When your client dealer’s customer is a unit of the British Embassy and they absolutely must have their furniture installed by a certain date, you do what it takes to oblige them.

Environments Plus (EPI)—an FSN member serving Southern California—did just that in late May, surmounting construction delays and delivery obstacles and demonstrating the cost-saving value of their manpower and logistical resources, local experience and smoothly professional approach.

Project Overview

EPI had five days to deliver and install the furniture for the brand-new workplace of a British Embassy unit scheduled to occupy a floor in the same Century City high rise that houses the British Consulate General Los Angeles.

Herman Miller's Canvas Office Landscape line provided the building blocks for individual and team work areas and private offices to support a 50-person staff. EPI also installed Geiger products to furnish two conference rooms and products by Davis Seating in a lounge area for up to about a dozen people. All product was received at the Environments Plus warehouse and transferred to the project site using the company's trucks and delivery specialists.

Challenges

Construction delays were the #1 challenge, and the issues became clear on the first night at the job site. Despite assurances by the general contractor that they would be able to work unimpeded across the entire floor, the EPI team arrived to discover that only half of the floor was ready for furniture. Other trades were still working in the other half and the carpet was not down yet.

Due to the layout of the building, these conditions made it difficult to properly stage product. That, in turn, meant that a certain amount of double handling would be inevitable. To minimize the need for double handling and increase the odds for damage-free movement of product within the building, EPI committed the resources that would be needed to store the product on trucks back at the EPI yard until it could be redelivered.

At the same time, the manning plan was changed to further ensure on-time completion. Instead of conducting delivery and installation operations at the same time using the same team of people, EPI assigned two crews, one delivering and staging product at night, the other installing by day.

Another success factor was EPI's long experience doing projects in this building. Working smoothly with the building management's policy of very strict dock schedules requires a detailed plan worked out well in advance, with plenty of consideration given to elevator reservations. The EPI team proved adept at planning that anticipates the unexpected.

Feedback

Representatives from both the Herman Miller dealership and the embassy staff all said they were pleased that move-in would occur without delay due to EPI's ability to adapt to changes, delays and site conditions.

More About Environments Plus

You can learn more about EPI right here at the FSN website. For immediate inquiries, contact Mark Cordell.