Redesign of a 1,500 square meters office at SMC Pneumatik AG

When SMC Pneumatik AG in Weisslingen had its offices redesigned, it immediately transformed the company’s communication culture too.

Previously, a long, narrow corridor provided access to the individual offices. The open-plan office was cluttered and filled with tall items of furniture, dividing walls and plants. Moreover, individual team members sometimes sat a long way apart, which made internal communication more difficult. The offices in SMC Pneumatik AG’s 90s-era building in Weisslingen in the Canton of Zurich urgently needed a redesign. “We wanted to create a motivating working environment that fostered communication between the departments,” according to Edy Brüschweiler, finance and admin manager. The company, with a total workforce of 120, wanted an office with an open, airy atmosphere. In addition, it wanted to replace the ageing office furniture with products such as modern height-adjustable desks.

Working closely with the customer under the direction of Total Office Management, a new design concept was developed for the 1,500 square meters space. The individual and group offices were opened up so that the entire area on the top floor of the company building could be restructured. The result was a multizone concept with 80 workstations and individual offices for members of the management team. A desk sharing system with 16 workstations was created for the 55 field sales staff. There are also spaces for focused work, a project zone, “work lounges” where two to four people can hold meetings, a multifunctional space, an open atrium for small events and meetings and a cafeteria that provides a central place for staff to sit and chat during breaks and lunch. The field sales team now also have personal LO Lockers. The planners used a refreshing, motivating colour scheme in green and yellow.

How has the company found the redesigned office? “The changes in our offices have had an impact on the entire company culture,” Edy Brühschweiler is delighted to report. In the past, people didn’t feel they could spontaneously pop into someone’s individual office, but according to him this inhibition has now disappeared. He also says that the open-plan office design has had a positive effect on internal communication, and praises Total Office Management (TOM) as a creative, reliable and punctual partner. TOM was responsible for the entire redesign process, from initial idea to handover.

Internal communication and the working atmosphere in the 1,500 square meters office have improved noticeably due to the following furnishing systems.