Nemschoff Chairs, owned by MillerKnoll, a merger of Herman Miller and Knoll, will shut down its Sheboygan plant by September to consolidate operations among its production sites. Production will be moved to other locations across the U.S. Less than 200 employees will be affected by the closure. In 2019, Nemschoff Chairs reduced its workforce to meet demands, and it is unclear if the affected employees are from that group. The company is currently bargaining with the Sheboygan site's union to reach an agreement, and the impact on employees is uncertain at this time. Sheboygan was once known as "Chair City" in the late 1800s, with nearly 3 million chairs shipped via the lake and railway.

As for MillerKnoll, the plant closing is part of this program and is expected to result in pre-tax costs of approximately $140 million. The company's Americas Contract segment posted a decrease in net sales and new orders for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023.

Logiflex Inc. plans to invest $40 million to build a new plant in the Sherbrooke Regional Industrial Park which will help improve its automated manufacturing systems and increase production capacity. The new plant is scheduled to be completed in 2025. Logiflex has received financial support from the Quebec government and the Ville de Sherbrooke to facilitate land purchasing. The company has invested $10 million over the past few years to implement equipment and systems to help increase competitiveness.

Logiflex president Yan Sinclair says, “Automation is key to competitiveness. Automation will allow us to increase our production capacity by more than 50%. We will be consolidating 210 existing positions and creating 50 more over the next three years.”

In 2022, Logiflex launched Xtension, its new all-laminate panel system collection. Xtension desks help divide an open-plan space and make integrating electrical management systems easy and efficient. This spring, the company will also introduce a new line of storage lockers, a must-have item for shared spaces.

“Logiflex has been a major leader in digital transformation for over a decade,” says Nathalie Prince, Director, Business Services – Advanced Manufacturing at Sherbrooke Innopole. “Sherbrooke is lucky to have a company like Logiflex to bolster the city’s economic growth with this major project.”

There are challenges facing the office real estate market in Dallas, including limited funding for office projects, an increase in defaults and foreclosures, and a record amount of sublease space. Some owners are considering converting distressed office stock to multifamily properties, but this is not feasible for all buildings. The future of the office market is uncertain, but there may be opportunities for well-capitalized companies to innovate and emerge stronger.

Trepp recently analyzed the office and retail commercial real estate (CRE) sectors and found potential bad news in each. Of the $270 billion of bank CRE loans maturing in 2023, about $80 billion (30%) are backed by office properties. Trepp also showed an 80 basis-point increase in CMBS office delinquency between December 2022 and February 2023. In the retail sector, retail leads corporate defaults at the moment, with 30% of a global tally of defaults through February 28. The CMBS retail delinquency rate has declined 22 basis points since December and was 6.75% in February, but retail continues to post the highest delinquency rate of the five main property types. The top five states for increased office delinquencies were Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia, while the states with the biggest increases in retail delinquencies were Missouri, Indiana, Virginia, New Mexico, and Ohio.

The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity has launched a new digital exhibit, "Tables! Tables! Tables!", which explores the Eameses' approach to designing tables from the 1940s to the 1980s. The exhibit showcases the couple's relentless quest to make improvements to the objects around them, including experimenting with a range of materials and adapting tables based on their use. The Eameses believed in mass production to make their designs widely available and inexpensive. The exhibit highlights the thought process behind the tables and the Eameses' problem-solving approach to design.

This article discusses workplace transformation, which involves redesigning workspaces, processes, and technologies to improve the employee experience. A successful workplace transformation strategy requires an understanding of employee work styles and technology needs. The events of the past few years have shifted employee expectations, and organizations must understand their people and transform practices to deliver value for them. Workplace transformation can improve employee morale, productivity, and collaboration, but it also presents challenges, such as the need for dynamic performance management and cross-functional collaboration. Successful workplace transformation requires defining the future state of the digital workplace, engaging the team in the transformation, designing workplace solutions around the work itself, ensuring leadership alignment on the vision, fostering cross-functional collaboration, realigning workplaces, practices, and processes with how people work, and measuring what matters.

A look at the changing role of workplace designers in a post-pandemic world. Designers are now expected to wear many hats, including philosopher, real estate advisor, logistics specialist, and business psychologist, to create bespoke office environments that engage and inspire employees. Additionally, private offices are making a comeback, but with a new focus on flexibility, collaboration, and technology integration.

The pandemic has led to a shift in expectations around what an office should look like, with industry leaders focusing on enticing employees back with luxury hotel-style fitouts, free meals, and entertainment. However, a year-long study in Mirvac's head office has revealed that being adaptable is key to employee satisfaction in the future of the ailing asset class. Mirvac trialled the adaptive workplace on one floor of its headquarters in the EY Building at George Street, which resulted in a 40% uptick in employees returning to the office and an 88% employee satisfaction rating.

This blog post explores how Web3 technologies will transform the built environment, including the impact on human experience, collaboration, and community. The conversation covers topics such as virtual and augmented reality, digital twins, and the monetization of NFTs. The speakers also discuss the potential for Web3 to improve social impact and entrepreneurship.

Artcobell has launched NXT MOV, a collection of furniture designed for education that promotes activity-permissive learning spaces. The collection includes five chairs, four desks, and four tables, all designed to offer exceptional flexibility and comfort. The chairs, in particular, have been designed to adapt to the individual, allowing them to sit sideways, forward, and backward, and move 360-degrees underneath the person. The collection is a collaboration between design and engineering, and has been created in response to studies that show how such furniture can help prevent student fatigue and promote engagement.

Móz Designs has renovated Logan International Airport's Terminal C to B Connector in Boston, Massachusetts, using 65 of its aluminum column covers to create a seamless continuity between columns, ceilings, and entry portals for all retail locations. The column covers come in various shapes and sizes, with Classic True Brass and White Powder Coat finishes, and are designed to withstand high occupancies and disinfectants.

HBF Textiles has released a new collection called Reunion, which features five patterns designed to evoke nostalgia and joy. The collection includes Lawn Chair, Tête-à-tête, Ms. Quilty 2.0, Comfort Zone, and Gather, each with its own unique personality and color story. All five patterns are PFAS-free, meet third-party certifications, and some are bleach-cleanable. The collection ranges in price from $55 to $98 per yard.

The Nomadic Collection from Concertex is a line of high-performance fabrics inspired by the nomadic lifestyle and designed to support modern adventurers. Composed of nine upholstery patterns, including two digitally created Silicone Hybrid patterns and a high-performance velvet, the collection is deeply connected to nature and the cycle of seasons. The fabrics are PFAS-free and built to withstand any adventure.

Core77 showcases the Syncline Folding Desks by Sylex Ergonomics, which are designed for flexible workspaces and schools. The desks are lockable and can be tilted, and they can be nested for storage. They also feature a mechanism to link multiple units together.

The Blis home office desk, designed by Rodrigo Torres for MUMA, is a minimalistic and sleek desk that is both functional and decorative. It allows for personalization through accessories such as a shelf and board, and has technical features such as hidden cable management. The desk has recently been awarded a 2022 Good Design Award.

The Clip Table, designed by Komplot Design, is a lightweight table intended for assembly halls, auditoriums, conference rooms, classrooms, offices, and dining halls. The legs on one end are offset, allowing the tables to be stacked, and the legs on the other end keep the table stable when joined end-to-end. The table comes in four sizes and is produced by Fora Form.

A discussion of the history and design of the Rowac-Schemel stool, which was used in classrooms and workshops at the Bauhaus in the 1920s. The stool, made of lightweight sheet metal and featuring a riveted construction, is being brought back to market a century later by a design team that has reconstructed the original design. The stool is known for its clean design, practicality, and durability, and is produced in the same region as before, using locally sourced materials.

Rotterdam-based design studio The New Raw has created Stratum, a sculptural piece of furniture that serves multiple purposes, including bench seating, a tabletop for sit-down work, a standing-height desk, and planters for greenery. The 18-meter-long piece is made from 700kg of plastic waste transformed into a material suitable for 3D printing, with ridges inspired by fossil sediment layers and supermarket stacking crates. Stratum can be custom-designed for any environment, including commercial spaces like offices, reception areas, waiting rooms, bars, cafes, and restaurants.

Muuto's new collection focuses on how design can improve wellbeing by transforming the experience of a space. The Scandinavian design brand believes that good design impacts how we feel, activating all of our senses. Muuto's designs prioritize tactility, form, natural materials, and color to create an atmosphere that makes people feel at ease and connected to a space. The collection includes the Couple Coffee Table, Fiber Conference Chair, Wrap Lounge Chair, and Ease Portable Lamp, which all incorporate elements that promote comfort and functionality.

Danish furniture brand HAY has collaborated with Rietveld Originals to reintroduce Dutch designer Gerrit Rietveld's 1934 Crate Collection, which includes a lounge and dining chair, low table, and side table. The pieces are made of solid pine finished with a water-based lacquer and are available in five colors. The collection echoes Rietveld's transparent construction and balanced proportions and requires only screws for assembly. The original Crate chair was built using surplus wood from shipping crates with the specific purpose of making sensible furniture affordable.

Ikea-funded Swedish design agency Space10 has been exploring the potential of using generative AI for design. By training AI models on photos taken from decades-old Ikea catalogs, they have generated furniture designs that reflect the aesthetic of those time periods. However, the AI-generated designs also show some of the shortcomings of generative AI to date, and designers are still needed to fine-tune queries and refine the resulting ideas. At this point, AI seems best suited as a partner for early brainstorming sessions rather than as a replacement for designers. Ikea has established an internal data ethics team to ensure a fair, responsible, and transparent approach to AI.

The fashion industry has long been obsessed with youth, but women over 40 are now rejecting the idea that they should fade away as they age. With more spending power than ever before, this demographic is pushing designers to create clothing that caters to their changing bodies and evolving roles in society. Brands like Frances Valentine and Senza Tempo are designing for the over-40 set by prioritizing size inclusivity, quality materials, and enduring silhouettes. Meanwhile, heritage brands like J.Jill are evolving to stay relevant. As millennials enter this age bracket, they will continue to be inspired by social media trends and will likely continue shopping at brands they loved in their twenties and thirties.

Explore the relationship between workspaces and productivity, with this article arguing that unconventional or "quirky" work environments can increase engagement levels, foster camaraderie, and motivate ideation and problem-solving. It also discusses how creativity is driven by energy and environment, and how remote work can negatively impact creativity and collaboration. The author suggests that offbeat workspaces can help combat these challenges by giving employees a place to gather and creating the spark needed to make those gatherings productive.

BDG architecture + design recently completed the design of WPP Group's 250,000 square foot Toronto Campus, which brings together 28 of WPP's operating companies that had been living across 10 locations in Toronto to the top seven floors of the Waterfront Innovation Centre at the iconic Sugar Beach. The building is LEED Platinum certified and WPP's space targets LEED Gold certification. The new space is more efficient, with 550 fewer workstations, and features significant collaboration spaces planned on all four corners of the floor plan.

The new 21,000-square-foot headquarters for online food ordering platform ChowNow in Culver City, Los Angeles was designed by Rapt Studio to feel more like a restaurant than an office space. The open-air space features a chef's table, glass garage-style doors that open onto a patio, and a test kitchen for cooking lessons and demonstrations led by ChowNow collaborators. The space was designed to maximize utility for content creation, with different backdrops elicited by integrating a variety of materials and playing with scale and pattern.

NeoCon 2023
June  12-14, 2023 | Chicago, IL

 

NeoCon has served as the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial design industry since 1969. A launch pad for innovation—NeoCon offers ideas and introductions that shape the built environment today and into the future.  

Find the best Contract Furniture Industry jobs and hire the best talent.

NDI Office Furniture LLC, one of the nation’s largest stocking office furniture importers and distributors, is seeking an individual or group for Territory Sales Representation in the Houston, TX territory. NDI is based in Nashville TN with warehouses in Ocala, FL; Birmingham, AL; and Dallas, TX, and we utilize our own fleet of trucks and drivers to provide industry-leading service to our customers. 

Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering is seeking an Inside Sales Agent/Showroom Admin in Chicago, IL. 

ORI, Inc. is an insights led commercial furnishings dealer that provides knowledge, products, and services to help our customers achieve their desired business results. We are the exclusive Platinum Steelcase dealer. This position is an opportunity for a highly organized and driven sales professional to manage and grow a major healthcare account.

Indoff is expanding and in need of experienced outside sales professionals in your area. Indoff Offers: 50% commission on the gross profit - This is a straight commission position, and right now Indoff offers *70% year one if you can substantiate sales of $500K in the year prior.

The Senator Group seeks a field service tech to perform both technical services as well as project management support of our dealers. Our Senator Group, technical products team is responsible for the sale and delivery of architectural and technical related products that create private and collaborative spaces for today’s workspaces.