Local 831 Furniture

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  • NeoCon 2021

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    NeoCon 2021

    “NeoCon has served as the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial design industry since 1969. A launch pad for innovation—NeoCon offers ideas and introductions that shape the built environment today and into the future.” Quote from the NeoCon website.

    History

    NeoCon is a very large international commercial construction and furniture show. It has been around for about 50 years, about 1 million sq. feet, 500 exhibitors, and 9 floors, for 3 days at The Chicago Merchandise Mart. Connecting vendors, architects, builders, designers, facility managers, and every other expert involved in a built project. In addition to product demos, there are educational presentations and panel discussions.

    Innovation

    One of the new areas of interest for 2021 is biophilic and outdoor. Biophilic Design is including nature in the built environment, small to large plant-based installations, and water features. Think about using 1970s shopping mall “nature installations” in the workplace. These strategies are used for building energy efficiency, clean air production, lower stress environment, and supporting the health of people there. When you blend the outdoors with indoor, materials need to be upgraded to deal with additional moister and specific wear. Furniture, flooring, and finishes have been developed for this less protected setting. Solar lighting and weather-resistant power distribution were a focus.

    Presentation

    The top issue was “the virus”, how to prevent it and how to survive. There were, of course, many Plexiglas screen products, others were including copper/silver in their fabrics and finishes. Most of all was sharing your stories, listening, and empathizing. Lots of “what is going to happen next” and less “this is what we are doing now”. Planning, strategizing, and building flexibility were the final result of many conversations.

    Should you go?

    Don’t spend your vacation money to go to a business trade show that is a tax deduction for a company. If a company will not pay your way, it may not be right for you at this time in your career. Many students or interns get sponsored every year. Travel, lodging, and food are covered by companies that help you learn more about their interests. The key phrase is “their company interests”, the evaluation of investing in your career has nothing to do with you. Work, study, practice, and make yourself more valuable and worth investing in.

    You should go if, you are new to the industry and the team you are working with is going. If you have a good size construction project that includes furniture. Many times vendors will invite you to presentations, product demos, and panel discussions relevant to your project.

    NeoCon 2021

    I am an  Etsy,  Fiverr Affiliate,  Shelving.com,  StandSteady.com,  SwimOutlet.com,  ZumaOffice.com,  GameFly.com,  cambriabike.com,  Quictent.com,  Crandall Office Furniture,  Jackery,  The New Alpha,  Coinbase,  RVT  , Industry West, Eternity Modern, Walrus Oil, Antique Farm House furniture, Casa Gear promotor and have Bookshop.org/shop/Local831Furniture, and get a small commission from each sale.

     

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  • Ergonomic Adjustable Chairs

    Ergonomic Adjustable Chairs

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    Ergonomic Adjustable Chairs

    The furniture that will most affect your work is what you sit on, subtle or irritating, your chair matters. Today we will talk about what chairs do and some different ergonomic theories. Ergonomic means “designed to the task”, so a folding chair is ergonomic for that task of folding chair. What are you going to use the chair for, how long, what are your body size, work style, and any medical needs? Please seek professional help for health issues, lower back pain, or continued discomfort that may cause serious damage to your body. Listen to your body, and do not be afraid of playing with adjustments through the day and for different tacks. I found that being able to lean back while talking on the phone was helpful. Many modern chairs come with a seat slider for front-to-back depth adjustment. Also, some chairs come in small, medium, or large.

    History

    The history goes back to 1505 with wheels and height adjustment. Over time urban work changed with more people working in factories, and office equipment began to improve. Engineers began to study how health and body stress could be improved with better office chairs. Several advances were made in the 1800s, including padded upholstery, swivel castor wheels, and back adjustment.

    Herman Miller Company

    Herman Miller company designed the first modern human-centered chair for office work, the Ergon Chair in 1976 by Bill Stumpf.

    “Philosopher and writer William Gass defined comfort as the “lack of awareness,” and Stumpf latched onto this definition as a goal for what could be achieved through ergonomic design. But he extended comfort beyond the physical to the psychological and emotional. As a prelude to his first chair design for Herman Miller, Stumpf laid out the criteria for comfort, several of which have been reimagined by artist Mike Perry in the animation that accompanies this story. These ideas come from his Ergon concept book, and were key to his proposal outlining the world’s first chair designed with ergonomic performance as a criterion.” History of the Ergon chair, Herman Miller company. This became what is called today, passive ergonomics, the idea that the chair should follow the body and supportively move with it. Worker productivity has always been important, even when the whip was a main item of influence. Most of the Western Civilization has come a long way and investment in humans is getting more value.

    Ergonomic Adjustable Chair Mechanisms

    Leggett and Platt’s Northfield Metal Products popularized adjustable seats and back angles for another type of office chair. This helped fit the chair to each person and the type of work they were doing. At the time it was very complicated…seat, back, and arm height – forward / backward seat and back tilt, seat depth slider, free rocking, and tilt lock. Lots of paddles, ” do you want a 3-paddle chair or 7-paddle chair?”. Adjustable lumbar support, headrest support, and the whole spinal column from neck to tailbone. The idea is that the chair should support and hold your body in good posture. #3 ergonomic adjustable chairs. Adjustable arms have made innovative improvements as well. Height, width, forward, back, angles, tilt, and full-on fold-away arms for gun holsters. Avery good company with over a million user reviews with their employer’s names listed is Autonomous and they do a great job supporting your work.

    Made to Move

    Further research revealed that our bodies were designed to move and that movement keeps our fluids moving as well. I think the HÅG brand put it best “the most comfortable position is the next one”. They developed inBalance technology for continuous movement while sitting. Some studies suggest simple contoured wood seats and backs work best to promote a movement that allows for better blood flow. Old things are new again.

    Closed Cell Foam

    Over the years I have enjoyed firm, closed-cell molded foam chairs with contoured seat/backshells, waterfall front seat edge, and a forward tilt setting. The forward tilt allows me to shift my weight from my lower back to my legs and a knee tilt mechanism works best for me. A knee tilt mechanism has the pivot point at the front of the seat rather than the center of the seat and keeps the front edge in the same place with the back lowering. When the pivot point is in the center, the front edge raises and adds pressure behind the knees. Even with a waterfall curved front edge on the seat, there is still added pressure constricting blood flow.

    “I tried one”

    Then 1994 happened, Herman Miller released the Aeron Chair or Borg chair, because resistance is futile. It took the tech world by striking looks, environmental materials, this new keeping your body cool thing, and just a better work chair. The Herman Miller crew with Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf has set a new and lasting standard again. This was the start of recruiters talking about office furniture to potential employees. The Aeron chair became the #1 amenity that was so trendy that people did not even know why they wanted to sit on it, but they had to have it.

    Trending…

    The Mesh chair trend is well established now, with lots of cheap copycats and some good innovations. Work seating is continually developing and buyers still want something new. Treadmill walking desks, inflatable workout ball chairs, seat pad on a pole seating, urethane shop style stools and anything goes seating. #3 Ergonomic Adjustable Chairs are going to be around as long as people sit while they work or play. The “gamer chair” market keeps growing and the main value seems to be themed chairs, licensed media characters, sports teams, and video games. 

    Chairs are like shoes and need to be “tried on”, you will not get great results from YouTube reviews.

    Final Thoughts, movement is good for the body, comfort, and support.

    1. What will the seating be used for?
    2. What size person of persons will use it?
    3. Training of adjustments and best practices.
    4. Cleaning and maintenance.
    5. How long is the expected useful life of the product?
    6. Multi-worker use, shift work, and multi-purpose use.
    7. Environmental expectations and end-of-life plan.

    Ergonomic Adjustable Chairs

    I am an  Etsy,  Fiverr Affiliate,  Shelving.com,  StandSteady.com,  SwimOutlet.com,  ZumaOffice.com,  GameFly.com,  cambriabike.com,  Quictent.com,  Crandall Office Furniture,  Jackery,  The New Alpha,  Coinbase,  RVT  , Industry West, Eternity Modern, Walrus Oil, Antique Farm House furniture, Casa Gear promotor and have Bookshop.org/shop/Local831Furniture, and get a small commission from each sale.

     

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    Thank you for your support,

    Charles Bradley

  • Office Furniture History

    Office Furniture History

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    Office Furniture History

    Furniture was grudgingly bought to support the equipment needed for workers to produce whatever their job was. Also, it show the status of managers, executives, and company presidents. Let’s walk through some office furniture design history. Some things have not changed, ego is still very big and the evolution of office furniture continues.

    Main Drivers for Purchasing

    What drove the invention of office furniture was the equipment and business machines that it supported. The study of ergonomics, body mechanics, OSHA laws, all-day computer use, and insurance claims gave the monetary justification to improve furniture for the office worker. Things have kept going up in price, the computer worker has become more valuable and so the importance of great ergonomic chairs to support them. Humanscale has a deep history in the development of ergonomic office chairs, thanks to the work of Niels Diffrient. The equipment has become more valuable, and complex and requires more power/data support. The Dot Com $$$ and the coolness of geek-dome gave rise to some high-end Silicon Valley Style furniture. Cubicle life- fat bundles of data cables, heavy power requirements sent cubicle panels from 1″ to sometimes 4″+ and taking up more real estate than ever. More coffee shop style, with collaborative areas to work on a lounge chair or sectional sofa.

    High Tech leads to Small Tech

    The tech changed work-life again with smaller lighter and lighter equipment than IBM could ever imagine. Laptops, I-phones. I-Pads and mobile mobile mobile. Many people lost their dedicated cubicles or office. Touchdown stations became available when they got to an office. Maybe not ever their office, maybe a coffee shop or co-working space. The Dot-Com bust, the bean counters were having fits, work still needed to get done and Dilbert was even out of a job.

    The DOT BOMB

    In 2000 we moved east to The Central Valley and were selling old metal desks again. In 2005, for health reasons, we moved to Salt Lake Utah, and back to selling modern office furniture again. New product prices came down and the electrical height adjustable table/desk became the “must-have” to attract new talent. The financial controllers in Silicon Valley adjusted to the new equipment needs and implemented the “open plan” workspace. The history of the desk came to an end. This drove down the size of each employee’s work space and drove even more people to work remotely. Think about the gym, how not everyone can be there at once and people figure out when it is not crowded. You may have realized that the open-plan office was like working in a cafeteria. High headcount, high distraction, low personal space, and poor air quality. The tech workers were younger, more expensive, and needed more “toys” at work and on playgrounds. Work Furniture adapted again.

    Office Furniture History marches on.

    I am an  Etsy,  Fiverr Affiliate,  Shelving.com,  StandSteady.com,  SwimOutlet.com,  ZumaOffice.com,  GameFly.com,  cambriabike.com,  Quictent.com,  Crandall Office Furniture,  Jackery,  The New Alpha,  Coinbase,  RVT  , Industry West, Eternity Modern, Walrus Oil, Antique Farm House furniture, Casa Gear promotor and have Bookshop.org/shop/Local831Furniture, and get a small commission from each sale.

     

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    Mammoth Nation Patriot Store is America’s Conservative Market Place.

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    Relax with Nature Videos with Sand 831 on Rumble.

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    Thank you for your support,

    Charles Bradley

  • How to Buy Office Furniture: The Local 831 Guide.

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    How to Buy Office Furniture: The Local 831 Guide.

    Update from 5-2022. Shop online through social media, affiliate content producers, or other people that create helpful information to support your work. There are lots of resources and empty office buildings full of furniture. These same principles are a good way of planning for adding furniture to help support your body and equipment.

    Can we work together?

    Space- what is the space that we will be working in? Also, you should put a list of requirements if you do not already have the building that will be used. Office space selection is very important for many reasons and needs a separate post. This is a short list of thoughts.

    Size, will the space fit, and support the number of people? In other words, will the people and equipment have enough room to get their work done efficiently? Data entry and a production line have very different square foot requirements for employees.

    Time, how long do you plan to use that building, and what changes in growth should be expected? For example, is there planned hiring for data entry, or is that new production line scheduled for next year?

    Logistics, parking, data /power, and tuck docks with warehouse storage. Commuting for employees and traffic patterns for a new location has become very important over the years.

    On-site measure, DWG, PDF, or pencil sketch on paper. Let’s get on the same page and define the walls, columns data/power entry. At Fiverr, some people will do project work and computer drawings are easy to do as a remote task.

    Design Resources

    There are also, office furniture design specialists that can put a plan together for you to send out to bid. You should pay them a per square foot amount or a flat fee. If they ask for an hourly amount, it could be very difficult to monitor. There are many places to see furniture online. My Resource Library has become the industry standard, they also can help you organize the vendor catalogs for specific areas or the whole project. When you use fewer vendors, you can get deeper discounts. There are also Government resources that can help with seeing the bigger picture and then focus on each department. I have compiled an extensive glossary of furniture terms in Post #26.

    Go TEAM

    The main idea at this point is to put a team together, to develop a plan and budget for your project. This will give you “the big picture” early and you will use the floor plans every meeting. Many furniture dealerships offer these “add-on” services, track the value and if you don’t buy from them… you get billed. Read the fine print before you sign, it is sage advice for a reason.

    Scope of Work

    What type of work needs to be supported, company culture, café style, manufacturing shop, or cocoon coding? Most likely there will be a variety of work areas, meeting spaces, and alcoves. Also, plan for the next stages of growth, downsize, or flex work from home. Office furniture space planning and design have a long and valuable history. Good design is good value for workflow, social distance, sound management, and focused attention.

    Style

    Branding corporate culture has become ever more important through social media. Your building, furniture, and office amenities can be a very powerful set of communication tools. The back office is “seen” more than ever and can help potential partners, customers and employees build trust.

    Specifying Furniture

    The hard and soft of it – Furniture Specification? Basic follow up from the above, let’s help the people produce. At this point, we should have a pretty good idea of what and how to accomplish the project. #1 How to buy: office furniture purchasing process

    Final Selections

    The main drivers- style, time, budget? What will filter out the endless options? The lead time might cut right to the shortlist. The budget and style need to be balanced. There are endless images to look at. Take a look at office furniture shopping online and see what you like.

    Wrap up the details

    Nuts & Bolts- parts list anyone? I am still a fan of Excel and use it for job costing, purchase orders, and receiving counts. Let’s figure out power, cabling, lighting, monitor arms, adjustable work surfaces, keyboard trays, chair mats, and steel storage.

    Shelving Inc.

    Comparing Quotes

    How did your office furniture shopping go, is there anything you would like me to change? Make revisions early, Change Orders cost time and money. Savvy entrepreneurs have learned the value of clean, quality used office furniture.

    As-Is Furniture

    We have LOTS of empty office space and vacant furniture due to “Work at Home” during the start of the 2020s. Used furniture is a viable option and should not be overlooked. These items may supplement your project with meeting tables, lobby furniture, or possibly the whole project. Large inventories can be shared with multiple companies through long-term business contacts or social media groups. Skip the warehouse, buy direct, DIY project manage, and get FREE furniture.

    How to Buy Office Furniture: The Local 831 Guide.

    This can go very well or just as bad. Do you have a facilities ROCK STAR on your payroll? They are worth all the $$$ on a project. When a facility is decommissioned, everything goes- I.T. (the whole package), the phone system, copier/fax, surplus toner, and office supplies. Battery / Server backups, furniture, Post-Its, and everything. This has been a GOLDMINE for Start-Ups that have people with “the knowledge about the doing”. Note: when subcontracting knock down (K/D), and removal (palletizing and speed packing) for truck loading, it helps to have the same company deliver, unload and install the furniture. Keeping the command chain of liability is very important and you want that chain short and tight.

    Project Management

    Logistics- schedule subs? Who is going to do what and when? Plan moving, sell surplus items, or send them home for flex WFH.

    Are we still getting along? Let’s load the deposit and pull the trigger. If you are a larger organization a Purchase Order or Purchase Card will get things started.

    Please sign here, so I can start the real work of making your project a great success.

    X _______________________________

    How to Buy Office Furniture: The Local 831 Guide.

     

    I am an  Etsy,  Fiverr Affiliate,  Shelving.com,  StandSteady.com,  SwimOutlet.com,  ZumaOffice.com,  GameFly.com,  cambriabike.com,  Quictent.com,  Crandall Office Furniture,  Jackery,  The New Alpha,  Coinbase,  RVT  , Industry West, Eternity Modern, Walrus Oil, Antique Farm House furniture, Casa Gear promotor and have Bookshop.org/shop/Local831Furniture, and get a small commission from each sale.

     

    Get Cash Back with Rakuten

    Mammoth Nation Patriot Store is America’s Conservative Market Place.

    Axiom Commercial Furniture , Local 831 Lifestyle , Local 831Workstyle ,

    Relax with Nature Videos with Sand 831 on Rumble.

    Local 831 Lifestyle Relaxing Nature Videos on YouTube.

    Thank you for your support,

    Charles Bradley