Desk link the South Wales manufacture of office furniture went into administration on the 19th of December shortly after the assets were purchased by the Business Fort Group PLC of Staffordshire. The deal is based on further support from the Welsh Assembly and will see the loss of 59 jobs. However the immediate injection o f £500,000 will Desk Link carry on and protect the remaining 95 workers. Desk link problems arose from the reduction of credit available through invoice discounters due to the credit crunch.One of the few companies who manufacture to stock, desk link also have outlets in Liverpool, Glasgow, Wolverhampton and Morden Surrey.

Haworth job cuts
In the latest response to the economic downturn Haworth Inc one of the world’s largest manufactures of office furniture and seating is to close its seating plant in Allegan in Michigan this follows lay offs from the two other office furniture giants in the region Herman Miller and Steelcase. It has been said that the industry receives a double hit not only from the direct effects from the slowdown but also due to the release of used office furniture released into the marketplace from downsizing companies and in particular the financial services sector. The Allegan factory is responsible for the majority of Haworth’s office seating portfolio and includes the award winning Zody office chair. Production will now be split between Haworth’s other factories in the UK. Two of Haworth’s other factories in thge area, in Holland and Douglas are seeking voluntary redundancies.

Icon Office furniture
Icon have taken on the JF Nott office furniture factory in Witham Essex where they have aquired the stock and rights to the product ranges. Icon were formerly TAG wio arose from the Arenson site in Dunstable, when they also a year ago. Icon, then have longstanding furniture ranges from both of the expired Companies. These include CX Cxtra and Transform from the Arenson side and High tec, Beam tec, Classic and Storagewall from JF Nott. Icon will also take occupation of the JF Nott site in Braintree Essex. Clearly access to these furniture rangers and its potential client base and the reduction in the overhead leave Icon office furniture in a goof position to deal with the challenge of the coming recession

Orgatec is Europe’s office furniture fair held in Cologne on alternating years. This year’s fair held last October has bee n reported as a great success with the number of visitors at over 62,000 up by 9.0% on the previous event. Visitors came from across a broad spectrum of occupation and geography with a big increase of attendees from the Far East and Australia. As always Architects, Designers and Facility managers were well represented.
Notable exhibitors included the German/Swiss design based Company Vitra who were showing their new height adjustable desks Playns designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec as well as the executive office furniture range Ace manufactured in a white homogenous mineral material. Walter Knoll presented products ddesigned by the Norman Foster Pearson Lloyd partnership which heralded the K510 Club reception chair.
B&B Italia are very much in vogue and called on the services of the British designer David Chipperfield who has designed the Posa chair a slim line series of soft seating for use in public spaces. 
Please bookmark for further reviews of the Orgatec office furniture fair.

Two of the world’s largest office furniture manufacturers have announced large scale redundancies in response to the U.S recession. Herman Miller based in Zeeland Michigan is to cut 400-600 jobs, 250 of which are white collar workers. Steelcase have also announced redundancies at its factories in nearby Grand Rapids is looking to axe 300 jobs. Both companies are set to make these cut in January 2009 and are in response to poor order books for their ranges of office furniture moving into the next quarter

Lancashire based office furniture manufacturer Senator have been awarded a local Environmental award  by the Lancashire Telegraph. The firm has undertaken several initiatives to reduce the impact of the manufacture of new office furniture. Board offcuts are used in a recently purchased boiler which is used to heat the factory resulting in a saving of £100K per year in reduced heating bills and offset landfill costs. Senator have also been collecting old office furniture when delivering new furniture on some of its national contracts. The returned office furniture is then donated to local charities.
The award was received Senator’s service manager David Cullis who praised his staff for working hard for this award. Senator was also awarded the Business of the Year award by the Lancashire Telegraph two years ago. The firm pledged to continue to offset the manufacture of office furniture and chairs by further green initiatives

Ergonomic office furniture seminar
Kinnarps the Swedish office furniture giant are holding this seminar at their Reading offices on 27th November. In conjunction with the Royal College of Art . The seminar is a study of the evolution of the office of the future against the back drop of an ageing population. This seminar will outline the needs and aspirations of older office workers and will detail the results of research carried out by Jeremy Myerson Professor of design studies and his team
Kinnarps address
Kinnarps (UK) Ltd
1 Winnersh Fields
Gazelle Close
Winnersh, Reading
RG41 5HH

It has been widely reported today that Bill Gates has spent over 2.50 million dollars on new office furniture for his personal office from where he has launched his top secret, new venture bgC3. Much of this is with B and B Italia who provide high design office furniture and soft seating in Italy. Notable ranges from B&B include the Maxalto collection of conference tables and desks, AC range of minimalist executive furniture designed by Antonio Citterio and Archie tables designed by Paolo Piva.
Please contact us for further information on B and B Italia office furniture

Herman Miller the office furniture company that was responsible for the ubiquitous Aeron office chair has launched a new office chair called the Embody. Six years in the making it is being billed as the first bionic chair in the world. Going under the code name of Stockholm the Embody does more than prevent the maladies that come with endless sitting in office chairs, it is claimed to be good for you, and improve your health! The chairs co-designer Jeff Weber has said that the Embody represents  a leap to a new evolution of office chairs and in answer to these bold claims that sitting is believing. The chair will track the users movements and find a position in which the head is placed above the pelvis this reduces the pressure on the “sitting bones” and improves the blood flow to the legs. Also built in f flexibility in the back will allow  the user in inhale and exhale a greater quantity of air with each breath.
The Embody chair will be  available for around £1250.00
Please contact our office for further information

This years Orgatech organisers are expecting 700 exhibitors from 40 counties and over 60,000 visitors. Special events include “The delightful office” presented by Human Design Worlds aimed at improvements in well being through ergonomics and harmonising with the office environment. The Best Office 2008 award with the support of the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Darmstadt and Mobile Work Spaces an architectural award for design students and architects to develop temporary buildings. There are also special shows in Acoustics, Lighting and Flooring.
Further exhibitors of office furniture and seating to our previous list include
Walter Knoll German based office furniture maker
Luxy SRL Italian reception seating and office chairs
Maro  Polish providers of executive furniture and reception desks
Nowystyl Polish manufactures of executive office chairs and contract furniture
Quadrofoglio Italian providers of executive and general office furniture
Sedus Stoll High end office chairs and seating from Germany
Senator International The UK’s premier provider of office furniture and seating
Sinetica Industries Italian general and executive office furniture includes the Ego range
TDS Office design Metal tambour cupboards and filing cabinets from Belgium
Vitra Acclaimed international supplier of design led office and system furniture
Zuco Office furniture from Switzerland

Plaese contact our office for further information on Orgatech