DISCUSSION
Will the joking stop now that IKEA furniture can be assembled in minutes?
Written by George Anderson
Source: IKEA video
If you Google “IKEA jokes” you will find pages of articles, jokes and videos poking fun at how difficult it is to assemble the Swedish furniture giant’s flat pack furniture. Here’s one from Joke Blogger’s Ham on Wry that may resonate: “I’ve only seen my dad cry once in my life. It was in 2001 after the collapse of the IKEA bookcase he was trying to assemble for nine weeks.”
One may wonder what would happen if IKEA ever produced furniture that was easy to put together. Would there be anything that could stop the company from world domination? That may be a question with an answer since, according to reports, IKEA has developed a new type of joint called a wedge dowel that allows furniture to snap together easily. The new joint works so well that the furniture can be taken apart and reassembled without losing structural integrity.
IKEA began testing the wedge dowel in 2014 with its Regissör storage products and Stockholm cabinets. Response from customers was so positive that IKEA is now using the dowel in its wooden Lisabo table and plans to expand its use across all its furniture lines.
Jesper Brodin, IKEA’s range and supply manager, someone who probably has less difficulty putting together the company’s furniture than the typical customer, told Dezeen, "I actually put together a table, which used to take me 24 minutes to assemble, but took me three minutes to click together."
IKEA Today - Wedge Dowel from IKEA Today on Vimeo.