TiCorp - Lely

Dutch agricultural engineering company Lely is ready for the future thanks to new workplaces by project designer TiCorp, equipped with Viewlite monitor arms by Dataflex.

‘Because the IT department of Lely specified a Dataflex product, I had to rely on a supplier that I really did not know. When the plans for the interior were developed, it soon became clear that Dataflex was a specialist in the area of ​​monitor arms and workplace ergonomics. Despite the significant time constraints of the project and the extraordinary demands of the architect and Lely, Dataflex provided a bespoke solution that meets all requirements.’
– Jaco Snip, director of TiCorp.

• Client: TiCorp bv - The Interior Corporation
• Market: Project furnishing
• End user: Lely
• Sector: Agrotechnology
• Number of employees: 2000
• Solution: Customised Viewlite monitor arms for 450 changeover workstations
• Key benefits for Lely:
• Attractive design
• Has the colour of the Lely interior
• Increases the comfort of the workplace
• Can be used by everyone due to adjustment options
• Expandable in the future
• Also supports laptops and tablets
• Quick to adjust
• Easy to install

Introduction

Lely founded in 1948, focuses on a sustainable, profitable and enjoyable future in the agricultural sector. It is the only company that offers a full range of products and services to this sector worldwide; ranging from forage harvesting to automated feeding systems, barn cleaners and milking robots.

Innovation is one of the core values embedded inside the DNA of the Dutch agro-technology company. A good example of this is that in January of 2014 Lely moved to its newly built business complex in Maassluis, which meets the highest standards of sustainability, BREAAM-NL five stars. None other than Queen Máxima of the Netherlands came over to officially give it a royal opening.

But Lely innovates not only on the outside; the introduction of the new complex has also ushered in the advent of a new form of working which Lely calls Work Smarter. This is a form of The New Way of Working, combined with principles of the so-called Lean methodology. It’s safe to say Lely also innovates underneath the bonnet.

‘For Lely, Work Smarter means a way for the staff to work together effectively and efficiently and to organize work in a flexible and creative manner’, says Alexander van der Lely, CEO of the Lely Group. It seems the company is now completely set up to add value for customers and its own staff.

Decision-making

‘It’s clear that the decision to switch to a new way of working wasn’t made overnight’, says Jaco Snip, project leader and director of TiCorp – The Interior Corporation, a company specialised in realising interior design concepts. ‘A renowned Dutch research agency first thoroughly examined if the Lely organisation could change to NWoW and a paperless office. This turned out to be the case. After that, Lely carefully weighed the risks and benefits and then decided to take the step.’

‘With this project, it first had to be seen whether or not Lely was going to make the switch to NWoW, because it would have far-reaching implications for the interior plan. After all, you must first know how areas are going to be utilised before you can furnish them. The time it took to make that decision was deducted from my time on the project. This resulted in considerable pressure to meet the new time constraints.’

Workplace design

To furnish the office work floor in accordance with NWoW, TiCorp supplied about 450 hot-desking workstations, consisting of height adjustable desks in various configurations. Some were also delivered with acoustic insulation panels. In addition, some areas were outfitted with standing desks, small meeting rooms and concentration spaces. All these workplaces were equipped with Viewlite monitor arms, so that everyone can work pleasantly, anywhere.

Snip: ‘When Lely decided to switch to its new way of working, the Viewlite monitor support system was specified by its own IT department. It is the only product on the market that met their needs so well. They wanted a monitor arm that was fully ergonomically adjustable and enabled them to continually innovate their workplace technology over the course of the next 15 years. Viewlite is easily expandable and also supports multiple screens, laptops and tablets.’

Modification

Because the project was under time pressure, there was little margin for surprises. Half a year remained to make the first plans for the interior, up to delivery on site – which would complete 10,500 square meters of office space.

At the end of the second month of the project, a jet black coloured floor mat was chosen because of the amount of natural light that enters the new office. This colour absorbs a lot of that light, which would create an environment that is more agreeable to the eyes. Then the architect wanted all moveable inventory to be the same colour as the floor in which it would stand.

Snip: ‘It followed that the desks also had to be jet black, including the accessories on it, and around it. When this became known I contacted Dataflex straightaway to see what was possible, because Viewlite only existed in a colour scheme of silver - white up to that point. After that Dataflex really went to work.’

Within two months Dataflex developed a new colour scheme of a matte and glossy black, in accordance with TiCorp and Lely. Consequently the entire QC procedure was rewritten and re-implemented to meet the most demanding quality requirements; the new colour scheme proved to be sensitive to the tiniest imperfections, unlike the the silver - white variant of Viewlite.

Completion

Snip: ‘Finally, TiCorp made a coordinated delivery where I fulfilled the role of a central agent towards Lely for Dataflex and other suppliers. That went very well and everything was delivered on time, partly thanks to Dataflex being able to quickly think on its feet and act accordingly. My experiences with Dataflex have been very positive.’

‘Dataflex has proven to be a flexible and down to earth supplier that engages with the client and end user as a fully contributing team player. For me, this project demonstrated to what extent “monitor arms”, next to chairs and desks, truly is a separate specialism within workplace ergonomics. I would be very confident in bringing Dataflex in on future projects, at the outset.’