When Herman Miller Inc. first introduced the Aeron chair during the dawn of the dot-com era in 1994, it took the office furniture industry by storm.
Office furniture insiders consider the iconic, best-selling ergonomic chair as one of the industry’s most successful innovations of the modern era.
In the more than two decades since the Zeeland-based manufacturer launched the Aeron chair, the way the industry innovates has shifted in many respects. While products have largely driven the office furniture industry in the past, many executives expect the next vanguard to be defined by disruptions to business models.
“I think some of it may be a different kind of innovation that’s not about a product,” said Kevin Kuske, president of Genesis Seating Inc., Davidson Plyforms Inc. and Grand River Polishing, which are part of the work furniture group at Leggett & Platt Inc.