If your organization is in need of new workstation furniture, it is likely that you will get multiple bids. Prices can start at $500 for used cubicles, and range anywhere from $1000 to $7500 per station for new panel systems.

1. A Primer on New, Refurbished or Used Workstations in your Office Space
If your organization is in need of new workstation furniture, it is likely that you will get multiple bids. Prices can start at
$500 for used cubicles, and range anywhere from $1000 to $7500 per station for new panel systems. At any price, the
product can be a good value or not, depending on many factors. So how is a client, who is not an expert in the field,
supposed to know how to determine their own sweet spot, balancing durability, functionality and aesthetics? This
article will introduce some of the important elements to consider when choosing new workstations.
The first consideration will be whether to buy used, refurbished or new product. The right decision will be based on
your budget, your organization’s size and expected growth, and the image you want to project both internally and with
visitors. Start-ups and small firms are often driven by budget alone, so used appears to be the most viable option. In
the present (2009-2010) economic times, there is a lot of good quality, used product on the market to choose from. It
often isn’t as low priced as one might expect. There is a lot of labor involved with removing furniture from an existing
installation, it must be trucked and warehoused, and then at last it must be reshipped and installed in your facility.
Additionally, the original layout is most likely different than what fits your needs, so you will be paying for parts that you
won’t be getting, since the different layout means there will be unused product from the original lot that the dealer
bought to get the inventory. However, if an inventory fits your needs nicely, there are great deals to be had. Generally,
the best value in used product is for high-end product, as the resale value is not always proportionally higher than lower
end systems. Refurbished is also a mixed bag. There are all the costs of used furniture in terms of decommissioning,
trucking and storing it, but then on top there is a lot of labor involved in cleaning, repainting and reupholstering the
panels. New surfaces are commonly used, as they rarely look good after use and storage. So from a cost perspective,
new furniture can be competitive with refurbished.
Applied Ergonomics is a contract furniture dealership in the Chicago area and over the years we have learned something
very interesting that helps us better serve our clients. We work with all seven of the top tier smaller manufacturers of
panel systems in the market, and we can rarely accurately prejudge which one will best suit our client’s needs until we
have actually tried to design what they are asking for. Then we’ll compare how the systems came out functionally,
aesthetically and in price. Each system, and most manufacturers offer more than one system, has various strengths and
limitations that make it more or less efficient, or even possible, to design around the client’s or their designer’s goals.
Very few dealerships in the country have access to all of these lines. Most are aligned with one of the biggest
manufacturers and have obligations to that manufacturer. Others carry one or two so they get the biggest back-end
commissions on their volume. We have chosen to forego the back-end to be sure we are best serving our customers,
allowing us to win the vast majority of bids we work on. Please feel free to call us at 847-679-5148 or by e-mail at
jmeltzer@appliedergonomics.com. Visit our website at www.appliedergonomics.com. Whether you are working on an
office for 5, 500 or 5000, we are ready to serve as your best friend would, with trustworthy advice, competent, timely
service and an end product that will make you look great in your organization.