Office furniture makers will flexibility at NeoCon trade

Simple controls for a pneumatic, 30-degree reclining angle makesleeping in the up holstered, high-backed chair easier. It also has swing-away arms for easy access. On the office front, Zeeland-based Herman Miller is observing the"Year of Filing and Storage," acknowledging a paperless society isjust not happening. "Most people still have so much stuff to store," said NikiAinsworth, product manager for the new line of Teneo cabinets anddrawer units. "The walls are coming down, and the space is getting smaller,"Ainsworth said of the typical office. "Mote" is Herman Miller's high-tech way of measuring just how muchoffice space a business needs. "This is a seismic measure that detects when someone is sitting ina chair," said Todd Thompson, advanced development manager, holdingup a small, black sensor. For three weeks, the devices are attached under office chairs toregister occupancy rates, sending a signal every 10 minutes to aremote receiver. The overview can show which areas are most heavily used, to helpfacilities managers better use a company's indoor "real estate." An estimated 15 employees in the information technology departmentdeveloped the system, expected to cost in the "10s of thousands"per three-week analysis. Waves of the future Haworth is bringing its global designs to the U.S. market,including its Italian Mumbai executive desk, created by Doriana andMassimiliano Fuksas. A stackable "Very" chair for large groups offers styles from basicto upholstered, and will be available this fall. On the bookcase front, in-house designer Nicolai Czumaj-Bront willunveil Resonance, an undulating version of the traditional storageunit. "We have a huge opportunity to create places where people feel morecomfortable, reduce the impact on the environment in a lot of ways,and in the meantime, have a lot of fun," Chairman Dick Haworthsaid. For Trendway Corp., also in Holland, the future is all aboutservice. Although it has a new line of Code chairs and tables, thecompany that promised "on time or it's free" last year is heatingup its focus with "Excellence Brand Makeover." "We had a facilities vice president tell us 'Office Cubicle Furniture is 7percent of my budget, and it takes 80 percent of my time.' We'rewinning business with him because we're taking care of it,"Trendway President Bill Bundy said. Its new logo? The mathematical symbol >. "Trendway is all about peace of mind," Bundy said. "It's greaterthan you think."