Office Furnitures Going Global – Part 2
Reaching International Shores
U.S. companies are also keen on showcasing their products abroad. Businesses are now expanding in other countries which does need an American touch to their offices.
Steelcase Inc., the world’s largest office furniture manufacturer from Grand Rapids, MI, is already designing office furniture to be distributed globally. President James Keene of Steelcase Group said that their company is given information that some of their customers are going to be assigned overseas. “They might work in Europe for a few years, come to the United States to work for a while and then live in Asia.”
Relocating departments such as call centers in various parts of the world is the latest trend of outsourcing. This is exactly what the office furniture companies are targeting.
Haworth Inc. Chief Executive Officer Franco Bianchi believes that even if the relocated offices eventually adapt to local culture, there will still be a natural demand to the prevalent furniture design back home. “Offices around the world are different and reflect the local cultures. But those lines are blurring.”
Brian Walker, chief executive officer at Zeeland-based Herman Miller Inc. believes the profitable investment on the international market. What he suggest is the fact that as cultural barriers are continually expanded due to modernization everywhere else in the world, so as people’s taste for a different office environment by the form of furnitures is to follow suit.
Zeeland-based Herman Miller Inc. has already opened a plant in China which aims to get them closer to their Chinese customer base. It is reported that the company is seeing much faster growth in their international markets than those in North America.
Measuring the Market
The NeoCon trade show attract about 1,200 exhibitors and uses more than 1.2 million square feet of space. A strong show usually indicates a strong year for office furniture makers. But with the turnout statistics alone, it is enough to conclude that as the years progress, the demand for unconventional office furnitures are increasing as well.
According to the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association, the office furniture industry has had a two solid double digit growth in the past and will continue to increase in the future. Production is forecast to grow 6 percent to $11.5 billion in 2007 and 4.3 percent to $12 billion in 2008.
Slowly but surely the industry players are now on the dugouts forming their strategy. The game plan is play to win.
John Comeaux is optimistic of what lies ahead. “I see things starting to branch out, to really pick up steam.” The employee from Chicago-based furniture dealer Henricksen said that investments in furniture is about to skyrocket into greater heights as people are now ready to buy furniture.
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