Steelcase and Lab Crafters Announce Strategic Business Alliance

Steelcase recently announced that it has negotiated a strategic business alliance agreement with Lab Crafters Inc., a 30 year old company located in Ronkonkoma, NY, that manufactures a portfolio of product solutions developed for laboratory environments. Lab Crafters designs and manufactures fume hoods, casegoods, and other integrated laboratory solutions. The alliance will provide Steelcase new capabilities to meet customers' needs for product solutions in a wide range of laboratory settings.

For a number of years, Steelcase has created laboratory solutions, including its lab bench product. The foundation of lab bench is a structural module that can be combined into benches of almost any length and configuration. Unlike more traditional casework products, the entire system is flexible. Since lab bench components are easily adjustable, they can adapt to the changing needs of different workers, changing projects, and changing equipment to help accelerate a facilities change process. Utilities like power, data, vacuum, and water are easily routed through this infrastructure, and two people can move, disconnect, and connect the benches to be configured in many combinations or directions, using minimal hand tools.

Lab bench was initially designed to serve the bioscience market, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and other health care markets. The product can also be applied to a variety of higher education scenarios as well as the food and electronics industries.

"Laboratory Solutions is a fast growing division of Steelcase, and Lab Crafters is a valued partner who can significantly enhance our capabilities," said Dean Witting, general manager of Steelcase Laboratory Solutions. "This alliance will advance our momentum in the marketplace by integrating Lab Crafters' fume hood technologies and extensive industry expertise with our marketing, distribution, and research based product development approach."

"This alliance blends innovation, marketing, and distribution expertise with similar corporate cultures and values. Like Steelcase, Lab Crafters is committed to producing leading edge products and solution based applications. And both companies share a dedication to problem solving through sustainability and environmental responsibility," said Bob DeLuca, senior president and CEO of Lab Crafters. "This alliance will allow both companies to provide a richer
offering of products intended to help laboratory workers be more effective."

Effective immediately, Steelcase and Lab Crafters will distribute a full range of products throughout North America, including Canada and Mexico.

Gunlocke Attains New SCS Sustainable Choice Certification

Gunlocke has achieved am environmental benchmark, certifying products to the current Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) Sustainability Standard. Gunlocke is among the first companies to certify its environmental performance claims through Scientific Certification System (SCS) Sustainable Choice Program.

Gunlocke’s case good product lines including, Medley, Menu, Mosaic, and Kennsington have met the qualifications for the Sustainable Choice Silver level. Additionally, the company’s conference table product lines including, Medley, Kennsington, Converge, and Surfaces have all met the qualifications for the Sustainable Choice Silver level. Finally, Gunlocke’s seating lines including, Alti, Attract, Molti, Olla, and Porter have also met the qualifications for the Sustainable Choice Silver level.

Developed in response to the increasing demand for proof that manufacturers are living up to their environmental claims, BIFMA’s new sustainability standard provides measurable market based definitions of progressively more sustainable furniture. The standard was developed using an open, consensus based process with a broad and diverse group of stakeholders from academia, the architect and design community, end users, regulatory agencies, federal and state government, and certifiers. The performance criteria it has established, and which SCS Sustainable Choice vigorously applies, address environmental, economic and social aspects throughout the supply chain based on materials, energy and atmosphere, human and ecosystem health, and social responsibility.

Upon earning the SCS certification to the current BIFMA sustainability standard, Roy Green, Gunlocke’s Director of Stewardship and Sustainability, said, “Gunlocke is pleased to be one of the first in the industry to meet the rigorous qualifications of the silver lever of the SCS Sustainable Choice Program. This achievement demonstrates our commitment to environmentally and socially responsible products and business practices.”

He continued, “We are committed to setting a higher standard in product design, quality, service and delivery in the wood contract furniture market. We strongly believe that our future is dependent upon the commitments we make to sustain the natural environment. ”

The HON Company and Sherwin-Williams Offer New Design-Forward Color Program

Contract furniture designer and manufacturer The HON Company has put a colorful new spin on its metal product lines through a partnership with Sherwin-Williams. By teaming up with one of the biggest names in color, HON is working with Sherwin-Williams to offer a high tech color matching system on all metal casegoods and desk products. Through the new ColorCorrect program, designers and end users have the option to chose from 42 fashion forward, industry standard colors or specify any custom matched color they choose.

“Through this exciting partnership we now can match any color you like from wall paint to artwork, or even your favorite sweater,” said Fred Colony, vice president of metal casegoods. “If you want one unit in a custom color, or 100 units, we can create your customized paint color for any quantity.”

The ColorCorrect program offers three different levels—an expanded offering of HON’s core colors, the choice of industry standards, and custom colors for an array of design options. The precisely matched customized color will be applied using Sherwin-Williams’ durable PermaClad coating, which provides color, a tough mar-resistant finish, and high gloss.

“It’s the perfect partnership,” says Andy Maguire, vice president of marketing at Sherwin- Williams chemical coatings division. “HON is the expert in furniture. We are experts in paint color. We’re bringing them the color ingredients for their high quality products. It’s attractive to designers and architects, who like the latitude to pick from a wide range of colors for commercial interiors.”

“We do most of the tinting at our plants so we don’t have long lead times for custom matches,” Colony says. “And, if we can’t make it at the plant, there’s always a Sherwin-Williams store nearby to support us to ensure we stay on top of our standard lead times.”

What’s more, the two companies also share a sense of environmental responsibility. For years, Sherwin- Williams has produced coatings with low volatile organic compounds (VOC) to help reduce emissions. For more than 60 years HON has implemented sustainable practices to improve indoor air quality. For example, in 2006, HON became the first furniture manufacturer to have products certified in the Indoor Advantage™ program by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). HON’s manufactured storage products have achieved the highest level of certification—Indoor Advantage Gold—meeting the most stringent standards for furniture emissions in the United States.

The HON Company’s waste reduction efforts include recycling paint. In 2007, the company recycled more than 50,000 gallons of paint at its various manufacturing locations nationwide.