ZEELAND — Herman Miller Inc. says it’s unable to predict sales for the present quarter because of the coronavirus pandemic that has created a “high degree of uncertainty throughout the global economy.”

This is the growth report for Feb. 2, 2020.

Amy Sparks’ acquisition of Nuvar Inc. in May required the company’s new top executive to adapt to her role as an “outsider” as she worked to integrate herself into the operations. 

As the U.S. wades deeper into a trade war with countries including China, West Michigan-based office furniture manufacturers have been forced to raise prices and re-evaluate their supply chains to mitigate risks.

Whether via acquisition or partnership agreements, West Michigan’s office furniture makers are looking to fill product holes with their recent spate of deals.

Office furniture manufacturers have been late adopters of automation, particularly inside their West Michigan-based factories.

GRAND RAPIDS — After a decade of growth in manufacturing, the sector still finds itself having to defend its worth to parents and high school counsellors.

While optimism for the U.S. economy remains relatively high, many economists and industry watchers are forecasting a period of slow growth in West Michigan’s manufacturing sector. 

HOLLAND — Backed by strong growth in the European market and synergies created through its residential business unit, Haworth Inc. closed 2016 with better sales growth than the company had in the prior year. 

Apart from uncertainty caused by global turmoil and the current political landscape, the office furniture industry seems primed for at least two more years of positive, albeit modest, growth.