DatesWeiser Defies Downturn, Introduces New xo Products

Economic slowdown? Recession worries? Western New York layoffs? Walk through the door at DatesWeiser Furniture Corporation, the Buffalo-based manufacturer of nationally renowned high-end office furniture, and it feels more like the good old days of the area’s boom times. More manufacturing space is being added, sophisticated new machines are coming on line, new employees are being hired, and the orders keep rolling in for xo, the company’s remarkably successful new line of office furniture systems.

"We know lots of companies in Buffalo are laying people off," says Jim Dates, DatesWeiser Vice President and co-founder, "but we just can’t get all the work done. We keep hiring more people every week."

Introduced last year, xo was an immediate hit with office interior designers and quickly captured two coveted medals at the prestigious NeoCon show in Chicago: a gold for best desk design and a silver for best overall furniture system. Since then DatesWeiser has hired 15 people, added 22,000 square feet to its facility, and installed more automated production systems. Gensler Worldwide, the high-profile firm that designed xo, received the Award of Merit for Interior Architecture for the design of DatesWeiser’s sleek New York showroom. The award was presented by the American Institute of Architects.

Then in March DatesWeiser struck gold again, winning an Acclaim Award for Best In Category in the International Interior Design Association competition in Los Angeles. The award was presented for the xo reception desk and was based on design innovation, use of technology, quality of materials, craftsmanship, and price in relation to product application.

Now the company is launching more new xo products--tech-integrated desks and conference tables and cool credenzas. Most of these new offerings will be available in a range of dimensions, in new designer colors like metallic blues and reds, and in exotic wood finishes like zebrawood and cat-claw acacia.

"These new products extend the xo line to the entire office for a completely integrated look," says Mr. Dates. "xo is such a flexible system that it gives designers a great deal of freedom in laying out an office. Both designers and customers love the simplicity of xo. It’s innovative and exciting and it has the high-end look of custom millwork without the price. That’s one reason we can’t make it fast enough."

That should be remedied soon. In addition to the new hires, DatesWeiser is bringing in state-of-the-art German machines to streamline the manufacturing process and boost productivity. A new all-conveyor system incorporating a pressure adhesion component will eliminate all carts and clamps from the shop floor and further modernize the look of the production areas. The company has also installed new information capabilities including a CAD system that generates proposals and renderings for clients, eliminating the time and expense of manual engineering.

"Once the client approves the drawings," says Mr. Dates, "the CAD system allows the drawings to be electronically sent right to the machining centers to produce the product. What you see is what you get. It’s a beautiful thing."

In the Tech Development Department, Scott Ohlson builds parametric models on the computer for both current and future products. He and his associates are creating a library of models that factors in machinery and labor hours, timelines, and costs for every job. Under the new DatesWeiser production system, a customer who places an order will talk to a member of the Customer Service team who will track the order all the way through the factory. Tech Development will produce color renderings with cost estimates for each custom project.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dates and his cadre of craftsman and associates keep shipping out beautiful furniture to high-profile clients across the country. Tables for the Library of the Performing Arts Department at Lincoln Center. Furniture for law firms in New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. For Sotheby’s headquarters in New York. For brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley in New York and the JP Morgan Chase headquarters in Minneapolis.

Under the leadership of company president Allan Weiser and sales manager Sherri Simko in New York, DatesWeiser continues to grow and expand its market on both coasts and the Midwest. Next year’s plans include expansion to Florida and other southern states. Back in Buffalo, Mr. Dates will make sure customers get exactly what they want through the smooth coordination of newly established customer service and project management teams. Coordinating both teams will be the job of the Director of Customer Satisfaction, also known as the internal customer.

"The internal customer is the most important," says Mr. Dates. "In fact, everybody you see in here is the most important. We treat these people like gold. We make sure they have all the tools they need, everything necessary to grow and prosper. Then the external customer satisfaction is automatic."

"Allan and I were both fortunate enough to work for a couple of outstanding bastards," Mr. Dates continues. "As a result, we’re very skeptical of management lording it over employees. We want to foster a feeling of team throughout the entire organization. We think that what we’ve been doing here intuitively lines up with some other companies out there that are really unbelievable. A lot of what I’ve been reading lately confirms that we’ve been on the right road. It also gives me a lot of insights on how we can fine tune what we’re doing. You treat people with dignity and respect and give them the tools to succeed. That’s not a real complicated thing to do, but once you’ve done it, you can produce anything. We happen to make furniture."

For more information on DatesWeiser Furniture Corporation, please contact Karen Dickstein at 212-353-1383 or KarenBDE@aol.com.

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