Today we drove to Grand Rapids Michigan to visit Davidson Plyforms and Steelcase. It was an extremely interesting and informative field trip. Davidson Plyforms has long done the molded plywood work for Herman Miller’s classic line of Eames furniture (LCW, Lounge Chair and Ottoman). To be able to see stacks of components from these iconic pieces as well as watching them being produced was thrilling. We learned about all kinds of plywood techiniques, mold tooling, cnc cutting, etc.
Davidson Plyforms is also working with a proprietary process for converting plastics numbers 3 through 7, into raw material that can be thermally formed into components for all sorts of things, most notably seating (stadium seating, structural forms for seats and seat backs that get upholstered for office chairs). It almost seems too good to be true due to the fact that it can be recycled almost infinitely. Tests have shown that recycling this material 20+ times does not affects its integrity. It is a relief to see something viable being produced for the ‘other’ plastics that are typically not recycled but are sent to China and burned for energy. Speaking of which, the amount needed to mold this plastic into forms is a fraction of what it takes to produce a new plastic part. Nice.
Steelcase was also incredible. This was the first time that I had ever been inside a large manufacturing facility. It was massive! I was really blown away by the assembly line processes as well as all of the heavy equipment that produce all of the many parts that make up a Steelcase chair. Unlike Herman Miller, they have in-house designers. It must be great to be so close to the tools and processes that can be used to make furniture. Prototyping must be faster than it might be for an independent designer. How much greater a designer’s understanding of manufacturing capabilities must be when they are so close to the source!
Great, great trip!