Ergonomic office furniture and workplace design services.

The ergonomic demands for the new emergency response center, Combined Transportation Emergency and Communications Center (CTECC), in Austin, Texas were intense: Workstations had to support at least three users in a 24-hour shift – all of whom work in an extremely high stress environment where one workstation might require seven monitors, three keyboards, and five CPUs with miscellaneous telephone and radio equipment – all of which had to be utterly failsafe. The center has a raised floor to deliver power, data, heating, and cooling; it has an enormous video wall with three rows of 50-inch screens that continuously monitor traffic throughout the metro area; it has flat screen monitors, keyboard switches, and small-profile CPUs to condense the sheer volume of equipment in each workstation. When Herman Miller technology consultant, Tom Swihart, saw the level of complexity the workstations required, he knew this would be one of the most extreme technology applications he had encountered. He also knew the Ethospace system could handle it. “Ethospace is incredibly graceful at handling these technological challenges,” says Swihart. “It’s a very sophisticated system, but its design is so simple we can do some remarkable things with it.” Working in conjuction with Team Haas Design, the client was very pleased with the end result. “I was able to purchase about 97 percent of the furniture I needed from the U.S. Communities contract,” says Toni Thomasson, Project Manager, Austin. “It was faster, easier, and we could get exactly what we wanted, which I felt was important given the complexity of the project.”


	austin 911 call center
	The ergonomic demands for the new emergency response center, Combined Transportation Emergency and Communications Center (CTECC), in Austin, Texas were intense: Workstations had to support at least three users in a 24-hour shift – all of whom work in an extremely high stress environment where one workstation might require seven monitors, three keyboards, and five CPUs with miscellaneous telephone and radio equipment – all of which had to be utterly failsafe. The center has a raised floor to deliver power, data, heating, and cooling; it has an enormous video wall with three rows of 50-inch screens that continuously monitor traffic throughout the metro area; it has flat screen monitors, keyboard switches, and small-profile CPUs to condense the sheer volume of equipment in each workstation. When Herman Miller technology consultant, Tom Swihart, saw the level of complexity the workstations required, he knew this would be one of the most extreme technology applications he had encountered. He also knew the Ethospace system could handle it. “Ethospace is incredibly graceful at handling these technological challenges,” says Swihart. “It’s a very sophisticated system, but its design is so simple we can do some remarkable things with it.” Working in conjuction with Team Haas Design, the client was very pleased with the end result. “I was able to purchase about 97 percent of the furniture I needed from the U.S. Communities contract,” says Toni Thomasson, Project Manager, Austin. “It was faster, easier, and we could get exactly what we wanted, which I felt was important given the complexity of the project.”

	valero energy
		The sale of Ethospace workstations along with Geiger casegoods, Aeron seating and Meridian storage to Valero Energy Corporation was based on the customer’s intimate knowledge of and long experience with Herman Miller products. Mr. Joe Theis, Vice President of Corporate Services, probably knows as much about Herman Miller product as the people who make it. In 1978 he chose Action Office for his company. That product was managed and moved for over two decades. It was still in perfect condition in 1997 when Valero Energy decided to build a new headquarters facility. “It looks as good today as it did 20 years ago,” says Mr. Theis. “If the Ethospace system gives us that kind of performance, I’ll be long gone.” When Valero decided to build a new headquarters facility, Mr. Theis did his due diligence and went shopping. When he shops, he takes his main installation man along with him. Mr. Theis’s hands-on-style led him to stick with the manufacturer that had served him well for so long. Valero Energy Corporation continues to purchase Herman Miller product including the Action Office system, Eames Tables and Eames Aluminum Group Management Chairs with the Cygnus Mesh material. “I think the quality and aesthetics – and you’re not hearing me say price – of Herman Miller product are the best,” says Mr. Theis. “You get what you pay for. I think we’re getting a great deal.”