HORSHAM’s Oscar Furniture is proud to be a family business employing Wimmera people, with its products distributed across the nation.
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Business development manager Daniel Op de Coul has worked full-time with Oscar Furniture for the past four months, after completing a mechanical engineering degree at Deakin University in Geelong.
“I love working here,” he said.
“It’s a challenging business, but it’s rewarding and it’s very much a growing space.”
Daniel said Oscar Furniture, which his grandfather Leo started as a domestic retail furniture shop in the 1980s, was now servicing Department of Veterans’ Affairs clients Australia-wide, working with health professionals.
“We have 45 staff including two engineers who do the product development and design for manufacture,” he said.
“We also have a handful of sales staff, accounts staff and staff working in international imports – we do need a lot of parts for our products.”
Daniel said the sales team dealt with occupational therapists (OTs) to create and sell customised products for clients.
Wheelchairs and custom made beds are among the products on offer at Oscar Furniture, but Daniel said the two most popular designs were lift and recliner chairs, custom built for comfort, safety and support.
“There are four standard sizes in each of our lift chairs, and the OT will look at what changes need to be made to make the product perfect for the client, and tick the boxes,” Daniel said.
The business also manufactures bariatric lift chairs which can safely seat people who weigh up to 320 kilograms.
“Ninety-nine percent of all our business come from outside the Wimmera,” Daniel said.
“We have a nationwide distribution network with distributors in every state, as well as showrooms which stock our products and work with local OTs.”
Daniel is working to develop an app and implement IT systems to streamline Oscar Furniture’s ordering process across the board.
As well as custom-made furniture, Oscar Furniture stocks a range of mobility aids to make life easier for people living with a disability, and their carers.
“The mobility side of the business has been around for a few years now, but it has grown,” Daniel said.
This side of the business trades under the name Country Care Horsham, auspiced through Mildura-based company Country Care Group.
Daniel’s brother Matthew Op de Coul and their father Anthony Op de Coul are part of the Oscar Furniture team.
Matthew also works with Oscar Furniture’s partner company Grampians Homes – a modular building company which will soon be rebranded as Oscar Building.
It’s a challenging business, but it’s rewarding and it’s very much a growing space.
- Daniel Op de Coul