Haworth (company)

Office furniture company

Haworth Inc.

Company type| Private
Industry| Office furniture
Predecessor|

* Modern Products
* Modern Partitions

Founded| Holland, Michigan, United States (1948 (1948))
Founder| Gerrard Wendell "G. W." Haworth
Headquarters|

Holland, Michigan

United States

Number of locations

| 75

Area served

| Worldwide

Key people

| Matthew R. Haworth (Chairman), Franco Bianchi (President & CEO)
Products|

* Compose
* Fern chair
* Enclose Walls
* Openest Lounge
* Haworth Collection

Revenue| US$ 1.96 Billion (2021)

Number of employees

| 7,500
Divisions|

* North America
* Europe
* Asia/Pacific

Website| haworth.com

Haworth Inc. is a privately held, family-owned office furniture manufacturer headquartered in Holland, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1948 by G. W. Haworth, the company designs and manufactures seating, tables, movable walls, panels, storage, and wood casegoods. Haworth's furniture pieces, combined with interior design and technology, are intended to create a focus on “organic workspaces that help people perform their best.”[1] Haworth employs 7,500 workers and has 650 dealerships in more than 120 countries.[1] 2021 global sales reached $1.96 billion, a 6.2-percent increase from 2020.[2]

## Brands/companies[edit]

Haworth's brand portfolio includes Italian design brands Poltrona Frau, Cassina, and Cappellini; technology software Bluescape; and outdoor furniture maker JANUS et Cie.[3] The Haworth Health Environments brand offers healthcare furniture. Haworth also owns shares in BuzziSpace, a Belgium-based company focusing on acoustic and collaborative workspace.[4]

## History[edit]

### 1940s–70s[edit]

During the 1940s, while teaching Industrial Arts at Holland High School, G.W. Haworth started a woodworking shop as a hobby in his garage. His intention was to increase the income for his children's future college education by producing and selling special-order wood products.[5] As his reputation and orders grew, he expanded to a 4,800-square-foot plant in Holland, Michigan and decided to turn his sideline into a full-time business, launching Modern Products in 1948.[6] In the 1950s, the focus of Modern Products shifted toward office environments in response to the development of modular office partitions, and the company changed its name to Modern Partitions.[6]

In 1976, G.W.'s son, Dick Haworth, took over as president and CEO. Under Dick's leadership, the company's name changed to Haworth and focused exclusively on contract office furniture. Dick invented the first cubicle wall panels with internal wiring.[7] These panels could be snapped together and eliminated the client's need to pay electricians to wire office spaces.[3] In 1977, Haworth International Inc. was formed to set up foreign licenses for the manufacture and marketing of office interior systems. A year later, Haworth opened a national showroom in Chicago's Merchandise Mart.[6]

### 1980–2000: Rise and expansion[edit]

During the next two decades, Haworth developed and patented a number of industry innovations, including panel-to-panel cabling systems.[8] In the early 1980s, the company moved its headquarters to One Haworth Center in Holland, while showrooms were open or renovated in 18 North American cities and four international locations. Office seating was also added to the Haworth product offering being built in Holland, Michigan. By 1986, Haworth had become the third-largest office furniture manufacturer in the U.S., with sales topping $300 million and a workforce of 2,600 employees.[6]

In 1988, Haworth became a global company after undertaking a strategic expansion.[9] The business acquired 15 companies in Europe and North America, then built in Asia to expand its sales and dealer network. In 1995, the company's Ideation Group formed, applying user-based research to concepts and products.[10] In 1996, competitor Steelcase was found at fault in a patent infringement suit brought by Haworth in 1985. Steelcase was ordered to pay $211.5 million in damages and interest.[11]

### 2000 to present: a global focus[edit]

In 2000, Haworth passed the $2 billion mark in annual revenues. In 2008, Haworth's new corporate headquarters, a LEED-NC Gold-certified facility, opened to serve as a living lab.[12] In 2009, Haworth became the first company in the industry to achieve zero waste to landfill in all U.S. manufacturing facilities.[13] That same year, Dick Haworth stepped aside and his son, Matthew, then 40, became chairman.[14]

The company purchased Italian furniture group Poltrona Frau in 2014, gaining a majority stake in several Italian design brands including Cappellini, Cassina, and Poltrona Frau.[15] In 2013, Bluescape was launched to support virtual work and visual collaboration.[16] "We recognized that our deep insight into the physical workplace could be translated into user experience in a virtual workspace,” Dick Haworth said.[6] The company purchased outdoor furniture company JANUS et Cie for an undisclosed amount in 2016. In 2017, the company's headquarters was given a design refresh by Patricia Urquiola and Haworth Collection, which partnered with Pablo Designs and GAN rugs.[17]

## Current leadership[edit]

Franco Bianchi has served as CEO and president of the company since 2005.[18] In 2009, Dick Haworth stepped aside and his son, Matthew, became chairman of the family-owned business.[14] The company's founder, G.W. Haworth, died in 2006 at age 95.[19]

## Company culture[edit]

Haworth issued special bonuses to workers totaling more than $5 million for the company's 70th anniversary in 2018.[20]

Haworth became the first in the contract furniture industry to achieve zero waste to landfill in all U.S. manufacturing facilities in 2009.[21] The company also donated 42 acres of wetland for restoration to Outdoor Discovery Center-Macatawa Greenway's Project Clarity, an organized effort to improve the water quality of Holland's Lake Macatawa.[22]

Haworth maintains research partnerships with several global partners, including Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Germany, University of Michigan, Western Michigan University and London's Royal College of Art. The company's Human Performance Lab studies the impact of visual distractions on workplace performance.

## Noteworthy products/projects[edit]

Popular Haworth products include its research-backed ergonomic office chairs Fern, Zody, and Very, and Planes Height-Adjustable tables.

Haworth has partnered with numerous designers, including Patricia Urquiola, a Spanish architect and designer who has been a Haworth collaborator since 2013. Studio Urquiola designed Haworth's Chicago showroom for NeoCon 2013, 2014, and 2015, and gave the company's corporate headquarters a refresh in 2017.[17]

Spectrum Health, West Michigan's largest healthcare provider, tapped Haworth to furnish their idea for a new kind of doctor's office, with the Strive health care office opening in downtown Grand Rapids in 2017. The facility functions as a learning lab for Spectrum to test new ideas and develop a deeper understanding of consumer needs.[23]

In June 2021, a nearly 2-year project to renovate the Haworth Hotel in Holland was completed. The renovation, funded jointly by Hope College and the Haworth family, was led by designer Patricia Urquiola. The newly remodeled building is intended to "foster interactions between Hope College staff and students, community members and Haworth guests."[24]

The headquarters site includes a 15-acre prairie restoration project (6.1 ha).[25]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Watson, Rachel (March 24, 2021). "Haworth sees 19% drop in sales in 2020". Grand Rapids Business Journal. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
2. ^ Bussa, Jayson. "Haworth global sales improve, inch back to pre-pandemic levels". mibiz.com. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
3. ^ a b Stoller, Kristin. "This 73-Year-Old Office Furniture Company Is Betting On Yachts, Cars And The Office Return". Forbes. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
4. ^ "Steve Symons, CEO BuzziSpace, explains the partnership with Haworth". WOW! (Ways Of Working) webmagazine. October 26, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
5. ^ International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 39. St. James Press, 2001
6. ^ a b c d e "Haworth: A History". www.magzter.com. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
7. ^ "Richard Haworth Prefers Not To Take Stock". Forbes. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
8. ^ "Richard G. Haworth Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
9. ^ ""Dick Haworth tells story of his family business" MLive.com 2010-11-3
10. ^ Evink, Janis R.; Beam, Henry H. (January 1, 1999). "Just what is an ideation group?". Business Horizons. 42 (1): 73–78. doi:10.1016/S0007-6813(99)80051-2. ISSN 0007-6813.
11. ^ "$211.5 Million Award in Patent Lawsuit". The New York Times. December 31, 1996.
12. ^ "Haworth officials believe their new headquarters will inspire change in workplaces" MLive.com 2008-05-13
13. ^ Staff report. "Haworth zero-landfill goal becoming reality". The Holland Sentinel. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
14. ^ a b "Haworth's third generation takes over as Dick Haworth steps aside" MLive.com 2009-04-22
15. ^ "Haworth buys Poltrona Frau to create major global furniture brand". Dezeen. February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
16. ^ "NeoCon 2013: Haworth’s high-tech Bluescape creates infinite virtual workspace" MLive.com 2013-06-07
17. ^ a b "See Patricia Urquiola’s Colorful Refresh of Haworth’s Michigan Headquarters" Metropolis 2018-03-28
18. ^ "Franco Bianchi Speaks at Seidman College of Business" video
19. ^ "Remembering The Life Of G.W. Haworth, Founder Of Haworth, Inc." Facility Executive Magazine, 2006-10-25
20. ^ "Haworth giving $5M in bonuses to employees" MLive.com 2018-01-31
21. ^ "Haworth to show off its zero-waste-to-landfill operations at upcoming sustainability workshop" MLive.com 2012-09-15
22. ^ "Project Clarity leverages public, private support to improve Lake Macatawa watershed" MiBiz 2018-03-04
23. ^ "Spectrum Health's new primary care office has a posh residential feel" MLive.com 2017-08-10
24. ^ Staff, Sentinel. "Haworth Hotel at Hope College reopens after lengthy remodel". The Holland Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
25. ^ Mitchell, Kyle (August 4, 2023). "Haworth creating 15 acres of prairie habitat at Holland headquarters". WOODTV.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.