Despite growing operational complexity and a period of industry-led change, office furniture suppliers say they remain optimistic.
Neither a move to short-run mass customization, a “mix shift” of product types, talent shortages in an era of near full employment nor the effects on trade from domestic political upheaval can faze the battle-tested supplier executives who weathered the Great Recession. Still, they’re focused on improving their operations, further diversifying their customer base and embracing new challenges in data management, to name just a few.
Prior to the annual NeoCon trade show, MiBiz convened an executive roundtable, sponsored by The Right Place Inc., to discuss issues and trends in the office furniture industry and how they’re affecting the supply chain. Participating in the discussion were:
nTara Fowler-Bartman, project manager at Sustainable Research Group LLC, a consultancy in Grand Rapids that helps office furniture companies with third-party certification of their products for industry sustainability standards.