Steelcase's new Learning + Innovation Center in Munich is part of the company's expanding reach around the world Chief Executive Officer Jim Keane describes as “a global node with a German accent.”
The company could have picked anywhere in Europe, but chose Munich because of its design DNA and central location in a region of the world that has been focused on product research and development and making things.
It is also home to 230 Steelcase workers, though it is not a complete European consolidation. It did bring together leadership and all European product development. The company still has workers in Strasbourg, London and other locations, but Munich has become a focal point, the second Learning + Innovation Center (the first is in Grand Rapids).
According to the company, with a focus on people, place and technology, the space was built to bridge time zones in our vast global network and bring our leadership community, employees, dealers, thought leaders and guests together to lead, learn and innovate the future of work.
But the Learning + Innovation Center in Munich is more than just a location for Steelcase workers, says James Ludwig, vice president, global design and product engineering. The location is designed to connect with customers, learn about their problems and help solve them.
“We want to spark people's curiosity to show them that this is who we are,” he says.
Steelcase picked Munich because it is one of Europe's most vibrant and well-connected cities. The Learning + Innovation Center is just under 40 kilometers from Munich International Airport and is an eight- to 10-minute walk to the main train station. It is near the Königsplatz and the Siegestor gate.
The three-building campus houses 230 employees from 21 nationalities in product development, sales, finance, communications, order fulfillment, IT, marketing, supply chain, human resources and legal.
For those who can't make it to Munich, Steelcase is happy to give a virtual tour of it to visitors at its Grand Rapids Learning + Innovation Center. Even on a digital tour, it is apparent Steelcase built a spectacular space, homey, yet professional and hard-working. The entrance has a residential feel, and the mezzanine has more of a retail look.
The second floor includes a WorkCafe, a feature that is enormously popular in Grand Rapids and just as active in Munich. The space in Munich includes a barista and a view of the piazza outside. The second floor is also home to the company's European leadership team. A large staircase connects the next three floors.
The fifth floor includes three studios designed to inspire visitors. The studios are core to the customer experience. A deck overlooks Munich. “We are right in the middle of the city,” Ludwig says. “It is such a great location.”
Work on the Learning + Innovation Center began in 2015, and it opened in phases. It is successful because it is Steelcase's own case study. As the company learns about how the space in Munich works, it can help its customers better, according to Ludwig.
Both the Grand Rapids and Munich Leadership + Innovation Centers are based on the company's curiosity about how people work. They are centers where Steelcase can learn with their customers. “What we strive for is authentic stories,” Ludwig says. “We are getting away from these pristine showroom environments. People like seeing people work.”
Creating an empathetic environment is important at both locations. Ludwig says Steelcase wants to uncover its customer's unique stories. The Learning + Innovation Centers are not so much showrooms, but living labs. “To us, these sites are snapshots — two versions of the same story,” he says.
But there are differences. Density is one. Munich is much more dense since it is in the core of the city. The Learning + Innovation Center in Grand Rapids is more spread out, simply because there is more room.
Ludwig says Steelcase went through the same process to create the new Munich Learning + Innovation Center as it would with one of its customers. It began with research, and there were management process changes as well. Ludwig calls it a “great, authentic story.”