, Karo is frequently asked to contribute to local publications and press releases. Below are some of our more recent contributions to the Office Chair / Ergonomics media.
Ergonomics is the science of designing jobs, equipment and workplaces to fit workers, or in the words of renowned ergonomist, Etienne Grandjean, ‘Fitting the task to the man’.
Ergonomics in the workplace has to do largely with designing the work environment, the equipment and tasks to be performed in a way that takes cognisance of human physiology to minimise the amount of stress and stain on the employee. In its simplest form, the work environment needs to have good lighting and ventilation, it should be clean, non toxic and safe, while the actual task should be designed so that lifting, reaching, pulling, stretching, bending and static seating is minimised. Finally, the equipment needs to be designed and setup in a manner that will simplify the task and reduce the risk of personal injury. By reducing absenteeism and improving safety, operational costs will decrease, or otherwise stated, a well designed work area will improve productivity, employee morale and company profitability.
Office Ergonomics

In the office environment, the most important ergonomic considerations are:

   • Lighting, ventilation and noise, i.e. the environmental factors
   • Desk, including the equipment, for eg computer keyboard, printer and screen
   • Office chair

Once the environmental factors have been addressed, the office chair is arguably the most important piece of equipment in any office, and one that has a huge impact on the long-term wellbeing of the employee.

When sitting, the body weight is transferred to the seat, floor, and to a lesser extent, the backrest and armrests. Traditionally, we have always been taught to sit in an upright position with elbows, hips and knees at 900 angles. However, we seldom see people actually sitting in this position, simply because our body is not designed to allow us to sit in this position for any extended period of time. Sitting in this traditional upright position increases the pressure in the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region of the back which causes lower back pain. As can be seen from the diagram, the pressure in the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region (L3, L4 and L5), is steadily reduced when the angle between the back and thigh increases from the ‘traditional’ 900, and reaches a minimum when this angle is approximately 1300; the so-called horse-riding or foetal position.

Source: http://www.karo.co.za

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Karo's design engineers developed a broad range of high quality office chairs specifically for the corporate market segment.