A personalised workstation with reusable features and functional properties.
Impossible?
Try Office Planner, which provides office furniture systems that are not only price competitive but can be easily tailored to suit the user's preference.
That is the value proposition of 'Happy Office by Itaca'.
Founders Gavin Woo and Katrina Tan say that a company is no longer just about how it looks but how it maximises its happiness quotient for its employees, and minimises materials to keep even the environment smiling.
The company has also clinched a high-profile deal.
Last year, it secured the distribution rights to market world-famous designer Philippe Starck's exclusive brand of xO furniture in the region - the first Asian firm to do so.
Europe is known for design talents, while Asia provides low-cost manufacturing. By integrating both, Office Planner aims to be competitive on price and quality competitive, its founders say.
They credit their business success to their prior experience in the furniture industry.
After graduating from Murdoch University in 1993, Mr Woo became a projective executive with local furniture firm - a job in which he learned a lot about office systems.
Ms Tan started her working life as a stewardess with Japan Airlines but left the industry in 1996 to join Corten Furniture as a marketing executive.
It was at Corten that the duo hatched the idea of starting Office Planner.
Together, they borrowed $500,000 to buy furniture manufacturing machinery from Europe and began production in a 15,000-sq ft factory at Sungei Kadut.
Chic on the cheap
Unfortunately, business sentiment was battered by the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, which led to a drop in demand for office furniture.
To keep going, Office Planner focused on promoting its products as low-cost but high quality. It then introduced a new line of office furniture called Mobilink, which features sleek design at competitive prices.
The range proved a hit in Singapore, Autstralia and Korea, resulting in new franchises overseas.
Today, Mobilink accounts for some 70 per cent of business, with 3,000 sets sold last year. As for Itaca, the company has sold more than 100 sets so far, and expects to move many more.
Mobilink is still more popular due to the relatively more traditional design. In contrast, Itaca caters to the young and trendy. Office Planner, which has about 70 staff, plans to start a franchise in Kuala Lumpur by year-end.
Revenue last year was almost $10 million - nearly 10 times the company's initial turnover. Clients include Cold Storage, GE Money, the Defence Science Technology Authority and Land Transport Authority.
Staying ahead
The founders see sales of Itaca surpassing those of Mobilink, which should drop to some 25 per cent in a few years. Revenue is forecast to hit $12 million to $15 million next year.
Despite the low-cost carrot of China, Officer Planner is not biting, saying 'there is value-add when the products are made in Singapore'. But if demand increases, it may consider setting up plants in China or Vietnam, says Mr Woo.
The company expects demand for office space to grow as certain government entities move out of prime districts, which 'should raise demand for new furniture in the months ahead'.
Geographically, Singapore accounts for 60 per cent of business but Mr Woo believes that orders from South Korea could surpass those from Singapore in three years.
'Currently, we have orders for 500 workstations from South Korea, with another 2,500 sets in the pipeline,' he says. Possible new markets include Vietnam and China.
A key challenge is to 'stay ahead in terms of design, which has a life span of about four to five years'. According to Mr Woo, customers expect new designs about every two years.
And they want products that are economical and environmentally friendly.
This is especially important in countries such as Australia, where strict regulations require production to be eco-friendly, he says.
This article was first published in The Business Times on 8 July 2008.
