Despite posting a massive loss in the US Steelcase, the world’s largest office furniture manufacturer has announced the opening of a new showroom in Manchester.
The showroom will be their second in the UK and will mark the development of 22 showrooms or Worklife centres across major cities of the world. Worklife is being marketed a  showcase of possibilities, highlighting the latest ideas from the Company. Steelacase is also looking to expand its number of office furniture dealerships across the North West. Work Life is scheduled to open in Mid June and will be located in Both Street, Manchester City Centre.

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Three containers of office furniture and office equipment have arrived in Ghana to support a school project. The furniture mainly comprising desks, filing cabinets and meeting tables has been donated by the Jewel and Esk College in Edinburgh. The college worked with the charity the Sabre Trust who specialise in supporting educational projects in West Africa. The furniture left Edinburgh in November 2008 and arrived at the end of December after spending 3 weeks to clear at Customs. The school were reported to be amazed at the quality of the furniture and were very pleased and proud to receive the donation. The Sabre Trust was advised by Green Standards a Swindon based charity that specialise in the redistribution of office furniture and equipment to Third World countries.

Despite the worsening global economic downturn Techo the Czech office furniture manufacturer have increased profits by 17% and sales by 7% . There has been a drop off in orders of late and some agency workers have been laid off but the time workforce is still intact. Techo was founded in 1991 by Jiri Kejval and operates in Romania, Georgia, Hungary and the UK. In 2007 Techo has been under the ownership of Ahrend office furniture in Holland. Techo produces a number of office furniture ranges including Arkus which was installed into the new offices for The MET office in 2004, Citis a flip top table and desking system and Focus a frameless desk system that seems to defy gravity. Techo’s UK office are in Farringdon Road, London

Steelcase the international office furniture manufacturer have teamed up with Armstrong the commercial ceiling specialist to producer a range of sound absorbing products called Soundscapes. The products are aimed at reducing noise in offices and can best be described as acoustic canopies and clouds. Soundcape come in a variety of shapes and sit under the ceiling and have been shown to absorb 785 more sound than normal ceilings. Soundscapes can also add an aesthetic appeal to the overall design of the office convex and concave sections called Hills and Rivers have been designed to provide a focal point as well as having an sound insulating effect. Steelcase believe that the increasing use of collaborative teamworking space within commercial offices is going to have an increasing effect on noise levels and these innovative and design conscious products will enhance their considerable portfolio of office furniture and office environment products

Senator International’s take over of Teal furniture in High Wycombe will give the group access to products in the growing healthcare furniture market. Teal, a traditional family run business based in High Wycombe in Bucks manufactures contract furniture including beds, chairs and desks for student and sheltered accommodation. There is also a traditional range of wood framed lounge furniture suitable for hotels, restaurants and public areas. Traditional seating for office reception areas and conference rooms also forms part of the portfolio Residential furniture for nursing homes including specialised seating is at the core of the business and represents further diversity for the Senator group which includes Café and contract furniture from Allermuir, entry level office furniture from Toransen, Beam desking systems from Beyon and Senator’s own stable of office furniture r

Steelcase is working in collaboration with the Institution Recycling Network (IRN) in New England on a program to find ways of re utilising and recycling used office furniture. Most recently the two have worked together on a project at the University of Notre Dame and managed to re home 1600 items of office and classroom furniture resulting in a donation to victims of the hurricane in Haiti and Jamaica which cost the school less than if the furniture had been moved to landfill. The IRN is a cooperation that works with public and private organisations to improve the financial benefit and efficiencies in recycling.
Based in Grande Rapids near Chicago Steelcase Inc are the world’s largest manufacturer of office furniture and seating

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. 
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