The company that invented the world’s first swivel office chair is in Ukraine to help businesses make their employees and clients feel at ease in the workplace
Stefan Ziegler is the Head of Operations CEE for Sedus Company, one of the leading European office furniture producers that boast a a yearly turnover of about 200 million euros.
Sedus manufactures chairs in Dogern, a few kilometres away from Zurich, Switzerland and had additional production facilities in Geseke near Duesseldorf, Germany. The company is headquartered in Waldshut, Bodensee in southern Germany.
In Ukraine, Sedus has worked with its Ukrainian partner company Interiors International since 2006.
Together with II, Sedus claims to have developed a friendly and professional approach to the Ukrainian market and its ever increasing demands.
In this interview to the Post, Mr. Ziegler said that the contemporary office needs more than the right furniture and equipment. He said that the right concepts for organizing interior office space are required to meet the needs of the personnel and send a strong corporate message to visitors and clients.
KP: Please describe some of the major tendencies that you are currently observing on the office equipment market.
SZ: The latest trend is to have office furniture fit out in a more flexible and communicative way.
There are more and more companies which use laptops, personal mobile units instead of fixed cabinets and implement less walls and separation units between people, both intra- and interdepartmentally.
In terms of equipment, these trends lead up to the application of so-called “bench systems.”
Bench systems answer the need for flexibility, because they are infinitely expandable; all the accessories run on a rail in the middle of the table on which monitor arms, paper trays, separation walls and even lights are randomly fixed. You can create an extra work station in a fraction of time or even transform a workstation area into a conference table within minutes.
Communication is enhanced by the formation of the group of employees around the table facing each other. Even the mobile pedestals where employees can store their personal belongings have a seating cushion on the top, so any co-worker coming around has a chance to spontaneously and effectively interact with one another.
Finally, personal space can be conserved by applying the separation walls in any position, thereby also enabling an extra work space ad hoc.
KP: How have the requirements for office equipment changed in Ukraine in the last few years?
SZ: Generally speaking, the most obvious change happening since I have been following the market is the trend of companies to make more far-sighted investments into office space. That includes the office premises as well as office furniture. Nowadays more time is being spent to select an office building in the right surrounding, having adequate fit-out, as well as to select office furniture which is functional, resistant and modern.
When choosing furniture, many companies are aware that this is the number one component which every person working in an office environment is constantly in touch with. You are in a physical contact with your office chair eight to twelve hours a day, so it makes a hell of a difference if you got it at a discount store or from a quality producer offering adjustments, comfort and international health requirements.
Ukrainian companies want to communicate their status, and by choosing furniture they send a strong message. People visiting a company’s office get their first impression from waiting or meeting area they are placed in, so typically this is the first thing Ukrainian companies invest in. They realize that the budget they need in order to have a quality and modern office is bigger than a few years ago.
Expenses connected with personnel are between 70 and 90 percent of a company’s cost doing business, so it is more than justified to reinvest a little bit into sustaining and motivating them, and this is what the right office furniture concepts help to do.
Lastly, since companies in Ukraine are aware of the importance of creating their own corporate identity, they realized they can talk to both their staff and their clients by the way they are organized and the way they present themselves.
KP: What are the newest offers currently appearing in the office equipment sector? What is in highest demand today?
SZ: The highest demand today, as I said earlier, is for flexibility and mobility. In today’s world, the size and structure of a company might change in a month’s notice, so office equipment companies are developing solutions that meet this need. You can rearrange your office in short notice, and you have to make sure people are interacting efficiently, which is not necessarily insured by a multitude of mobile phones and “blackberries” around. What matters instead is a well-arranged environment for people to talk to each other.
In the end, it is not enough to be even the best producer of the best office equipment, until you do not know how to best apply your equipment in a particular way and find the right combination to create the most efficient environment. We have to educate our clients. This is what Sedus and Interiors International company do with Sedus’ so-called “Concept 2,5”: we create the concept for the specific office environment need.
KP: Generally speaking, what is the most important thing for a modern office to have today in terms of technical equipment, interior, furniture, etc?
SZ: It is crucial for companies to have someone thinking, planning and following up on how the office is organized. Even the biggest budget is not a substitute for a smart and efficient office setup created to the particular needs and character of the company.
KP: Businesses seem to be moving away from renting or purchasing offices in old existing buildings (including residential ones) and more and more businesses are renting premises in new, large and specialized office complex buildings that offer a full spectrum of accompanying features, like underground parking, cafes, gyms, etc. How will this tendency affect the office equipment sector?
SZ: I strongly welcome the fact that real estate managers have recognized the importance of creating a concept for office buildings instead of a simple office space to fill with people. It shows they have understood the future need of companies to not only serve their clients, but also their employees best. Especially in emerging markets like Ukraine, where a lot of international companies are moving in and well-trained and educated staff is getting scarce, it will be the companies who can best retain their top people who will be successful.
KP: What is your forecast as to the development of office equipment market in Ukraine in the next few years? Do you expect any new developments in this sector?
SZ: Like more than seventy years ago, when Sedus invented the first office swivel chair in the world, we do keep on this tradition ”to invent” also today. As people in Ukrainian business sphere are generally well-educated and extremely hardworking, I personally see a great potential in the Ukrainian market in the future.
