Second Life by Factoryoficina: The most exhaustive refurbishing process in Spain

26/03/2026 · Rubén Cabezudo

In summaryUpdated in September 202612 min read

"Segunda Vida by Factoryoficina" is the 6-phase protocol through which FactoryOficina remanufactures premium-brand office furniture: structures are audited, wear-and-tear parts are replaced, and each unit goes through strict quality control before returning to stock.

What is replaced. A new Class 4 (DIN 4550) gas piston, new Soft-Tread casters, HR foam (40–60 kg/m³), and highly durable contract fabric (over 30,000 Martindale rubs) are installed whenever original parts aren't in perfect condition.

What is kept. The chassis, star base, and mechanisms from premium brands, originally designed to last 15–20 years. This is the source of the financial and environmental savings.

What is discarded. Any component showing irreversible material fatigue or structural damage is immediately pulled from the line and sent for recycling.

With what warranty. 1 year for Factory Rebuild, 2 years for Factory Selection, and 3 years for Factory New.

The protocol

6phases

audit, replacement, upcycling, sanitization, calibration, and control

Structure

15–20years

of designed lifespan in the premium brands we preserve

Emissions

+90%

avoided from metal smelting and plastic manufacturing

What is "Segunda Vida by Factoryoficina"?

It is a 6-phase industrial protocol through which FactoryOficina puts premium corporate furniture back to work. This isn't just a basic check-up or cleaning: it is a mechanical intervention where wear-and-tear parts are swapped for brand new ones, and units don't return to inventory without passing final inspection.

The difference between this and "second-hand" is not about degree, but about its very nature. It is crucial to distinguish between three commonly confused practices:

What is done	What it consists of	What remains
Cleaning or checking	The upholstery is washed and mechanisms are tested for basic functionality.	Underlying wear and tear remains: sagging foam, fatigued parts.
Preparation for reuse	Legal definition: "checking, cleaning, or repairing" items categorized as waste, returning them to use with no major transformation.	The product is no longer waste, but it hasn't been rebuilt.
Industrial remanufacturing	The structure is audited, wear parts are replaced, and the final unit is extensively tested.	A piece of furniture offering original performance and a commercial warranty.

The furniture FactoryOficina buys doesn't arrive as waste: these are corporate lots with years of useful life ahead of them. That's why the framework here is reuse and remanufacturing, rather than waste management.

Terminology isn't just marketing. The international standard ISO 59004:2024 exists precisely to standardize circular economy vocabulary, and the EU Ecodesign Regulation (2024/1781) already includes remanufacturing as a requirement that can be imposed on products, with specific furniture regulations expected by 2028.

Where does the furniture to be remanufactured come from?

From corporate lots: headquarters renovations, relocations, and early liquidations from large companies. This is the raw material for the entire process, and it dictates everything that follows.

Only premium brands enter the line. Steelcase, Herman Miller, Vitra, Actiu, Haworth, and Forma 5 engineer their structures to handle 15–20 years of continuous use. When we build upon that base and replace the wear parts, we deliver furniture with 10–15 years of useful life remaining.

Fast-furniture is rejected. In low-end furniture, the chassis wears out at the same time as the foam. There is nothing worth rebuilding, rendering the process technically and economically pointless.

This incoming flow is complemented by our Sustainable Buyback program: FactoryOficina evaluates the furniture a company plans to retire, identifies recoverable pieces, and proposes an environmentally responsible exit route for the rest.

What are the 6 phases of the process?

Phase 01Preventive structural audit

Chassis, star bases, joints, welds, and general stability are thoroughly checked before anything else. Any part showing irreversible fatigue or structural damage is immediately pulled from the line and sent for recycling: we do not conceal or patch over flaws.
Phase 02Mechanical restoration and replacement

This is our technical differentiator. Worn parts aren't just lubricated; they are replaced entirely. Mechanisms, rails, and hinges showing the slightest sign of deterioration are swapped out.

In seating, this is what prevents sudden sagging and gas leaks:
- A new Class 4 (DIN 4550) gas piston, featuring a 2.5 mm outer tube, is installed if the original isn't pristine.
- New Soft-Tread casters are provided if the originals show wear, protecting your office floors.
Phase 03Surface and textile upcycling

Upholstery isn't just steam-cleaned: it is stripped away completely. Wet cleaning doesn't fix fiber wear or tension loss.
- New High-Resilience (HR) foam, between 40–60 kg/m³, replaces any original foam suffering from use-memory deformation.
- Brand new contract fabric rated for over 30,000 Martindale cycles is applied during reupholstery.
Phase 04Deep sanitization

Disinfectant treatments, polishing, and specific technical cleaning depending on the material being handled: polymers, metals, and woods all receive tailored treatments.
Phase 05Calibration, assembly, and adjustment

Ergonomic adjustments, surface leveling, and testing of safety features: synchronized mechanisms, anti-tilt systems, and tension locks.
Phase 06Final quality control

A unit-by-unit verification process tailored for intensive professional use (over 8 hours daily). This strict internal check ultimately decides whether a piece is cleared for stock.

What is kept, and why it lowers the footprint

The structure, the base, and the mechanism are preserved. This is precisely where the majority of a furniture item's environmental impact lies. For instance, in Herman Miller's Aeron chair, 83 out of its 87 kg of CO₂eq life-cycle emissions (95%) come from raw material production, according to the manufacturer's 2016 environmental declaration.

What is checked on each furniture type?

We don't test a cabinet the same way we test a chair. These are the critical points for each category:

Category	What is checked and replaced
Chairs	Gas piston, five-star base, reclining mechanism, armrests, casters, foam, and upholstery.
Tables / Desks	Stability and leveling, condition of the desktop and edges, structure, and cable management trays.
Cabinets, filing & drawers	Telescopic rails, locks and keys, alignment of doors and tambour shutters, and the anti-tilt system.

For storage units, anti-tilt mechanisms are not an optional extra: safety standards exist because a cabinet can tip over if multiple drawers are opened simultaneously. For task seating, industry standards mandate specific dimensions, adjustment ranges, and durability tests.

Checked vs. Remanufactured: What's the difference?

A "checked" second-hand chair keeps its worn parts; a remanufactured chair gets brand new ones. Here is a breakdown:

Critical Point	Second-hand (Checked)	FactoryOficina Remanufacturing
Foam	The original foam is kept, along with accumulated sagging.	New HR foam (40–60 kg/m³) is installed if any deformation exists.
Lift system	Original piston, carrying the risk of future gas leaks.	New Class 4 (DIN 4550) piston if the original isn't in pristine condition.
Upholstery	Steam cleaning, which does not fix fabric wear and tear.	Full removal and replacement with highly durable contract fabric.
Structure	Basic visual inspection.	Rigorous audit of chassis and welds; flawed items are scrapped.
Warranty	Varies by seller.	1 year (Factory Rebuild) or 2 years (Factory Selection).

Can a remanufactured item be used for VDU workstations?

Yes. Occupational health and safety regulations dictate what physical characteristics a workstation must have, not how old the furniture is. Standards typically require:

Seating Stable, with a five-star base, adjustable in height, and featuring an adjustable reclining backrest; footrests upon request.

Table With a matte, light-colored surface and at least 10 cm between the keyboard and the edge for arm support.

Screen At a distance of 40 cm or more, with the top edge at eye level.

A workstation equipped with remanufactured premium chairs fulfills these requirements just as well as a brand new setup, since these exact settings are recalibrated during our phase 5. FactoryOficina ensures performance by systematically verifying items against industry compliance standards.

Ranges and Warranties

The final categorization depends on the initial condition of the item, not on how much work we put into it:

Factory Rebuild

1 yearPremium

Corporate furniture that underwent real-world use and completed our 6-phase protocol. Best for operative desks and call centers.

Factory Selection

2 yearsPremium

Design icons and lots with minimal previous use; requires selective intervention. Ideal for executive offices and boardrooms.

Factory New

3 yearsPremium

Brand new furniture from official manufacturers to maintain continuity with your current setups.

Factory Selection items carry a longer warranty because they arrive in near-perfect condition from the start. Read more about the 3 states of refurbished furniture.

Can we choose the color and fabric?

Yes, whenever a piece is reupholstered. When applying new fabric, you get to choose the material and your corporate color, allowing us to deliver hundreds of visually unified units, even if they originally came from different corporate lots.

Our workshop also offers services for the furniture you already own: reupholstery and chair repair (pistons, mechanisms, casters), available for lots of 4 units or more.

What happens to items that fail the quality check?

They are pulled from the process and sent to recycling. Current environmental laws dictate a clear hierarchy: prevent, prepare for reuse, recycle, recover, and only eliminate as a last resort. Scrapping an unsafe piece and recycling its materials is the right choice; assembling it and selling it is not.

How much CO₂ is avoided compared to buying new?

Equipping 50 workstations with FactoryOficina reconditioned furniture translates to around 96 kg of CO₂eq, compared to about 3,500 kg for new furniture. Every product page displays its estimated CO₂e savings.

New Furniture · 50 workstations 3,500 kg CO₂eq

FactoryOficina Reconditioned · 50 workstations 96 kg CO₂eq

Orders and stock capacity

With 26 years of industry experience, FactoryOficina remanufactures and ships from a 2,500 m² facility located in Illescas (Toledo).

Volume: Our extensive warehouse capacity allows us to supply hundreds of identical workstations.
Lead time: 3–5 business days for items currently in stock.
Assembly: Quoted separately. Many reconditioned products—like chairs and drawer units—ship fully assembled.
Turnkey projects: Floor planning and proposals delivered within 24 hours, effectively combining new and reconditioned furniture.

Companies such as Ferrovial, Telefónica, Repsol, Mercedes-Benz, and DHL trust FactoryOficina. On Trusted Shops, we hold an average rating of 4.30 out of 5 from almost 500 reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a used item and one remanufactured by FactoryOficina?

Used furniture is simply cleaned and checked; remanufactured furniture is mechanically restored. FactoryOficina audits the structure, scraps fatigued pieces, and replaces pistons, wheels, foam, and fabric whenever they are not in perfect condition. It finishes with strict quality control, backing the product with a 1 or 2-year warranty.

What warranty does remanufactured furniture carry?

Factory Rebuild comes with a 1-year Premium warranty, Factory Selection with 2 years, and Factory New with 3 years.

Which parts are always replaced?

We replace whatever isn't in perfect condition. For chairs, this often means installing a new Class 4 gas piston, new Soft-Tread wheels, HR foam, and extremely durable contract fabric.

What happens to furniture that fails the audit?

It is discarded and sent to recycling. Current regulations prioritize prevention and recycling over selling compromised products.

Can we order items in our corporate colors?

Yes, when a piece is reupholstered, you can select the fabric and color, which allows us to unify the appearance of large office setups.

Does remanufactured furniture comply with workplace safety regulations?

Yes. Ergonomic and safety regulations require specific physical features (adjustable height, 5-star base, etc.), all of which are thoroughly calibrated in our 5th phase.

How long does delivery take, and is it assembled?

In-stock items arrive in 3-5 business days. Assembly is quoted separately, though many items ship pre-assembled.

Sources

European environmental regulations on waste and circular economy
Occupational safety guidelines for VDU workstations
ISO 59004:2024, Circular economy: Terminology, principles and guidance for implementation
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781
Herman Miller — New Aeron Chair environmental product declaration (2016)
Trusted Shops — factoryoficina.com customer reviews