Systems News - Featured Articles

Business owners are always looking for ways to save money. Whether you're an office manager, company controller, or a business owner, you know that buying new office furniture can be extremely expensive. That's why more and more people are turning to used office furniture to save money while furnishing their offices.

If money is no object, feel free to buy as much new office furniture as you need. But if you're working within a strict budget, used office furniture may be the way to go. If you shop carefully, it's possible to purchase used office furniture that will not only look good, but will also be accepted by employees and customers alike. Some of the benefits of purchasing used office furniture include:

* Saving money. If you shop around for the best prices and bargains, you can save more than 50 percent over the cost of buying new office furniture. Most used office furniture pieces have only been used for a few years (or less) and have minimal wear and tear. Once the bubble wrap is taken off and the price tag is removed, most people cannot tell the difference between a new desk and a used desk.

* Saving time. If you've ever ordered new office furniture, you know that sometimes it can take up to six weeks to be delivered. Compare that to most used office furniture outlets that can have a truck at your front door in 48 hours or less.

* Reducing environmental impact. When a used wooden office desk is sent to the landfill, it takes years to break down. By buying used office furniture, you will get a much better deal and help save the planet at the same time.

* Getting more for your money. When you buy new office furniture, the resale value can depreciate to 25 percent or less of the original purchase price over five years. But when you buy used office furniture, the resale value can remain as high as 75 percent of what you paid for it.

So, how do you find the best bargains in used office furniture? Begin your search by looking in your own backyard. In other words, your local community is a good place to start. Check the Yellow Pages for used office furniture listings.

You can also contact your local chamber of commerce for referrals and check with other business owners in the community to see where they have been buying used office furniture. And don't forget to look in the classified ads of your local newspapers. Often you will find several ads for used office furniture, and they just may have what you are looking for.

Many business owners are using the Internet to buy and sell their office equipment. Online auction sites such as eBay are now filled with listings of used office furniture of all shapes, sizes, conditions, and prices. Of course, when buying heavy furniture online, you may end up paying more in shipping charges than you would if you purchased it locally, so be sure to factor in those costs as well.

When buying used office furniture, keep in mind that you might not be able to find the color or design you had in mind. The key point to remember is it's just like buying a used car: you must accept the color, condition, and size, and hopefully the money you will save will be worth your time and effort.

Purchasing office furniture is quite a task. If you are establishing a home office, it is difficult enough to find the right furniture for yourself, but if you are buying office furniture for an entire staff, the task becomes even more daunting. Nevertheless, with a few tips, you should be able to simplify the process. Office furniture becomes easier to buy when you know what to look for. So, in order to purchase quality office furniture you will need to take a few things into consideration before you start.

First, when you must remember that although cost is a major factor to consider with your purchase, it is not the only factor. In fact, there are many things that you need to take into consideration that rank higher than cost considerations. For example, comfort is one consideration that will supercede the issue of price. Yet, another issue that will pertain to ergonomics.

You will want furniture that will provide comfort throughout the day. Remember, the furniture you purchase will be used by you and your staff for many hours at a time. Conversely, you will not want furniture that is too comfortable? Why? Well in essence, too much comfort can actually decrease productivity. You don't want to be falling asleep while you work because the office chair you have purchased makes you feel like you're on a cloud all day! Comfort in the extreme is no better than discomfort when comes to purchasing furniture for your office. Thus, you will want to purchase furniture that is somewhere in the middle - productively comfortable.

Next, and this is especially important if you have a staff, you will want to purchase furniture that is ergonomically appropriate. In doing so, you can help prevent injuries from repetitive motion, improper posture and the like. You therefore will want to buy chairs that provide good posture support, and desks that are appropriate for keyboards use. You will want to set up work stations so that they are ergonomically correct for those individuals who will be working long hours doing the same type of work. Keyboards and special mice have been designed to help reduce injuries and you should consider buying such products to accompany the furniture you purchase for your office.

Lastly, style and cost are to be considered when you make your purchase. If you will have clients visiting your office you will need professional looking furniture to convey your professional attitude. Likewise, cost should be considered. Just remember that you should never compromise quality for cost when you are purchasing furniture for your office - whether it is a home office or otherwise.

Michael Donnelly's business is an unusual measure of Fairfield County's economic health.

When the economy is good, the new furnishings section of his office furniture business thrives; when the economy is not so good, his used furniture section thrives.

Right now, both the supply and demand for used office furniture is up, said Donnelly, president of Superior Office Furniture and Supply

"The supply is up because companies are downsizing, being acquired by other firms, or going out of business," he said. "Demand is up because companies are looking to save money." Donnelly says much of his used office furniture comes from company stories that have bad endings.

"Recently, I acquired some nice furniture from a high-tech company in Norwalk that had downsized," he said. "That didn't work, and it went out of business," putting about 100 people out of work. "I basically bought a Danbury company's 2-year-old furniture lock, stock and barrel - executive offices, conference rooms, reception area, cubicles," he said. "The company was bought and was being downsized as jobs and responsibilities were transferred out of state.

Most of the business failures or downsizings are in small- and medium-sized businesses. "Two- and three-man shops may see a guy just move into his house," letting the others go.

In fact, so many companies are ridding themselves of furniture, he said, "I can't buy all the furniture that comes my way."

Watching the purse strings

Businesses and companies that are buying furniture "are trying to put more people into smaller spaces" as a result of a move, downsizing or acquisition, and are watching their budgets a little more closely. One Stamford company split off one of its operations and moved it to Charlotte, N.C., and moved the other business portion to Norwalk.

"I was able to work something out where their people weren't all cramped" in the new location. "People don't want to give up quality," Donnelly said, "but the purse strings are being held a little more tightly. They may not get a wood desk, but instead choose veneer, or pass on veneer and get laminate."

I think every business is watching its purchases," he said. "I keep hearing that consumers aren't driving the economy, but business isn't driving the economy right now either," he said. "Sales of new office furniture have shown a drop because a substantial part of that business is companies replacing old furniture. Even the office supplies portion of his business has declined. "My customers are doing fewer projects now that their business is down," and that means they need fewer supplies like paper and binders.

As a result of those tight budgets, Donnelly's business is down about 7 percent from last year, not including September, "which was a bad month for everybody."

But not everything is gloom and doom. "On the plus side, I'm getting regular requests from people to bid on new-furniture jobs." And recently, he outfitted a Brewster, N.Y., CPA firm that moved to larger quartets and was expanding and hiring.

Superior's 18,000-square-foot warehouse showroom is at the northern reaches of Fairfield County. Its territory reaches into Westchester and Putnam counties in New York, and into Litchfield and New Haven counties to the north and southeast as well, Donnelly said. He's headed the supply company for a dozen years after working a dozen years at the family-owned Mullaney's Office Supply store in Bethel.

Superior's sales are roughly 25 percent used furniture and 75 percent new in terms of dollars, roughly 50/50 in terms of pieces, he noted. Included in that 25 percent is scratchand-dent furniture - new furniture that he's acquired because it was damaged in shipping.

"We also have close-out furniture that's brand new but that a wholesaler doesn't want to carry because the fabric won't sell," he said, or some other design element that keeps it from fast sales.

Despite the showroom's sluggish sales, Donnelly is upbeat and optimistic. Economic downturns, he said, "set the table for periods of growth. Companies get lean and mean during downturns and are in a good position for good growth in the future."

Most of the business failures or downsizings are in small- and medium-sized businesses. "Two- and three-man shops may see a guy just move into his house," letting the others go.

In fact, so many companies are ridding themselves of furniture, he said, "I can't buy all the furniture that comes my way."

Watching the purse strings

Businesses and companies that are buying furniture "are trying to put more people into smaller spaces" as a result of a move, downsizing or acquisition, and are watching their budgets a little more closely. One Stamford company split off one of its operations and moved it to Charlotte, N.C., and moved the other business portion to Norwalk.

"I was able to work something out where their people weren't all cramped" in the new location. "People don't want to give up quality," Donnelly said, "but the purse strings are being held a little more tightly. They may not get a wood desk, but instead choose veneer, or pass on veneer and get laminate."

I think every business is watching its purchases," he said. "I keep hearing that consumers aren't driving the economy, but business isn't driving the economy right now either," he said. "Sales of new office furniture have shown a drop because a substantial part of that business is companies replacing old furniture. Even the office supplies portion of his business has declined. "My customers are doing fewer projects now that their business is down," and that means they need fewer supplies like paper and binders.

As a result of those tight budgets, Donnelly's business is down about 7 percent from last year, not including September, "which was a bad month for everybody."

But not everything is gloom and doom. "On the plus side, I'm getting regular requests from people to bid on new-furniture jobs." And recently, he outfitted a Brewster, N.Y., CPA firm that moved to larger quartets and was expanding and hiring.

Superior's 18,000-square-foot warehouse showroom is at the northern reaches of Fairfield County. Its territory reaches into Westchester and Putnam counties in New York, and into Litchfield and New Haven counties to the north and southeast as well, Donnelly said. He's headed the supply company for a dozen years after working a dozen years at the family-owned Mullaney's Office Supply store in Bethel.

Superior's sales are roughly 25 percent used furniture and 75 percent new in terms of dollars, roughly 50/50 in terms of pieces, he noted. Included in that 25 percent is scratchand-dent furniture - new furniture that he's acquired because it was damaged in shipping.

"We also have close-out furniture that's brand new but that a wholesaler doesn't want to carry because the fabric won't sell," he said, or some other design element that keeps it from fast sales.

Despite the showroom's sluggish sales, Donnelly is upbeat and optimistic. Economic downturns, he said, "set the table for periods of growth. Companies get lean and mean during downturns and are in a good position for good growth in the future."

Link: http://systemsnews.com/office-furniture/index.php?page=search&s_res=AND&cid=331

Understanding Office Workstations

Buying office workstations isn't like buying furniture at an office supply store. For one thing, cubicles from leading manufacturers are built to last for decades. Dealers will work with you to design a system that's right for your needs and will stand behind their work.
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In addition, office workstations are more expensive than many people realize. We'll get into more detail in Pricing, but you can expect to pay around $1,500 per cubicle for high-quality used systems furniture - or $2,500 and up for new systems.

Do your homework
Before you start talking to cubicle suppliers, you'll need to prepare some basic information about your office and your employees.

First, you'll need to know the floor plan of the space you're looking to furnish. If you can get a scale drawing of your office, great; if not, you should measure the office yourself to get a rough idea of your available space for workstations. In most cases, you'll wind up working with a designer who will take more detailed measurements later, but knowing the general dimensions will greatly improve your initial conversations with potential office workstation suppliers.

Next, consider your employees. Obviously you need to know how many employees need office workstations. But go one step further: what do those employees do? Cubicles for a department of telemarketers are quite different from the right cubicles for a group of programmers. Talk to your employees about their needs: do they spend more time on the computer, on the phone, or doing paperwork? How important is it that they be able to easily converse with co-workers? Do they have small meetings in their cubes? These factors will influence the size, wall height, and surfaces of the workstations you choose.

There are office-wide considerations, as well. Copiers, printers, and any other shared resources need to be accessible without being a distraction to employees seated nearby.

Start early
Shopping for systems furniture isn't a quick process: if you're buying new or remanufactured systems, you can expect an average of three to six weeks between placing the order and delivery. If you choose office workstations a dealer has in stock, it can take a week; if you place your order at a busy time, it can take as long as 10 weeks or more.

Link: http://www.tradein.com/

How to Reuse Office Furniture and save lots of money!
Written by: Jon H. Driscoll

Recently, TradeIn.com purchased a large inventory of Knoll open office furniture from Santa Monica, CA. They then resold the inventory redesigning it to meet a Buyers requirement in Alpharetta, Georgia. The needed items were repackaged onto four trailers utilizing reusable packing materials and hauled via Southern Pacific Rail Road from California to Georgia. Where it was installed and put back to full use. However, after utilizing almost everything and working the design as best they could there remained approximately two hundred panels left over.

Not wanting to waste these panels by forgetting them in the back of the warehouse nor send them to a land fill the GreenTeam at Trade In set about finding a way to reuse them. TradeIn.Com’ s mission to green office furniture has remained consistent for over twenty years, they do everything possible to keep product out of landfills and put back to work.

The challenge of what to do with the problem panels actually turned out to be the basis for a great solution. The first part of the answer presented itself in the form of a client needing to squeeze a lot of people into a relativity small space. Getting them in the space was not the hard part what was, was to provide acoustical privacy. The solution to the panel dilemma and the acoustical challenge was one in the same.

TradeIn’s installers removed the fabric acoustical tiles from the metal panel frames and utilized them as acoustical wall treatments. The result was a very happy client who received an attractive wall treatment with outstanding acoustical control. Then they reused the wood trim from the panels as chair rails with the left over being donated for crafts use by a local special needs education association. Lastly the metal frames were purchased by a metal recycler.

The end result was the GreenTeam supplied an outstanding new facility of furniture for over 160 workers in Georgia, saving the buyer over one hundred and eighty thousand dollars; reused all the fabric acoustic tiles; reused the wood trim and recycled one hundred percent of the metal product. From the original fifty-two tons of office furniture not one pound was sent to the landfill.

Office Furniture Solutions is a division of TradeIn.com, Inc who is a national recycler of pre-owned office furniture, as well as an Eco conscious supplier of new and reused office furniture and equipment. Call today to allow them the opportunity to be of service to you – I suggest you both will be glad you did.

Call 800-248-7331 to discuss you requirements.