Located in the Greater Bay Area in southern China, the state-of-the-art Dongguan facilities demonstrate Herman Miller’s commitment to the things we believe in. At their 347,286-square-foot Pearl River Campus, they have an in-house R&D lab where they research the ideas, the know-how, and the tech that will drive the future of how they live and work.
And then there’s the powerful hardware. At the Dongguan factory, they have metal and fabric laser cutting machines, welding robots, ceramic process powder coating lines, traceless DC welding machines, CNC folding machines, and automatic coil cutting machines – all of which facilitate exquisite production and exceed the latest industry standards for health, safety, and sustainability. Their manufacturing process is fully aligned with ISO 9000 quality certification.
The office furniture industry has traditionally struggled with inefficiency and waste, largely because the majority of its products are uniquely built for each customer. In the 1990s, Herman Miller experienced an economic boom. That’s where a radical idea from an automotive parts supplier nearby came in by introducing them to the Toyota Production System and kicking off what they call the Herman Miller Performance System (HMPS). It’s a lean manufacturing system they have employed across the company to improve every aspect of what they do; from shaving time off the Aeron assembly process to thinking through creative solutions for customers as their workspace needs change. As a result, the Dongguan facility is able to work efficiently and effectively, producing as many as 1,000 chairs and 1,500 legs every single day.
They also cut down on workflow waste in the Dongguan factory where they send everything from wood and sawdust particles to leather and fabric to recycling agents who repurpose the materials into new elements. And, demonstrating their commitment to a sustainable environment for the staff, the community, and the planet are their environmental management systems – all of which are ISO14000 and OHSAS 18000-certified.