Space Utilization Project cuts cost-per-employee, netting CoreNet Global
Innovator's Award
Big savings from a small device and a big win. Industry giants Hewlett Packard (HP) and Herman Miller, Inc., combined talents to slash the cost of housing individual employees of the computer giant and today walked away with corporate real estate's biggest prize. The space utilization model, first rolled out in Melbourne, Australia, earned Herman Miller and HP the H. Bruce Russell Innovator's Award.
The model, which features sensors on desk chairs to detect human
presence, was honored today at the CoreNet Global Summit in Orlando
where the award winner was announced. Each year these awards recognize
excellence in sustainable leadership, economic development leadership
and corporate real estate workplace innovation.
The Herman Miller/HP team won top honors from a group of ten finalists
that presented their cases to a panel of judges at Harvard University on
August 7 and 8, 2008.
HP wanted an accurate picture beyond singular "bed checks," to determine
how effectively space at their Melbourne facility was being utilized and
if savings could be achieved by using less. Working with Herman Miller,
the computer maker attached tiny sensors, called motes, to the backs of
each desk chair in the office giving an accurate read of how frequently
an office was being occupied.
The study concluded that dedicated space was being utilized by HP
workers only 38% of the time, and less for meeting rooms. Working with
Herman Miller, HP re-configured the facility, used offices and common
rooms differently and now utilization averages around 50%, but at times
averages 90%. The company has been able to reduce its cost per employee
by 55%.
"HP and Herman Miller's partnership is proof that big ideas sometime
come in small packages and yield enormous results," said CEO Prentice
Knight of CoreNet Global. "We salute the two companies, and all the
nominees, for continuing to evolve the workplace and save on their
companies' bottom line," Knight added.
The H. Bruce Russell Innovator's Awards program, now in its ninth
consecutive year, showcases solutions, best practices, and innovations in
corporate real estate and workplace management. The program has resulted
in powerful, shared learning that demonstrates the best of what CoreNet
Global can offer its members.
The 2008 Global Innovator's Awards finalists also included:
UGL Equis, Gensler, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce sponsored the Innovator's Awards.
CoreNet Global members manage US $1.2 trillion in worldwide corporate
assets consisting of owned and leased office, industrial, and other
space. With 7,000 members representing large corporations around the
world, CoreNet Global operates in five global regions: Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America, including Canada. Visit www.corenetglobal.org
for more information.
SOURCE: CoreNet Global