One Lean Journey Leads to Another

Partnering with customers beyond furniture
by Dana Devol - Director of IT

Local Steelcase Workplace consultant Jacquie Hartmann and Bank & Office Interiors had a good relationship with a major client, the University of Washington (www.washington.edu ). Still, competition for the UW’s business had been mounting and Jacquie knew in order to continue the relationship they had to strengthen it. Steelcase needed to make the move from vendor to customer to vendor/partner.

It turned out Steelcase’s Lean experience ( www.lean.org) was the key to that transformation.

Jim Keane, president of Steelcase Group ( http://www.steelcase.com/), came to Seattle to meet with V’Ella Warren, the university’s senior vice president of Finance and Facilities. They discussed sustainability, pricing, research and innovation. But what really caught V’Ella’s attention was when Jim brought up how Steelcase has had success applying lean manufacturing principles to their office processes.

Jacquie, Kurt Jonker, Steelcase Director of Project & Process Management, and Mark Swets, Steelcase Office Lean consultant, sat down with V’Ella and Ruth Johnston, vice president of Strategy, to discuss lean concepts, principles, and tools, and to share where Steelcase is in their “lean in the office” journey.

That conversation compelled them to delve deeper, so Steelcase offered to help the UW as a partner help them start out on their own Lean journeys. The Steelcase team agreed to consult on a specific process identified by the university: furniture ordering and purchasing. B&OI Dealer Principal Jeff Rospond was assigned as co-lead of the Lean engagement along with the university’s Director of Purchasing, Dennis Gawlik.

The University of Washington team participates in a lean
training session in Grand Rapids 

To fully expose the UW group to the principles of Lean, V’Ella and Ruth knew it would be valuable to have them visit Steelcase and experience our operations firsthand. So UW paid the travel expenses for eight them fly them fly out for several days of training. “Steelcase made sure the agenda was loaded with hands-on experiences,” says Kurt, including classroom training, gemba (the Japanese word for “the actual place” or as we say, “go and see”) walking and an intensive four-hour lean simulation. The group also met with several Steelcase executives who shared their perspectives on lean and how the process has helped Steelcase become more fit.

During training, “we were also learning more about the issues that impact what they buy from us,” explains Jacquie. “Right now they’re sitting in a lot of our first-generation furniture.” When they came to Grand Rapids and saw our newer products, “they began asking, ‘How can we help you better represent your brand on campus?’”

B&OI and Steelcase’s focus was on helping to accommodate the university’s purchasing. And now? Along with B&OI, Jacquie is working with UW on several research projects, consulting on collaborative workspace arrangements and interfacing with high-level staff on a regular basis. “There are things they’re coming to us with now that they wouldn’t have thought to ask us about before,” she says. “It really demonstrates the way our relationship has changed.”

-Source: Steelcase 360 Magazine – edited for this blog

Staying Healthy at the Office

On Tuesday this week, my running partner showed up to Greenlake at 5am with a bad cold. Personally, I'm a proponent of trying to exercise all the bad stuff out, if possible (I do not recommend if you have bronchitis or walking pneumonia). So jogging a nice steady pace in the brisk weather wasn't terrible. However, it reminded me that we're hitting that time of year when our coworkers are getting sick from their kids and coming to the office anyway. And this leads to other coworkers getting sick from them....and there's not enough airborne or vitamin c in the grocery store to save you once you catch it.

So, I've done a little digging to offer some tips on attempting to stay healthy this cold season. Some are obvious - but it's always good to have a reminder now and then:

1. Keep your hands clean and avoid touching your face. Mother Nature Network says "it's all too easy to touch something in the workplace that someone else with a cold has touched, too". I am a perpetual face toucher. So even though I constantly wash my hands, I'm still at risk.

2. Keep your workspace clean. About.com says "Clean your phone, computer keyboard and anything else that you use frequently. Even if you are the only user, germs can live on these objects and you can reinfect yourself". I keep a container of lysol disinfecting wipes at my station and wipe it down every other day...just in case.

3. Chew Ginger. According to Genius Beauty Magazine, "Chew the roots of a sweet flag and ginger. They are rich in essential oils with antibacterial properties. Break a bit off the root, put it in your mouth and chew until tasteless". Those who are pregnant or have stomach troubles should probably pass though!

4. Keep an air ionizer by your desk. According to Business Insider, "This will purify air from dust particles and bacteria, keeping you healthier overall. We like this one on Amazon for $30."

5. Keep geranium on your desk. According to Business Insider, "The leaves of the plant emit phytoncides that kill airborne  bacteria. When you feel like sneeze coming, tear a leaf off the plant and rub it between your fingers to release more phytoncides. Inhale a pleasant odor for a moment instead of sneezing all over your workspace".

For more great tips, click on the links above for the full articles. Stay Healthy!!!

~ Kendal

I Work Too Much

I work too much.  Of course, it is my fault.  I have a dozen tasks I’m juggling and I find it hard to put them all aside. It’s as if I think the world would screech to a halt to the woe of everyone else. That’s just plain silly. Time away from all that busy-ness (aka “business”) is important. 

Last week, I took a road trip to Walla Walla ( http://www.wallawalla.org/ ) in the Southeast Washington.  We drove slow, taking small back roads and stopping frequently to enjoy a sweeping vista or a curious road-side tableau.  Standing on an outcrop of rock with a chilly brisk wind, deep breaths were draughts of pure re-creation. We stayed at a Bed & Breakfast (http://www.innatblackberrycreek.com/ ) that was charming and the people were so nice. It was a delight to amble along with no deadline, no rush. These are good things. They restore a degree of humanness which our mad-dash world crushes. I’m back at my desk now, refreshed and ready to take on the remains of the year.  But I’m planning my next journey….

 

Danä, Director of IT

Tips for Staying Awake at the Office

Today is Wednesday and the 5th day of carmageddon here in Seattle. With one of our main streets closed (the poor Viaduct) for 10 days, I have been getting in the past 3 days around 7am. On top of that, I haven't been sleeping too well, so this is the 3rd night in a row with about 4 hours of sleep in me. Needless to say I'm tired and starting to fade...

It is important, however, that I continue producing good work for my company. With meetings and presentations and bids, I'm not allowed to slip, no matter how tired I am! Here are a few tips and tricks I've found over the Internet to help me (and possibly you) stay awake at work!


Tip number 1 from WikiHow: Use your sense of smell. Apparently smells both good and bad can jar us into waking up. They recommend Rosemary, Eucalyptus gum, Peppermint, and Pine Oil

A tip from Medicinenet.com is to get up and walk around. Just because your working doesn't mean you can't be moving. This helps increase blow flow and improve circulation thus making you more alert.

Buzzle.com suggest splashing a little cold water on your face and turning on the fan. That little shock will definitely wake you up!

And, if you pulled an all nighter, eHow has some tips for surviving a day with no sleep (I hope you like coffee!). Click here for the article!

I hope these tips help to keep you up and ready at the office. Make sure to check out the articles from WikiHow, Medicinenet.com Buzzle.com and eHow for some more great info!

~ Kendal

Need CEU Training? Check out this event!

Need CEU training? Check out this great event hosted by Bank & Office Interiors, Fuller Associates and Vanerum Stelter that will take place in two locations!

First, Spokaneon November 8th:



And check out the Seattle event on November 10th!

 Hope you can make it!

~ Kendal

Business Cards and Why They're Still Relevant

About a year ago, a local vendor came in to discuss his new and improved furniture line. After the meeting was over, we started chatting about the use of social media and its extremely large presence in the world. And then he said the oddest thing - "soon business cards will be obsolete". Obsolete? Really? He then told me a story about how he had just gone to a conference in Vegas and met two European gentlemen he wanted to network with. He pulled out his business cards, they pulled out their smart phones...they wanted to connect virtually instantly (via LinkedIn). They no longer carry business cards. Well that's slightly embarrassing, I guess. Apparently America is still one step behind the current trend...

So what does this mean? The days of shaking hands and exchanging cards in a face to face fashion are going away? Soon everything will be virtual and digital and smart. Well, not necessarily. "Exchanging contact details is still not high tech to everyone. There are still a good number of people who prefer the business card over modern marketing means" - Martha Killian (http://ezinearticles.com/).

Martha's article discusses the advantages of having a strong card to represent your business. As she mentions, not everyone is tech savvy and there are many who still prefer the old-fashioned Rolodex. It's also not as archaic as some may have you believe. Going to local events with your business card stack refreshed allows you to introduce yourself and pull out your info...icebreaker solved. You can check out this article from Amazing Webzine for more ideas.

As we continue to work outside the office, the importance of branding yourself and your company via the old rectangular cardboard-like paper is still as relevant as ever. Having all your networking capabilities on your card will allow you to connect in the virtual world. But first, maintaining that first impression with a simple card will continue to help your business grow in the real world.

So! Time for new business cards?

Check out Vista Print for great prices.

You can be Zazzled

And you can be sustainable from 123print

Happy Designing!

Kendal

A Quick Way to Brighten Up Your Day? Task Lighting!

Today it is gray in Seattle. Tomorrow will most likely be gray, as well. And if I'm honest with myself, I will probably rarely get to see the sun shine over the next 8 months. How does one fight off the urge to move to Arizona after sitting in a dark office for 8-10 hours? Why, task lighting of course! Cute, fun and effective ways to keep the gloomy days ahead out doors. Here are 4 of my favorites that we have scattered around the showroom:

The Terea from Luxo "combines energy-efficient LEDs, ergonomics and compact design for an incomparable value. Terea, which efficiently and cost-effectively illuminates any work surface with maintenance-free operation, better articulates its ergonomics with the effortless tilt of its arm and complete flexibility of its head. This allows the light to fall asymmetrically across the work surface providing optimal lighting and functionality". I also enjoy the modern look and feel it brings to the desktop.



The Ovelo from Luxo is a "uniquely designed LED task light for the modern office. Complete with a timer which automatically turns the light off after 9 hours of use to ensure energy savings, this task light uses 6W dimmable LEDs to illuminate an entire work surface. A combination aluminum and steel construction and covered spring-balanced arm provides complete flexibility of the pivoting arm and lamp head". It kind of looks like a classy donut...but I love it!

The Pisa by Details  "is a uniquely designed free-standing, incandescent task light. Pisa leans up to 20 degrees in any direction to position light where you need it most. Making it useful as a lighting supplement in a workstation or wherever direct light is hard to get". It was one of the first desk lamps I saw in the offce and fell in love with it's cool color and "home-like" design.

And lastly, but certainly not least, is the Dash Light by Details. "Designed in collaboration with Foster + partners - the new dash LED Task Light is as much about improving how we work as it is about making a subtle statement with its design. Featuring clean lines, fluid movement and a timeless aesthetic, dash provides optimal lighting in nearly every environment. Yielding a soft consistent pool of light which “falls off” considerably less than other LED lamps. It is the first freestanding LED task lamp to achieve BIFMA Level 1 certification - utilizing a mercury-free LED and a wireless current to eliminate PVC. Use dash to complete a space or define it. The freedom is yours". They have so many colors to chose from...who wouldn't want a desk lamp with a colorway of Wasabi?

I may have to go commandeer one of the showroom samples of these task lights for my space...but which one to choose???  

 ~ Kendal