Spec Book Pro Blog

Herman Miller Makes Honey!

Source: Inhabitat

As an interior designer, my friend Victor receives gifts and tokens from the local finish and furniture reps on a daily basis. Usually these items are not terribly distinctive; however, last week I saw a tiny bottle of honey sitting on Victor’s desk. I couldn’t help but notice a tag around the neck that read: Herman Miller. “Surely they don’t make this themselves,” I said aloud. But why was an office furniture company giving honey away?

Upon further investigation, I found that Herman Miller does indeed make honey. The story goes something like this:

About ten years ago, Herman Miller opened a new manufacturing facility on a 45 acre plot in Michigan. Designed by well known “green” architect William McDonough, the facility was a model for current and future projects, promoting the company’s philosophy of sound environmental building practices. Dubbed the “Greenhouse,” it was selected by the USBGC as a pilot project for the development of its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process. The Greenhouse was situated in a rolling prairie and landscaped with native vegetation and flowering plants.

Frame and Light

Source: MoCo Loco: Frame and Light.

Frame and Light
Furniture: Aug 30, 2005

Paola Lenti launches Frame and Light Collections.
Italy's Paola Lenti Co., renowned for its research and expertise in the textiles field, has just launched the Frame and Light Collections designed by Francesco Rota. The outstanding characteristic of the Frame pieces is that they are suitable for use both indoors and outdoors thanks to some clever weather-resistant upholstery named Rope - a high-tech yarn developed by the company. The Light Collection (seen here above) includes a chaise longue, a stool and a dormeuse and is a perfect example of Paola Lenti’s distinctive timeless style; natural colours, refined design and advanced technical materials. GP

+ paolalenti.com

Frame.



Also new for 2005 from Paola Lenti, the Crochet rug by Eliana Gerotto and Patricia Urquoila. HW

Carpet Refuse Will Feed Shaw Plant

Source: Carpet Refuse Will Feed Shaw Plant - 7/21/2005 - Interior Design - CA628266.

A system installed in a new Shaw Industries power plant in Dalton, Georgia will allow the plant--one of the manufacturer’s largest--to use its own scraps and sawdust for fuel. The move is expected to save the flooring manufacturer up to $2.5 million each year.

"This is really a bold undertaking for the company," says Gary Nichols, the Shaw energy manager who heads up the project for Plant 81, "We’ve never done anything like this before, although it is something (vice president of manufacturing) Bill Barron has been considering for a long time. In the past three to four years energy costs and technology have come together at the right time to make this a viable project."

Shaw collaborated with engineers from Siemens Building Technology to plan the facility, which they say resolves flaws in failed endeavors by other companies.

Approximately 15,000 tons of postindustrial carpet waste, 1000 tons of post-consumer carpet waste, and 6000 tons of wood flour are expected to be saved from landfill deposit each year through a process called gasification, which converts waste to steam energy.  Plant emissions will also be reduced.

The facility is projected to be fully operational by the end of 2005.

Keeping Rep Firms Informed

Rep firms like to know when a design firm is specifying their products. They need to know when their products have been approved for purchasing. Reps spend a lot of time calling their customers to try to keep up potential orders and order dates.

Designers need blocks of uninterrupted time to be creative. Handling numerous phone calls about order status can waste many hours a week. But reps need to know what is happening.

Spec Book Pro has a report called Spec Book by Rep Firm. A designer can use it to create a pdf of all the specs for a selected rep firm. Click on the email button for that pdf and send it to a rep. The rep is up-to-date about her or his products specificed in that project.

Spec Book Pro was designed to help designers be productive. Reducing the time required for informing reps about orders can help designers have more uninterrupted time to be creative.