At Taj Connemara’s Ballroom, the saxophone music is accompanied by an occasional thud. A gentleman in a black suit is busy at work, assembling a table.
“That’s Nigel Baldwin from Herman Miller,” somebody points out. Baldwin is the Director, Strategic Business Group-Asia, Herman Miller, the U.S.-based manufacturer of office equipment and office and modern home furniture.
He was in Chennai at an event organised by Buildcraft Interior, which is Herman Miller’s sole dealer in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The occasion saw the launch of four new office furniture lines — Abak environment, Sence, Embody and Setu, of which the first two are workstations and the other two chairs.
Embody, is the ‘first health-positive chair.’ “It brings your heart rate lower and is by far the most comfortable chair in the world. Its back can be adjusted to flat or S-shaped,” says Baldwin.
Setu looks sleeker and has a spine which is said to bend and tilt with the users’ every move and provides superior suspension.
So what does Herman Miller do to ensure maximum comfort to its clients? “We have 100 years of design excellence. Chairs come in different shapes and sizes. It’s about relating a chair to an individual and never act like all people are the same,” explains Baldwin.
The new products apart from their style, comfort and durability are also easy to install. “Even a person in a suit and tie can put it together in three minutes,” laughs Baldwin as he finishes his demonstration. “Our office furniture is a business tool,” says Baldwin. As he endearingly goes on about his brand, Baldwin emphasises that the environment is terribly important so their chairs are up to 96 per cent recyclable.
“Our association with Herman Miller dates back to five years and has only become stronger over the years,” says S. Ravi, Director, Buildcraft Interior. Talking about the brand’s demand in the market, Ravi says, “The important thing is that it has both local and multi-national clients.”
