Archi.ru:
In September 2012, the company took first place in the list of the top 100 European manufacturers of office furniture. How did it all start?
Per-Arne Andersson:
- It all started over seventy years ago. Two young and energetic people Evi and Jarl Andersson founded a small factory. Initially, furniture was made to order, mainly for architects. In 1943, Kinnarps began supplying office furniture to the Swedish government and the first contract was signed 3 years later. This is how the first serious complex projects appeared, completely shaping the workplace, including cabinets, an armchair and the desk itself.
The company was originally and remains to this day a family business. Jarl worked as a salesman, while his wife Evie took over the administration. After the children grew up, and Yarl and Evie had five of them, they all also began to work for the good of the company.
Kinnarps immediately proved itself very well, we had regular customers and a high volume of production. At the same time, there was fierce competition in the market, but in the 1970s, when the company entered the international level, even dealers of competitors decided to work with Kinnarps. This was another impetus in development, the company began to occupy leading positions in Europe and since then it has not surrendered.
- During this time, the company has grown very much, today it has a rather complex structure, many representative offices around the world. How have you managed to maintain the tradition of a family business to this day?
- The structure of the company is actually quite flat with the head office in Sweden. This is done in order to ensure maximum quality control. We really have a strong family business tradition. It is in the order of things for us if people have been working at Kinnarps all their lives - for 20-25 years. We create such conditions that they would not want to change their place of work. All our employees have the opportunity to grow, they never stop there, they constantly move forward. The main criterion is the corporate culture, which was originally a family one. This family spirit is felt throughout the company and in all markets where we operate. And in order to work successfully at Kinnarps, you need to be imbued with its culture - warm Swedish.
- From the very beginning, your company organized its own production. How is it built today?
- Today we have several factories in Sweden and Germany, and this is a very high production capacity and about one and a half thousand jobs. In addition, we are a multi-brand company, under the Kinnarps holding our companies are merged: Kinnarps with the products of the Kinnarps, Drabert, Martin Stoll brands and the Materia Group with the brands - Materia, Skandiform, NC Nordic Care. We strictly monitor the quality of our products. The merger with German partners and the exchange of experience in this regard helped us a lot, and the buyout of factories in Germany made it possible to almost double production volumes. Over the past 15 years, there has not been such a case that we refused any order due to overloading of production. The secret is that we have a very flexible product line. Depending on the needs and the amount of work, the power can be reduced or increased. In addition to manufacturing itself, our company also assembles furniture. Unlike our competitors, we deliver and assemble our furniture without leaving any packaging behind. Products are delivered wrapped in blankets made from recycled materials and are eco-friendly. And this also shows our concern for the client.
What product range does the company offer today?
- The assortment is huge, but the main thing is that we do not offer the client a separate table, armchair or other piece of office furniture, we offer ready-made solutions for any zone - be it a manager's office, an ordinary employee's space or a recreation area for all employees. We strive to create such conditions for a person to feel equally comfortable in any part of the office. And we can provide all his requests.
What criteria are decisive for your company's products?
- In short, it is ecology, ergonomics and design. First of all, we care about environmental friendliness, not only of production, but also of products. We provide guarantees of sustainable development, saving resources and minimizing the impact on the environment. Ergonomics of furniture is no less important, since we are not indifferent to human health, it is important for us how he feels together with Kinnarps products. As far as the design is concerned, it is definitely Swedish - minimalistic, functional and reasonable, however, we also offer products with European designs. We work with both world-renowned designers and our in-house staff. We always listen to our customers and market needs when it comes to new product development and design.
What materials do you prefer?
- The materials are very different - metal, plastic, wood, fabrics, leather. Much attention is paid to the economical use of materials. So, we have a practice of recycling used materials and production waste. Plastic packaging and fabric trimmings are pressed into acoustic floor and wall partitions. Wood shavings and sawdust, which remain, for example, after grinding the cut edges of the chipboard sheet, are also pressed and briquetted, and the resulting briquettes are enough to completely heat the factory. It should be added here that even the proportions of furniture largely depend on the indicator of the efficiency of using materials.
What, in your opinion, should be a modern office space? How does Kinnarps influence (and does) influence the formation of new trends?
- Our influence on the formation of new trends is a response to the needs of a modern person. We simply embody his ideas about how and in what conditions one should work. The very concept of an office is becoming more and more blurred today. Many people refuse to work in offices altogether and just sit in cafes with a laptop all day. They can also meet with friends and clients there, have a cup of coffee while staying online and continuing to carry out their duties. The workplace in the usual sense is no longer so relevant today, and the concept of the workspace has completely changed. You can work while sitting on the couch or relaxing on the beach. And we, responding to the request of a modern person, create exactly the environment in which he wants to work. We have no task to put a chair and a table in the office. Maybe a table in this particular situation is not needed at all. Our company has long since moved away from the traditional strict office structure, where desks are placed one behind the other, and employees sit in a certain order, constantly experiencing feelings of discomfort and tension. Kinnarps is trying to create an office of the future in which a person would feel as free as possible. For example, in our offices, an employee is not necessarily tied to his workplace, he or she can sit at any table, in any corner, easily connect to the network and start working. In this case, all office spaces are used.
Over the long years of its existence, your company has implemented a huge variety of projects. Tell us about the most interesting and memorable ones
- I am especially proud of those projects that are implemented remotely. We have representative offices almost all over the world - in Europe, USA, Latin America, Australia and, in particular, in Russia. The fact that projects so far from the head office of the company are being implemented in compliance with all Kinnarps standards, at the same high level and within the same timeframe, speaks of how well everything is organized in our country. We always know how to listen to the client and satisfy his needs. Our project goes through all stages - from the first meeting with the client, development of the concept, and to manufacturing, delivery, assembly on site and maintenance. And we are also pleased with the new office together with the client. It is an integrated approach that includes a full range of services.
If we talk about the most memorable projects, then, of course, it is difficult to single out one. In each office, we put maximum care for the end user - no matter whether we are talking about a tiny room for several employees or the headquarters of a major international organization. We have worked on several large-scale office projects for Hewlett-Packard, and have created interesting solutions for leading Swedish organizations. Today Russia also has an impressive base of successful projects.
- You mentioned an integrated service approach. What are its advantages?
- Clients, as a rule, want to work with a permanent partner, if he suits them in everything. This gives them certain guarantees and confidence in the quality of the final product. I have already said that we do not only supply furniture, we offer a specific and comprehensive solution. And this is not just a competent organization of the work space, the creation of a complex and interconnected system, we teach a person to work and live correctly inside the office, we form values together with the client. It is beneficial for us to make people feel comfortable, so we pay special attention to this aspect and spare no effort, time or money.
How does the company plan to develop in the future?
- We want to grow, it becomes even stronger, more professional, more reliable. We have always gone to this, have always improved and worked on ourselves. This is what allowed us to become the first in Europe. I hope that in the future we will achieve leading positions not only in Europe, but also in the world.
