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Events

Date Title Category Image
1914

Bent Steel and Resistance Welding Demonstrated

A demonstration of the combination of bending steel at a right angle and resistance welding in both the Victor wastebasket and a series of file cabinets. The combination enables file cabinet drawers to...

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Products
1915

First Desk Sale

Our product line offerings in 1915 are safe deposit vault equipment, lockers, strong boxes, steel shelving, and wastebaskets.  However, this doesn't stop Metal Office Furniture Co. from submitting a bid...

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Products
1918

U-Channel Invention

Peter M. Wege discovers how to use U-channels to make sheet steel stronger, yet lighter, in weight.  Wege and Metal Office Furniture Company receive a patent for the a manufacturing process using U-channel...

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Products
1925

Architect-Designed Office Space

Dealer, E. A. Holscher hires an architect to produce more efficient layout at Missouri-Pacific Railroad offices, which reduces space utilized by 25 percent, and other orders follow.

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Industry
1932

“Century of Progress” Desk

The "Century of Progress" desk is designed for the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. It introduces the island base.

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Products
1934

Suspension File Patent

Metal Office Furniture Co. patents suspension file cabinets and introduces double-wall drawers for added ease and durability.

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Products
1939

Industry’s First Roll-Edge Desk – 7000 Series

Our 7000 Series desk is one of the industry’s first designed with a rolled edge of linoleum and stainless steel binding strip to protect the linoleum against damage from the impact of chairs. Our 7025...

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Products
1944

Retirement Benefits Offered

Metal Office Furniture Co. offers retirement benefits to employees. Only 250 such plans exist in the United States.

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Communities
1945

First with Standard and Interchangeable Parts

Metal Office Furniture Co. is the first furniture maker with a complete standardization and interchangeability of parts, allowing for more than 200 different arrangements of desks and tables.

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Products
1946

Multiple 15 Desk Introduced

Metal Office Furniture Co. introduces a postwar desk that has been in design since 1942. “Multiple 15” is designed on 15-inch dimensions, allowing for better space planning in open offices. By 1960...

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Products
1948

Dealer Office Planning Assistance Pioneered

Hunting-Roberts Co., the California distributor of Steelcase furniture, pioneers office planning, establishing a new area of dealer assistance that is soon followed by the entire industry.

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Industry
1953

Sunshine Styling Color an Industry First

Metal Office Furniture Co. expands the palette for metal office furniture with Sunshine Styling. The new colors, inspired by David D. Hunting’s trip to Arizona, are Desert Sage, Blond Tan, Mist Green,...

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Products
1954

First to Add Typewriter Auxiliary Unit

Metal Office Furniture Co. is the first to replace the standard box drawer for the typewriter with an auxiliary table or shelf. The 41-ATT and 41-TS auxiliary units attach to pedestal desk, and are designed...

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Products
1955

Jewel Tea Desk: A First

Steelcase creates the Jewel Tea Desk in a collaboration with Harper Richards and A. Epstein & Sons for the new Jewel Tea Building. It's the first straight-line, contemporary metal desk to have wood...

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Products
07/1961

Acrylic Paints Introduced

Steelcase begins to use acrylic paints on products, a first within the industry. A water-based paint, acrylic is more environmentally friendly than the oil-based paints previously used on our lines.

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Sustainability
06/19/1974

430 Chair Introduced

The Series 430 office chair, called "The chair that loves people," is introduced at NeoCon. It sets a new standard in office seating design through the use of comfort contouring, driven by the increasing...

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Products
1975

Paperflo® Introduced

Paperflo®, the industry’s first modular paper-handling system for use with systems furniture, is introduced. A key attribute is keeping work accessible. Timothy, a cartoon tiger, is one of many successful...

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Products
1976

Lighting Evaluation Laboratory Opens

The first Lighting Evaluation Laboratory is established by Steelcase in Grand Rapids to find ways to cut office energy costs.

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Sustainability
1977

Begin Testing Speech Privacy

The Acoustics Lab opens in Grand Rapids – making Steelcase the first to test speech privacy in simulated open office conditions.

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Industry
1978 - 1989

Opinion Surveys on Office Environments Conducted

Steelcase is first in the industry to commission opinion surveys on office environment issues. From 1978-1989, we commission five surveys to better understand and provide for the needs of the contemporary...

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Industry
1986

Sensor® Chair Introduced

The Sensor® chair is introduced at NeoCon. An ergonomic chair scaled in three sizes, Sensor is designed to sense and support the body’s movements. Developed in concert with West German designer Wolfgang...

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Products
2002

BlueSpace Developed

Steelcase partners with IBM to create BlueSpace, a "smart office" that combines advanced technology, architecture, and furniture. It was designed as a "prototype of the future."

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Products
2004

Steelcase is the Industry’s Patent Leader

During the past decade, Steelcase has secured more patents than any other company in the industry, with more than 1,400 domestic and international patents and design registrations.  The new (2010) Global...

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Industry new image to come end of March
2006

Steelcase International WorkL@b Opens in France

WorkL@b, the new Steelcase International Headquarters, opens in Strasbourg, France.  The facility is designed to foster innovation, support the international culture of the Company and improve employees'...

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Company
2009

Collaboration Solutions Introduced

Steelcase launches a set of collaborative solutions including: c:scape®, media:scape® (pictured), i2i®, and cobi®. These products are designed to help people connect more easily with each other and...

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Products
06/2010

EcoCradle Packaging

Steelcase begins using Ecovative Design's EcoCradle packaging, made with agricultural byproducts like seed hulls and mushroom roots, EcoCradle requires very little energy to produce and it provides the...

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Sustainability
03/02/2012

Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” 2012

Steelcase Inc. is recognized as one of Fortune magazine's 2012 "Most Admired Companies" in the Home Equipment, Furnishings industry sector. Our ranking is sixth overall in this sector, and is...

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Company
07/2013

Innovation Center Opens in Grand Rapids, MI

The Steelcase Innovation Center was created to foster behaviors of an innovation culture such as idea sharing and prototyping, and to leverage global talent. Steelcase researchers studied the process and...

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Company

1955

Available in the Archives

    If you are a Steelcase Employee addition information is available at FactFile. For more information contact archives@steelcase.com.

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