As Herman Miller continues to expand across Australia and Asia, Indesignlive explores the company’s growth and future direction.
May 10th, 2011
“We work to try and solve problems that everyday people experience, with the mission of making their lives easier and making the world a better place,” says Paul MacDonald, Sales Director for Herman Miller Australia and New Zealand.
This has led to a product portfolio which is second to none, offering real solutions that work to build a better world around you – be that an office, a school, home or hospital.
Eames Hang-it-All
A portfolio that includes playful accessories like the Eames Hang-it-All and timeless classics such as the Nelson Coconut Chair as well as ground-breaking solutions for today’s office with Aeron, the first chair to renounce foam; Embody, the first health-positive chair, and SAYL, the first fully-frameless suspension back chair.
Nelson Coconut Chair
Continually pushing the boundaries of design through collaboration with renowned designers to create innovative products, the Herman Miller brand has gone from strength to strength since its inception across the globe and notably in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
The power of the brand and its products has meant that the company has exceeded sales targets even in times of downturn and economic instability. The Setu chair, for example, outsold its projected 5-year sales within 12 months.
For MacDonald, the key to Herman Miller’s success has been “the unwavering focus on being innovative in design, and not bowing down to economic pressures or lowering costs through the reduction of quality.”
This culture of innovation and focus on quality has seen Herman Miller consistently included on highly esteemed company rating lists including being one of only six companies in the world to be included on all three lists: Fast Company magazine’s “Most Innovative” companies, FORTUNE magazine’s “Best Companies to Work For” and FORTUNE magazine’s “Most Admired” companies – a place they have held for 23 consecutive years.
The demand for Herman Miller products continues to grow. Products made decades ago are still in demand and products being made today will be sought after for years to come.
Aeron
With this in mind, the company has been actively increasing its touchpoints across the nation over the past 12 months. With additional Herman Miller direct dealers now in Darwin, Perth, Adelaide and other cities around Australia, the company is now looking to increase distribution even further to secondary cities and smaller towns.
“We receive enquiries from the most far flung areas of Australia,” says MacDonald. “People want to buy Herman Miller. The Eames’ catchcry was ’bringing innovative design to the masses’ – so we’re expanding wherever we can.”
SAYL
The coming months will see further expansion throughout Australia and Asia, a host of new products and significantly, the launch of the highly acclaimed Herman Miller Health range in the Australian market.
“We have a strong vision and a strong plan,” MacDonald says. ”Herman Miller Australia is marching forward.”
Visit hermanmiller.com.au to find your nearest Herman Miller dealer or email info_au@hermanmiller.com for more information.
Herman Miller Australia
hermanmiller.com.au
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
At a glamorous launch party held in Sydney’s Surry Hills, Designer Rugs unveiled “Neighbourhood” by Bleux, a collection of six hand-tufted rugs that reflect, charmingly, on the essence of community with a true sense of place.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Artificial intelligence is one of the defining issues of our time. Here are five ideas articles addressing the anxieties and possibilities of the technology in design.
In Malaysia Spacemen has created a world of perfumed wonder with their latest project, Trove, where treasures abound.
Beau Fulwood and Alison Peach on returning to a low-tech, first-principles concept of design as a strategy to combat climate change.
When iconic brands wield their influence, the ripples extend far beyond aesthetics. And so when the MillerKnoll collective formed, the very concept of design shifted, supercharging the industry’s aspiration to create a better world into an unwavering sense of responsibility to do so.