Despite changes in the workplace and the way people work, most contract and office furniture manufacturers had a strong year in 2017, although there were some sales declines.

Overall, sales for the FDMC 300 group of companies grew 5.4 percent in 2017 over the previous year to $52.209 billion. 

This group of the 300 largest North American cabinet, millwork, furniture and fixture manufacturers recorded a sixth consecutive year of sales expansion in 2017.

A year earlier, sales for the FDMC 300 group of companies grew 5 percent in 2016 to $48.786 billion. (We adjusted the 2017 figure to $51.409 billion to make the comparison with the previous year, since there were some large additions and subtractions in the list of companies.)

The size of the North American office, education, and healthcare furniture market for the year 2016 and updated in late 2017, was estimated to be $18.42 billion by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association. According to market size estimates developed by HIS Markit, this includes $16.1 billion in sales in the United States, $1.64 billion in Canada, and $687 million in Mexico.

Largest contract companies

The largest manufacturers, listed here and ranked by sales, make up a big part of the overall market, larger than other related markets.

1. Steelcase Inc. Michigan-based company makes seating, lighting, storage, furniture systems, interior architectural products, technology and related products and services. Sales for fiscal 2017 were $3.032 billion. Sales were down 1 percent. Divisions include Coalesse, Turnstone, Steelcase Health, Details and Vectra.

2. Herman Miller Inc. The company makes contract/office furniture and related services, and residential furniture, including desks, office systems, office chairs, healthcare systems, manufacturing and laboratory systems, home office, occasional and education furniture. The company employs 7,600 and reported sales of $2.278 billion, higher in 2017. Plant locations are Atlanta, Georgia; Holland, Spring Lake and Zeeland, Michigan; Hildebran, North Carolina; Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Melksham, England; Dongguan and Ningbo, China; Bangalore, India; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

3. Haworth Inc. Based in Holland, Michigan, the company employs 7,000 and makes contract and office furniture; including systems furniture, office chairs and seating, desks, filing/storage, casegoods, tables (computer, conference, occasional, training, work), and upholstered guest chairs. Sales figure of $1.94 billion is for the 2016 fiscal year, reported in February 2017, and represented a 6.4 percent gain.

4. HNI Corp. Contract and office furniture manufacturer makes desks, credenzas, filing/storage, office systems, office chairs, bookcases, conference tables, home office furniture and glass walls. The company has 8,500 employees and reported sales of $1.66 billion in 2017. Ten manufacturing locations include Cedartown, Georgia; Mt. Pleasant and Muscatine, Iowa; and Wayland, New York.

5. Knoll Inc. Sales figure of $1.33 billion was reported for 2017 for the entire business. Company makes contract/office furniture, including office systems, office seating, desks, casegoods, file and storage cabinets, executive office furnishings, tables, lounge chairs, sofas, contract textiles, leathers and employs 4,000.

6. Global Furniture Group. Canadian company makes contract/office furniture, RTA furniture, office chairs, office seating, filing/storage, desks, office systems, conference tables, bookcases, sofas, upholstered chairs, swivels, meeting/training room furniture for hospitality, healthcare and education. There are many Canadian and U.S. locations. Sales of $1 billion is a general estimate.

7. Kimball International Inc. Company is based in Jasper, Indiana, and reported sales of $670 million in 2017. Sales increased over 2016. The company’s 3,015 employees make office and hospitality furniture and cabinet products in Borden, Jasper, Salem and Santa Claus, Indiana; Danville and Fordsville, Kentucky; and Martinsville, Virginia.

8. KI. Contract and institutional furniture company makes chairs, ergonomic seating, conference tables, filing/storage, university/classroom furniture, auditorium seating, wall systems, adjustable work surfaces and healthcare furniture. Divisions include KI Europe, Pallas, Spacesaver, Middle East, AFP and Sebel. The Green Bay, Wisconsin, company has 3,000 employees. Sales of $650 million is our estimate.

9. Teknion Corp. Contract and office furniture manufacturer produces office chairs, office seating, filing/storage, desks, office systems, conference tables, bookcases, love seats, sofas, upholstered chairs and architectural wall systems. Plant locations include Calgary, Alberta; Concord, Markham and Toronto, Ontario; Montmagny, St. Vallier and St. Romuald, Quebec; Clayton, North Carolina; and Malaysia. Annual sales of $500 million is our estimate. Company employs 3,400.

10. OFS Brands Inc. Company makes desks, filing/storage, open plan, conference tables, office chairs, office seating; healthcare, education and hospitality furniture. Sales were $330 million in 2017. Company employed 1,700 and had manufacturing plants in Huntingburg, Indiana; Huntington Beach, California; Leitchfield, Kentucky; and Archdale, North Carolina.

11. Virco Mfg. Corp. Torrance, California, company makes contract and office furniture, including educational furniture, table and desk systems, office seating, conference and training furniture, lightweight folding tables and upholstered chairs. Sales of $173.4 million reported for 2017.

12. AIS (Affordable Interior Systems). We visited the company in its new consolidated plant in August, seeing a new contour edgebander and their lean manufacturing layout. The company makes contract/office furniture, including cubicles, filing/storage, office systems and seating. The company has 500 employees with annual sales of $170 million.

13. Jasper Group. The company makes contract/office furniture, including office chairs, filing/storage, desks, conference tables, bookcases, love seats, sofas, upholstered chairs, institutional and hospitality solid wood chairs and tables, and casegoods. Sales were $152 million in 2017. The company bought a former HNI Paoli, Indiana, plant in early 2018.

14. Kewaunee Scientific Corp. Sales of $138.5 million were reported. The company makes laboratory furniture, technical work stations, healthcare, fume hoods and millwork in Statesville, North Carolina.

15. Groupe Lacasse. Based in Saint-Pie, Quebec, company makes contract/office furniture and RTA furniture, including desks, filing/storage, office systems, office chairs, occasional furniture, upholstered chairs, custom furniture, commercial cabinets, seating, files, healthcare, educational furniture and employs 525.

For more information onf the FDMC 300, see https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/fdmc-300.