Japan's budget furniture king discounts his way to a fortune

Tokyo

EMBARRASSED by the recall of thousands of kitchenware pots after they appeared to leak lead when heated, Japan's discount-furniture king, Akio Nitori, took an unusual step. He hired a team of car industry engineers to revamp his quality assurance and testing division.

Ten years later, every one of Nitori Holdings Co's products must survive a furniture torture chamber before they are ready for showrooms. Chair backs are prodded with hydraulic presses. Towels are spun in centrifuges to see if they stretch. Technicians wrestle with the legs of coffee tables to make sure they'll hold up at a rambunctious house party.