Haworth - Customer Intimacy Through Partnering

Haworth is a manufacturer of office furniture products transforming into a workspace company in Holland Michigan that just celebrated it's 60th Anniversary. I recently toured Haworth's new corporate headquarters. The project won the 11th annual "Good Design is Good Business" international competition awards by BusinessWeek and Architectural Record magazines as well as local Deals of the Year Sustainability Award in Grand Rapids. The building truly amazes the eye and neither pictures nor the virtual Internet give it true justice. The tour, thanks to press contact Julie Smith at One Haworth Center, enabled me to stand in wonder at the front desk and view a sea of floors and workspace protected from a rainy afternoon in West Michigan. I felt sure the tour would show off their design capabilities and expertise in light of the new workspace but was surprised to find more than my initial thought.

Companies offer 3 core value propositions:

• Providing best product
• Providing best total cost
• Providing best total solution

The new One Hayworth Center showcases great products, no doubt. Hayworth's SAP project addresses operational efficiencies, as any conscious company must do in this tough market. Julie referenced more than once that many companies can no longer afford to "build the Taj Mahal" which shows sensitivity to current market realities. The story of customer focus goes beyond pricing strategy. Haworth illustrates total solution through the headquarter's showcase.

During the tour I peeked at CEO, Franco Bianchi's office. Mr. Bianchi ran the Italian operations and later came to the US and took the role of CEO in 2005. His transformational focus on partnerships with Architects, Designers and Developers reinforces Haworth's commitment to solutions. His office, which I peeked at during the tour, could be ripped out of the pages of Wallpaper Magazine, and reflects a European disposition and sensibility to materials and design.

The customer intimacy and partnership runs deeper than identifying with a core group of customers. Solving problems, a key aspect of total solutions, demands a deeper understanding of combination of customer needs, processes, experience, and value adding aspects of their business, day to day lives, and aspirations. I viewed wonderful products as part of the tour including materials and even exhibitions of product not manufactured by Haworth. Julie explained that Haworth is partnering with other companies to show materials that can be used in combination with their lines of products. We looked at countertops. We looked at wall surface materials. We looked at lighting options. We looked at a cork suit, believe it or not. We looked at temperature sensing material. We visited a material sample showcase by Material Connexion, a materials partner. Now visiting architects, designers and developers can explore more than just Haworth products, but how they can interact with other innovative materials at their disposal. Now that is partnering with partners to support customer group partners.

Identify unfulfilled aspects of your customers' needs and if not your competence, ask who can help you out?