Taking Control Room Furniture A Step Into The Future
Control room furniture isn't an industry that gets lumped in with the tech sector very often. I can't blame anyone who thinks this way, the industry tends toward the conservative side of things. But considering that to be a negative would be a mistake. The stability of American manufacturing leans on industries like control room and office furniture. For companies like these, there is no need to always be innovating.
But an important and fundamental new development could be on the way. One of the worldwide leaders in home and office furniture design is about to release a revolutionary new type of office console that is sure to shake up the industry. Industry giant, Herman Miller, is at work on a series of furniture called Metaform that allows users to reconfigure console pieces at the drop of a hat. For example, the consoles can easily be configured into the standard cubicle setup. But the pieces can be rearranged to allow for more face-to-face time if a company is undertaking more collaborative projects.
Studio 7.5, a German-run design firm, was hired by Herman Miller to bring Metaform to life. They have set up prototypes in several offices to gather information about how consumers might utilize the various available parts. The development of Metaform is the latest in what Herman Miller has labeled its "Living Office" initiative. They are looking toward a future in which each worker is tied less and less to a single workspace. If this is true, the capability of office furniture to be configured in an infinite variety of ways will be the standard.
As things are now, these new demands could impact control room furniture negatively. Control room consoles are typically designed with a specific space in mind. If Herman Miller is correct and all work becomes less stationary, this could decrease the number of orders for control room furniture. Collaboration is at odds with some of these industries (intelligence, for instance). But generally, the greater trend in the last decade or so has been toward more collaboration. This larger trend is reflected in crowd-funding and crowd-sourcing, which have become commonplace in American life.
Put all this together and it points to the fact that we need to update our conception of the control room furniture industry. This isn't necessarily bad news for the industry, but a change is almost definitely on the way. This new technological shift could cause some industry-wide damage, unless it is fully embraced. For precisely this reason, I welcome the development and recommend that all producers follow suit. Adapting to the new landscape of American business will only strengthen our manufacturing backbone.
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