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New Herman Miller and Legrand Alliance

Michigan, US, Herman Miller, Inc, a global provider of interior furnishings and related technologies and services, announced a new partnership with Legrand North America, an innovative manufacturer of electrical and network infrastructure solutions, on May 14, 2009.

The move aims to maximise energy usage and promote more efficient energy solutions, which will eventually lower real estate and building operating costs while improving worker productivity. Technology from Herman Miller subsidiary Convia, Inc will be embedded into Legrand’s Wiremold wire and cable management systems, which serve to provide flexible and accessible power distribution throughout buildings. With the combination of these two technologies, a facility’s power delivery and other infrastructure and technology applications will be effectively integrated, controlled and monitored. It will reduce energy wastage by turning parts of the system off when they are not needed, thus bringing energy management to the individual level. “Convia-enabled” building infrastructure products will be marketed and sold by Legrand to building specifiers and owners through its network of over 2,000 electrical distributors.

Says Brian Walker, CEO of Herman Miller: “By combining Herman Miller’s expertise in problem-solving design in furnishings and interiors technology with Legrand's superior wire and cable management for building infrastructure and its deep distribution network, we can successfully deliver the ultimate solution to maximise energy efficiency across all parts of a building." This is another step in the search for more efficient energy management strategies by Convia, Inc, the 2009 winner of the Frost & Sullivan Industry Innovation and Advancement of the Year Award. It has been receiving accolades for its work in this area annually since 2007, and has recently clinched several high-profile projects, including the Washington, DC headquarters of the US Green Building Council.

An established brand of more than 100 years, Connecticut-based Wiremold/Legrand offers a wide array of wire and cable pathway solutions for commercial, institutional and residential buildings.

New BIFMA Certification Label

Michigan, US, BIFMA International, the trade association for the commercial furniture industry, announced a new product certification programme, Level, on June 1, 2009, the association’s press release said. It will correspond to ratings on the BIFMA e3 sustainability standard, the first fully transparent, multi-attribute furniture sustainability standard addressing material utilisation, energy and atmosphere impacts, human and ecosystem health and social responsibility.

Products have to be subjected to third-party evaluations before they can achieve the level label. Third-party certification bodies who are the first to be recognised under the new programme are NSF International and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). The programme is modelled after LEED and has specific prerequisites, optional credits and three conformance levels, with Level 3 being the highest. BIFMA firms that already have products certified by level include Allsteel, Gunlocke, HON Co, Herman Miller, Kimball Office, National Office Furniture and Steelcase.

Kimball Reports Q4, FY Results

Indiana, US, Kimball International released the results of its 4th quarter and full fiscal year results on August 12, 2009, reporting lower numbers compared to 2008. Fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009, ended June 30, 2009, reported net sales of US$271.5 million and income from continuing operations of US$2.8 million. Net sales in Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) declined 20 percent from that of the previous year. Despite the loss, this is an eight percent rise from that of the previous quarter, mainly due to increased sales in the automotive and industrial control sectors. Net sales in furniture also dropped, 19 percent lower than in the 4th quarter of 2008. There was a decrease in sales of office furniture, but this was slightly offset by the growth in the hospitality furniture sector.

Fiscal year 2009 produced net sales of US$1.2 billion, 11 percent lower than 2008, which had also included losses totalling US$100,000 from discontinued operations. However, the net cash position of the company increased at the end of 2009, amounting to US$88.6 million, compared to US$29.8 million in 2008. This was mainly due to the sale of land holdings and timberlands, and cash from lower working capital due to decreased sales and improved working capital management. The gain was slightly lowered by construction costs incurred by the building of a new facility in Poland.

Kimball International provides an array of products from its two business areas, the Furniture and the Electronic Management Services segments, and is committed to achieving excellence through its high performance culture.

Haworth Launches "HAWORTH" iPhone App

Michigan, US, Social networking sites and mobile devices are no longer simply for entertainment purposes, as Haworth recently found out. The Michigan-based company, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of office furniture and work spaces, recently developed and made available an iPhone application and publicised it via Twitter and Facebook, reported InformationWeek on August 7, 2009.

The “Space” iPhone application allows potential customers to view high-resolution pictures of Haworth furniture displayed in 15 showrooms across the world, in Europe, the US and Asia. They can then access Google maps to find out the location of a particular showroom and even call the place using the application. This provides highly convenient access to customers and makes the company’s operations more mobile. The company also hopes to drive more people to its showrooms through the application despite the recession.

While some accidentally came across the application on the iTunes store, a greater number was informed through updates posted on Twitter and Facebook by Haworth personnel. At the Chicago NeoCon trade fair, Haworth representatives also demonstrated the application at the company’s booth, a significant move which combined new and old marketing approaches. Downloads amounted to almost 1,500 within the first 30 days.

The application is available for downloading on the iTunes store and Haworth’s website. The company is continually enhancing the application, which is now on version 1.3, and is also considering developing other applications that work on mobile devices like Blackberry as well.