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British office interior and contract furniture solutions

Some Office Interiors Improve Business?

There is no doubt that people react to their surroundings. Customers can make a decision whether to spend money or not depending on the ambiance of the place in which they shop. Staff will work more efficiently and feel content if their place of work is conducive to a pleasant workplace. Commercial interiors and the way they are furnished are as important as domestic interiors, even more so when many of us spend more time at work than at home!. We also need to retain our staff as much as we need to retain our customers, and providing a pleasant working environment is essential. I'm not talking about calling-in a Feng Shui master or a trendy commercial interior designer, but a modern professional contract furnisher.

Not too long ago a contract furnisher supplied desks and chairs, cupboards and cabinets, as well as hotel fittings. There are still many old fashioned contract furnishers about but we have a new breed of contract furnishers that understand Ergonomics, Health and Safety, Repetitive Strain Injury, Duty of Care and a great many other laws, rules and regulations that hang over us with hefty fines and compensation claim threats that can cost far more than furnishing a department!. Okay, they are not lawyers but we still need a consultant and supplier who can see the whole picture. This type of contract furnisher is not easy to find either, as I recently discovered.

Having spent a lot of time using the internet in search of a purveyor of commercial interior fittings and office furniture .. together with creative ideas and some understanding of legal requirements, and technically capable of operating a CAD/CAM system. Cambridge Business Link seemed to be quite good in terms of technical information and up to date business news.

I contacted them and was referred to their website for a case study on a Cambridge based contract furnishers called Optrys Ltd. The firm headed by Mark Periton, has played a key role in Eastern Power Energy Trading's push into Europe. See this article from Business Weekly.

I asked Mark Periton why Optrys is different from other Contract Furnishers.

Ergonomics - It's all Greek to me!

Ergonomics in simple terms is about how we fit into and around our environment. An ergonomically designed office chair is designed not just for comfort but with health and safety in mind. Repetitive Strain Injury is taken very seriously and employers have a 'Duty of Care' to ensure our time at work does not take too much toll on our bodies. So why has 'ergonomically designed office furniture suddenly become important and who created the word - was it a switched on contract furnisher?

The word ergonomic derives from two Greek words ; ‘ergon’ meaning work and ‘nomos’ meaning laws.

Ergonomics isn't just about desks, chairs and work stations and it isn't as new as we may have first thought. The science came about during World War Two when many of our pilots lost their lives because they had an enemy aircraft on their tail and they failed to respond quick enough to either shoot down the enemy plane or at least get out of its way. In terms of money, the lack of ergonomically designed workspaces within the cockpit cost the price of a trained pilot and a fighter plane - and the cost multiplied after each fatality . Experts were called in to analyse what went wrong. After lengthy trials and examinations they came to the conclusion that the position of the controls and the cockpit layout made it almost impossible to react quickly even to the most skilled fighter pilot. So half a century on, ergonomics is an important part of commercial interiors and office furnishings.

Ergonomics is now concerned with our well being, both physical and psychological as well as with our Health and Safety .. and of course comfort. If the human body is expected to move in an unnatural manner, it will sooner or later rebel. I am sitting at a workstation typing and staring at a computer monitor, it is not a natural stance. Experts tell us that Ergonomically designed workplaces, equipment and jobs increase efficiency and productivity and reduce accidents and errors which could cost organisations dearly.

SoHo - Small Office : Home Office

Many of us spend longer periods sitting down than ever before, at work and at home, including those who work from home. The internet, Commuting to and from work, Television, - even dining out, involves sitting down. The electronic office means we will work longer sit on our seats without moving other parts of our body We can send a letter to someone without moving from our office chair and picking up an envelope!

The European standard classifies anyone who operates or uses a computer monitor as a ‘user’ under the 1992 Display Screen Equipment (DSE) regulations which lay down requirements for workstations. Non-compliance could put employers in breach of these regulations, thereby facing prosecution and litigation. Look out for BS EN ISO 9241 which is a directive produced by the European Union on the use of VDUs in offices (which also applies if you work for a company but from home) and a European standard. Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals is already in effect. The aim of the standard, which has the same status as a British Standard, is ‘to encourage movement, promote comfort and reduce physical, mental and visual problems’.

Working from home is now widely acceptable and indeed many companies are allowing their workers to convert a spare room into an office. If they choose this method and in order to comply with the various rules and regulations, it is better to contact a contract furnisher such as Optrys Ltd for guidance on the correct office furniture. Optrys can help in terms of design, an upgraded interior can make a tangible difference to the business and the way staff perform when working away from the main office environment. It is important to make more efficient use of floor space and available storage facilities - especially if the room has a duel purpose such as a bedroom or dining room. Noise reduction needs careful examination together with improved air management and ergonomic workstation solutions.

All this can produce really appreciable business benefits including an increase in work efficiency, reduction in absenteeism and compliance with important health & safety legislation.

Key concepts of the new European standard

Bored Room - or Board Room

Board Rooms tend to be multi purpose, when the board of directors are not using this executive suite, it may be called upon as a meeting room, a conference facility. a training room. These uses are different in terms of the people occupying it. Board Directors may feel that the furnishings should reflect the success of company and the board room decor should be conservative with traditional overtones. The meeting room occupiers may be using it to discuss commercial matters with buyers, thrash out new projects and brainstorm forthcoming campaigns. The training room may need to be inspirational, feeding creative minds - this may be a far cry from the staid environment of a board room. The conference team could require a different room entirely with additional equipment such as OHP, planners, charts and sound systems. Can a boardroom please the board and deliver the right atmosphere to conference delegates? Optrys has the answers.

First Impressions Count

We've all entered a building where the reception has impressed us. The beauty of the design and decoration, the statement that says 'Welcome'. A busy reception needs professional design to cater for the differing range of visitors. Busy couriers need to collect and drop off important documents as quickly as possible and it is beneficial to the company to clear the reception of leather clad bikers and skin-tight Lycra bodied cyclists. Storage and space planning is paramount in order to speed the process of collection and delivery. Important visitors should undergo any necessary security and access control without feeling intimidated. The interior design of your reception will help.

Hot Desking

Many facilities managers will recall offices when they were real offices. When individual or small teams had 'real walls' around their domain - some even had windows!. For better or for worse, the vast majority of modern offices are great halls, vast spaces filled with workstations. separated by partitions or acoustic screens. Yellow stick notes haphazardly defying the fans wind, clinging onto the edge of a PC monitor. Each workstation is as individual as its user, some are fine examples of organised chaos whilst other desks are so consistently neat and tidy that they look like a set for a photo shoot.

Teknion:
Teknion is an international leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of office systems and related furniture products.

Teknion products address the full range of workplace criteria: supporting the complex integration of people and technology, facilitating productivity and creating an attractive workplace for millions of people working in Teknion office environments around the world.

Recognized as a leader in office furniture design, Teknion offers sophisticated products for the technology-driven office. In addition to office systems furniture and our Ability® line of mobile furniture, Teknion offers comprehensive storage and filing products, task and lounge seating, casegoods and executive furniture, and a full range of workplace accessories.

Today, Teknion's presence extends to countries around the globe. Throughout this global sales and service organization, Teknion dealers and employees are focused on delivering custom solutions to meet evolving business needs.

Our ability to exceed customer expectations has earned Teknion industry recognition and a distinguished clientele. Customers range from Fortune 500 companies to those as diverse as leading-edge high-tech clients, financial services groups and design firms.

Teknion's agility is an advantage to growing companies that require flexible workspaces to accommodate expansion and undetermined future needs. We can quickly deliver the products required for projected changes in facilities, organizational structures or personnel. Quick response is critical for companies that continue to evolve as new technologies demand new kinds of workspaces.

As a company dedicated to design excellence since its inception, many of our products have won sought-after industry awards. In fact, Teknion has won over 50 international design awards since 1997 including the Design of the Decade Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America for our Ability product line. The number and prestige of these awards reflects the recognition of Teknion's design leadership by the architecture and design community, and indicates that we are creating the right products for our customers.

At NeoCon 2000, Teknion received two major Best of NeoCon awards including a Gold award for the Solitar line of executive office furniture and a Silver award for Leverage in the Furniture Systems category. Between February 8 and April 22, 2001, Teknion was invited to display part of our Advanced Concepts line at the New York Museum of Modern Art's Workspheres exhibit - a unique and forward-looking exploration of the vital role of design in workplace evolution.

Above all else, Teknion is about people. We design products that serve the needs of people at work. We work in partnership with the architecture and design community. And we rely on the creativity and commitment of the people within our company – from the executive team to our skilled designers to the business professionals who provide our customers with top-quality service.

We will continue to create a dynamic organization focused on customer-driven solutions. We will continue to design, manufacture and deliver the highest quality office furniture. Furniture for the future of business.

Information supplied by Teknion.

Vitra:
Vitra designs the places where people work - be in the office, at home, or on the road. The goal: to make the place of work as appealing, productive and healthy as possible. Our furniture is to be found in countless successful companies and organizations, as well as in the homes of many private individuals with a feel for design. Active internationally, we work together with the major designers of the day. For over 50 years now we have been manufacturing the furniture created by the famous US designers, Charles and Ray Eames.

We are convinced that rooms and interior design have a decisive influence on people's motivation, performance and health. So we have made it our mission to develop furniture and furnishing systems that stimulate, inspire and motivate, while also offering the body comfort, safety and support. In order to attain this goal, we work with renowned designers and a specialized Vitra team. We experiment with new ideas, and are continuously tackling the new challenges of the world of work.

Ergonomics is an applied science that focuses on the relationship between humans and appliances. We produce furniture that takes the ergonomic requirements of the human body into account - to the benefit of the users' health and sense of well-being. All Vitra products (with the exception of the Vitra Edition "Experiment" series) have been tested by independent institutions. They meet the required standards and bear the German seal for "certified safety". They also accord with the European standard for computer workplaces.
Information supplied by Vitra

President:
President Office Furniture is one of the foremost authorities in the office furniture market. Consistently profitable and employing over 300 people.

Design, manufacture and supply desking, boardroom and executive furniture, call centre systems, storage, screens and seating. The right products for the efficient office of the future.

At our purpose-built HQ in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. Heavy investment in our manufacturing plant means products are not only leading-edge, but processes and products are environmentally sound.

Using only renewable materials-which in turn power our offices. We combine quality workmanship with the latest technology, thus creating the perfect look for your office. We guarantee excellent quality, service and ingenuity. A 'one-stop-shop' for all your office furniture requirements.

1952 was a great year for creativity and innovation. Cinema goers enjoyed 3D; the miniature transistor radio appeared; telephone area codes came into use; and Archie Arenson was working hard to set up a business making high quality furniture. Now there is the internet, microscopic microchips and area code overload. And that furniture business has grown into President Office Furniture, one of the most respected names in the business.

We're now part of Skandinavisk Industries, a pan-European collective of furniture designers and manufacturers. A major player in the furniture market, employing over 300 people.Our purpose-built headquarters and heavy investment in our manufacturing processes reflect our success and commitment to producing well-designed quality products. In fact, we've built our reputation on service and quality.

We're dedicated to providing President's clients with workplaces that are efficient, responsive and adapted to human needs. From inception to completion of a project, our service culture helps people get more out of their workspace.
Information supplied by President.

Verco:
William Vere & Sons was founded in 1912 by the grandfather of Derek Vere, our current Managing Director. William Vere was a craftsman chairmaker who made Windsor chairs. This classic wood chair was the staple product of the area, due to the abundant supply of locally grown timber. At this time there were still "chair bodgers" living in the woods around High Wycombe, who felled the beech trees and converted them into turned legs and parts and then sold them to the many chair factories in the town.
..

William Vere's first factory was in Oakridge Road and then in the early 1920's he moved to slightly larger premises in Dashwood Avenue, where he was joined by his son Albert. Together they developed the business until 1932 when they made the bold move to take a large freehold site in Chapel Lane, where the Company is still based.

Later the Company diversified into other forms of domestic furniture, including dining room suites (with chairs selling for 7/6d - 37.5p in today's money) and upholstered lounge furniture. The business was incorporated in the name of William Vere & Co Ltd on 5th July 1945. The Company remained open during the Second World War, being commissioned to produce folding wooden chairs for use by the armed forces and the YMCA.


After the war domestic furniture was produced until the early 1960's when Derek and his brother Roger entered the business and the Company then started to manufacture office furniture. At this point the domestic side was gradually phased out, in order to concentrate on office furniture - particularly seating.


On 21st April 1967 the Company changed its name to William Vere Ltd. The ensuing years saw the Company grow until it had overtaken it's competitors to become the UK's largest manufacturer of office seating. This position has been maintained. The Company also developed a range of cabinets, tables & desking.

In recognition of the popularity of the brand name, the trading name of the Company was changed on 2nd August 1990 from William Vere Ltd to VERCO Office Furniture Ltd.

The growth of the Company has necessitated expansion of the factory complex which currently occupies over 50,000 square metres, which houses the very latest plant and equipment.

Around 160 people are currently employed by the Company with many skilled craftsmen involved in the manufacturing process. We have many examples of more than one generation of a family being employed at the same time, and have a proven track record of training apprentices.

VERCO seating has been designed to meet and exceed all British, European and American standards. All products are tested by the Furniture Industry Research Association, or other NAMAS accredited testing houses, and most of our products carry a five year guarantee. Our furniture is manufactured under BS EN ISO 9002 Quality Assurance Procedures and VERCO enjoys an enviable reputation, being well known for the quality and durability of it's products.

Our Corniche Executive Furniture and Visual Desking ranges complement our seating and enable us to provide the complete furniture solution for all office and commercial needs.

Not only is VERCO the largest manufacturer of office seating in the UK, but VERCO designed chairs are also produced in France, Australia and the United States. All deliveries to the UK mainland are made by Verco's own fleet of vehicles to a network of regional distributors, who have been specially selected because of their experience and ability to provide local stockholding and service.

Overall, VERCO's policy is to achieve the very best in design, quality, value, reliability and service.
Information Supplied by Verco.

Bisley:
Bisley has expanded both its product range and distribution over the last 15 years and currently exports to more than 60 countries worldwide, including -

Australia Austria Bahrain Barbados Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Czech Rep Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hong Kong Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Kuwait Latvia Luxembourg Malaysia Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland
UAE Uganda Ukraine USA Uzbekistan

Bisley is the United Kingdom's largest manufacturer of office furniture with worldwide sales approaching $100 million.The company is privately owned. It was established by the father of the present Chief Executive Tony Brown in 1931 producing, a variety of specialist products from sheet steel. In 1946 the company began manufacturing office equipment products and grew steadily until 1981 when the first filing cabinet was made. In the next fifteen years sales grew from $6.27 million to almost $100 million and Bisley became the UK's best selling brand of office furniture.

Bisley products are exported to more than 60 countries worldwide through a network of over 34 distributors. In 1992 Bisley was awarded the Queens Award for Export Achievement and shortly afterwards was accredited with ISO 9002 for quality and service. In 1997 Bisley were awarded a second Queens Award for Export Achievement.

A full range of the company's products is on display in a 500sq. meters showroom in London's Great Portland Street.
Information supplied by Bisley.

James Tobias:
James Tobias Limited is the leading British manufacturer of StorageWall and complimentary Partition systems. Operating as a committed member of the project team the company provides a 'one stop' service to meet individual client needs.

Continuous product development and dedication to quality has resulted in continuous growth and rapid expansion of the customer base. The company has an unrivalled reputation for meeting strict delivery and installation deadlines for both the StorageWall and Partition systems.

Following a comprehensive survey including analysis of the client's storage and office space planning requirements, the company provides a detailed 'proposal' drawing of the StorageWall and Partitions to suit the individual project needs.

The manufacture of both the StorageWall and Partitions are completed in a modern 30,000 sq. ft. factory at Bridgwater, Somerset. The factory is fitted out with the latest computer controlled machinery for both woodworking and metalworking processes. The equipment which also includes an 'in house' polyester powder coating plant for metal finishing, helps to guarantee product quality and manufacturing lead times.

Site deliveries are managed by the company owned transport fleet of specialised vehicles, which enables delivery times to be guaranteed. Installation of the StorageWall and Partition systems is carried out by experienced, company employed and trained teams of fitters.

Established for more than a decade James Tobias Limited is recognised as a market leader in the StorageWall and Partition industry.
Information supplied by James Tobias.

Esco Desso:
Desso is the leading European supplier of textile floorcoverings and sports surfaces. Desso manufactures a complete range of textile floorcoverings
for the office, hospitality, education, retail, aviation, cruise ship and residential markets. We offer you the products, inspiration and resources to create exciting floors. Desso DLW Sports Systems specialises in high quality surfaces for indoor and outdoor activities.
Information supplied by Desso.

Hands Of Wycombe:
to the world of Hands of Wycombe, Europe’s leading manufacturer of high quality office furniture. It’s a world limited only by imagination where we will turn your concepts and designs into reality.Whether you’re looking for traditional or cutting edge design, we can make furniture to exceed your expectations.Choose from our established designs or talk to our team of experts to design bespoke solutions to your own requirements.We will also produce furniture in special sizes or designs to suit the particular needs of disabled employees.That’s why you’re in safe hands with us every time you choose an item of office furniture. Tell us what you need and we’ll do the rest.
Information supplied by Hands of Wycombe.

Postal Address and Contact Details:

O P T R Y S L T D
A S H H O U S E
B R E C K E N W O O D R O A D
F U L B O U R N
C A M B R I D G E
C B 1 5 D Q

T E L :
F A X :
E M A I L : 01223 882323
01223 882324 info@optrys.com

Peter Yexley
Hertfordshire Internet
The Granary
Redwell Wood Farm
Ridge
Hertfordshire

01707 646557

Email. peter@ukhq.com

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