Displaying items by tag: Steelcase Inc
BUYING SPREE: With flurry of deals, office furniture companies seek to fill product gaps
Whether via acquisition or partnership agreements, West Michigan’s office furniture makers are looking to fill product holes with their recent spate of deals.
Amazon officially announces Gaines Township distribution facility
Amazon.com Inc. has made its first official announcement regarding the ecommerce giant’s long-planned distribution center in southeastern Kent County.
Steelcase to offer commercial products from West Elm via dealers
Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase Inc. is partnering with furnishings designer West Elm on new workplace designs.
West Michigan businesses back Soo Locks upgrades
MACKINAC ISLAND — West Michigan business leaders say that a proposed upgrade of the Soo Locks in the Upper Peninsula is critical for keeping the region’s economy moving forward.
Steelcase asks for relief from metal tariffs
GRAND RAPIDS — Facing the possibility of higher metal costs, the largest manufacturer in the office furniture industry has reached out to the federal government for relief.
Gaines Township planners sign off on distribution facility linked to Amazon.com
A proposed “massive” distribution and warehouse facility in southern Kent County has moved one step closer to a groundbreaking.
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Steelcase turns to building automation systems to improve energy efficiency
By using a wireless lighting control system to receive data and information from its operations, office furniture manufacturer Steelcase Inc. is improving its overall energy performance on its factory floors.
Sources: Amazon in talks for distribution center in Kent County
GAINES TOWNSHIP –– Developers representing an online retail behemoth are considering a 100-acre site in southern Kent County for a “massive” distribution facility, MiBiz has learned.
Manufacturers solve problems internally, bring training in-house
Over the last few years, manufacturers have developed extensive in-house training programs in a move to combat skilled worker shortages.
Steelcase expects to report loss in current quarter as a result of charges related to tax reform
Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase Inc. expects to report a loss in its current quarter as a result of the effects of tax changes in the U.S. and France.
Robotics to the rescue: Office furniture makers increasingly adopt automation technology amid struggle to find talent
Office furniture manufacturers have been late adopters of automation, particularly inside their West Michigan-based factories.
MiBiz Growth Report: December 11, 2017
Here is the MiBiz Growth Report for Dec. 11, 2017.
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Steelcase sales underperform expectations for third quarter
Grand Rapids-based Steelcase (NYSE: SCS) this week reported preliminary sales of $772 million for its third quarter of the 2018 fiscal year. That compares with sales of $787 million for the same three-month period a year earlier, and with the company’s expectations for sales of $785 million to $810 million.
Steelcase to acquire California furniture maker
Office furniture maker Steelcase Inc. plans to acquire a California-based maker of height adjustable desking, benching and seating for workstations.
Data center operator Switch to pay $25 million for Pyramid campus south of Grand Rapids
GAINES TOWNSHIP — Technology firm Switch Inc. plans to buy the 700,000-square-foot Pyramid campus that’s home to its data center in southern Kent County, MiBiz has learned.
GR investors lead funding round for artificial intelligence-based wellness app
An Ann Arbor company that wants to take traditional workplace wellness to an entirely new level using artificial intelligence has drawn a large share of capital from Grand Rapids-based investors.
Anxiety and uncertainty: Fallout from Trump administration’s plan to rescind DACA
West Michigan educators and at least one business group say the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals program already is leading to anxiety and uncertainty.
Compounding just in time: Manufacturers focus on logistics as global supply chains grow, product complexity increases
Manufacturers are finding they increasingly have to focus on an aspect of their business that doesn’t involve making a product.
Staying the course: Manufacturers’ R&D spending expected to remain steady through 2018
West Michigan manufacturers continue to take a steady yet conservative approach to research and development spending.
As real estate market surges, West Michigan creatives ponder their place
When Brian Kelly first heard about a suburban space to move his Grand Rapids-based photography studio, he ignored the idea for one simple reason: It was in Kentwood.
Office furniture companies embrace coworking, variety of spaces
With an increasingly mobile workforce and an ever greater need for technology investments, companies and entrepreneurs continue to seek out new designs for their offices.
Shifting to Services? Office furniture makers shake up business model with new data offerings
CHICAGO — 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.
Bringing Home to Work: ‘Resimercial’ office products dominate at NeoCon
CHICAGO — After years of shifting between private spaces and open office floor plans, the office furniture industry seems to have settled on a happy medium.
Volatile order environment continues to impact Steelcase in start of new fiscal year
Despite an erratic environment for orders, Steelcase Inc. reported earnings on par with the previous year.
GVSU’s new Design Thinking Academy aims to embed design culture in local companies
GRAND RAPIDS — Over his storied career, John Berry has advocated for the benefits of incorporating design principles outside of traditional creative industries. Now, Berry is taking that vision one step further at Grand Valley State University with the new Design Thinking Academy, where he serves as director. The academy spun off from the university’s Design Thinking Initiative that launched in 2014.
With Hackett, Ford hopes for another visionary CEO
When Jim Hackett retired from the corner office at Steelcase Inc. in 2014, he told MiBiz the “narrative is still being written” about what he planned to do in the next phase of his professional life.
Partnership drives tech sector training
A new partnership and grant dollars aim to help train future technology sector employees.
Office furniture manufacturers report stagnant earnings in latest quarters
West Michigan-based contract furniture companies have muddled through the recent period of political uncertainty and mixed international demand.
Steelcase flat for 2017 fiscal year despite rocky first two quarters
Bolstered by increased order volume from the Americas and Asia, Steelcase Inc. managed to close its 2017 fiscal year on par with the previous year’s results.
Electric choice customers, suppliers optimistic despite recent federal ruling
Federal regulators this month rejected a plan by the multi-state electric grid operator to redesign the capacity auction process for parts of Michigan and Illinois, a move that would have affected electric choice customers and providers.