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Category: Millennium Storage and Interiors (page 17 of 17)

Are Robots About To Replace Humans In The Warehouse

It’s the stuff of nightmares for your average warehouse worker to think that robots might eventually replace them.

After all, robots don’t get ill, they don’t need to be trained in health and safety and they can just keep on working around the clock when us humans are spending 8 hours recharging our batteries every 24 hours.

Amazon which is one of the world’s biggest employers of warehouse staff held a competition recently to find out if robots really could do the work of its 50,000 US warehouse staff. Robots were put to the test packing anything from toasters to thin paperbacks.

Unfortunately while robots hold advantages over human workers, the competition proved that robots are still no match for humans when it comes to using a bit of initiative. Warehouse picking and packing is a much more intellectually demanding job than most people think and the robots involved soon showed that they were nowhere near up to the task.

The robots were not only slow and cumbersome compared to human workers, they also failed to identify objects as well as humans. Ironically for a company that began life distributing books, the robots had more trouble with paperback books than anything else.

Trends Influencing Office Design In 2015

May 4, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Workforces are becoming more mobile, the production process is speeding up and the demand for employees to think creatively to help companies survive has never been greater. To keep pace in all these areas requires thinking about the latest trends in office design.

The talent pool is shrinking
Demand for talent in some business sectors may reach crisis point in the years to come as the current generation reaches retirement. IT, sales and marketing and management are set to face the biggest skills shortage and people working in these areas will expect to work in environments that satisfy their needs. Collaborative office design will be a key area to focus on to create the kind of company top talent will be happy to work for.

Employee motivation
Keeping employees motivated not only helps staff retention it can also boost a company’s bottom line by 20% according to some studies. Negativity and hostility meanwhile only spreads to other members of staff threatening the business in some cases. The answer is to design the office as a communication tool that helps broadcast the goals of the company and the achievements of the team.

Remote working requires different thinking about the way offices are used
Working from home was virtually unheard of 20 years ago. Now more and more office workers are feeling the benefits of working from home. However this is never a permanent solution when team collaboration remains important. This requires flexible work spaces and areas of the office being designed to make room for technology and business processes to work even when staff are not present.
The one thing you can rely on in 2015 is that the top people will be more choosy about where they decide to work. A booming economy is set to make this the case for the foreseeable future.

5 Advantages of a suspended Ceiling

March 16, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Adding a suspended ceiling to your office space is a simple and cost-effective solution to a number of common workspace issues. Suspended ceilings can;

1. Reduce noise levels – installing a suspended ceiling in your office can facilitate office acoustics. They absorb sound levels so that surrounding rooms will not be affected as much by noise from individual offices.
2. Assist in humid rooms such as kitchens and toilets to avoid mould build-up
3. Help to meet Fire-safety standards. Suspended Ceilings provided by Millennium Si are fire-retardant and meet the required industry standards.
4. Reduce your Carbon Footprint – Suspended Ceilings can help to lower fuel bills by providing extra insulation and by also brightening up rooms so that less lighting is required.
5. Add style and texture to your workplace – Suspended Ceilings come in a variety of colours and finishes so they can really add to the design and look of your office space.

Of course this list is not exhaustive and suspended ceilings can provide a lot more advantages as an addition to your office. For a full consultation please call one of our offices. Millennium Si are based in Manchester but we have offices all over the country. Just choose the one most convenient to you and call the corresponding number below;

London – 0203 4780 993
Birmingham – 0121 450 9162
Manchester – 0161 300 6737
Glasgow – 0141 250 7354

Interior Design for your Office

March 5, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Designing your office space is an important and often overlooked task. The layout, acoustics and design of your office can have a profound effect on productivity, motivation and workplace atmosphere.

That is why it is so important to get it right and hiring a professional office interiors service can be so advantageous. Any professional, experienced interior design and storage solution company will take all of the following factors into consideration when designing your office space;

1. Design vs Fit – we appreciate that you may want an amazing looking workspace, something inspiring and unique to impress your clients. But don’t forget that the space needs to be practical and work with your everyday business, not impact upon it negatively. That is why it is so important to get the perfect balance. Taking a full brief that takes into account your need for communal spaces, creative spaces and workstations is a vital part of the whole design process.
2. Light it up! – Remember the days of strip-lighting that flickered and buzzed constantly driving you to distraction? Can you imagine the negative impact that sort of artificial lighting can have on your productivity? Pay special attention to how your office space is illuminated, ensuring that you get as much natural light as possible into your office. If this isn’t possible, our office interior specialists will always find the best possible lighting solution for your office space.
3. Inspiration – white walls, uniform desks and cluttered workspaces can suck the productivity out of any office. Consider brightening things up by adding colour. Or maybe just creating communal spaces for people to talk and interact in a less formal setting will inspire creative thinking and positive outcomes.
4. Air-flow – give a lot of consideration to the fresh ait flow in your office space. Air conditioning is great if used properly, but don’t forget those people who are sat directly underneath the ducts, or those stuck in hot corners. Adjust your air conditioning according to the seasons and the layout of your office.
5. Outside in! – You would be amazed at how much difference a few plants can make to any office. Low-maintenance, leafy green plants can help to cleanse the air and raise spirits in an otherwise industrial workspace.

This list is by no means exhaustive. Office design is a specialist service that requires a lot of different input and careful planning. It should not be taken lightly, but neither should it cause unnecessary stress.

Millennium Si provide the perfect Interior Solution service that will fit requirements, tastes, brands and budgets. Call us today on 01942 603 344 for a quote.

How To Plan Office Partitioning

February 21, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Business operations are getting increasingly smaller as computers remove most of the administration department which once dealt with data inputting and other menial tasks.

With the number of staff needed by companies, the need for large office spaces is steadily shrinking. This leaves a problem for large commercial property owners who are left trying to hunt around for tenants willing to rent and pay the high fees that go along with it.

The solution to this problem is often partitioning the space to accommodate smaller businesses who will find smaller units more affordable.

That said planning to partition an office may not be easy. You will need to ensure that the partitionsare being put in the right place and that create environments people will want to work in. Not only will this mean considering the amount of natural light and access points but also levels of ambient noise.

To ensure that your office partitions are installed in correctly ensure that each space has a window where possible. If the office doesn’t include carpets then it may be a good idea to fit them and add soft furnishings where possible to help absorb noise. There are various materials to choose from in your partitioning, but it is probably worth choosing those that absorb noise rather than going for cheaper options. It is worth paying the extra in the long term to make sure your business tenants are happy.

What Does Your Office Design Say About Your Company?

February 20, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

The way an office is presented can say a lot about a business which is why keeping the space clean and tidy is a must if you expect to be welcoming new clients.

Businesses can spend large amounts of money developing a corporate image only to have it brought down by a poorly presented office that creates the wrong impression.

To avoid this it is important to pay attention to how much your current office reflects the corporate identity you are trying to create. Paying attention to this important area can even help you impress and win more clients.

How you present your office will be unique to your company. The needs of a tech or digital company will be different from those of a more formal public sector office. The former will probably be aiming for a more relaxed environment rather than one that is too corporate.

Clients will expect a digital company office to be as contemporary as the websites it creates. A public sector office meanwhile might wish to project a more formal image to show that public money isn’t being spent on expensive colourful furniture! If you are set to be welcoming clients into your office soon, then remember to use those first few minutes to create a good impression of your company because those first impressions last.

Google Creates Offices Inspired By Nature

January 17, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

Office furniture may not be high on the agenda for whoever is responsible at Google for creating workspaces for happy productive employees but wallpaper and light is according to recent news released by the search giant.

If you walk around a Google office today, you will find the usual coders and play areas but you might also notice light meters hanging from their necks as they go about their daily work. This is because the environmental team at Google thinks that natural light is a very important part of keeping the workforce happy and more importantly for this ambitious firm – productive.

Google is one of the more famous companies experimenting with biophilic design or the subtle changes that can make an office space seem more natural. Having a more natural space to work in while you sit at your office desk is said to better for you psychologically because it helps to reduce stress.

With this in mind Google has added extra skylights, and even solar tubes in its conference rooms to brighten things up. Employees of Google are reported to be more deeply focused on their work and more creative as well as productive.

What Makes Employees Happy With Their Office Interior Design?

January 15, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

It is often the case that office design is firmly at the back of employers’ minds. A desk, chair and acomputer are provided and that is often it.

What surrounds workers are often bare walls, blinds placed across windows to hide the sun and a ban on music just in case it doesn’t suit the tastes of the majority.

Studies have found that far from keeping workers focused, bare quiet offices are likely to result in reduced productivity and a moody workforce. So when it comes to office interior design it may be wise to at least consult workers on how they want the place where they spend most of their waking lives to look.

The new buzzword in office design is ‘biophilic’ design or the architecture of life. In other words workers want to see more of nature so that they can feel at home.

The survey of 3,600 office workers by Human Spaces found that the five things staff most wanted in their office interior design were Natural light (42%) Quiet work spaces (22%) A view of the sea (20%) Live indoor plants (18%) Bright and natural colours (15%).

So letting in natural light should be the number one priority followed by peace and quiet as anyone who has the misfortune to work next to a noisy co-worker will testify. A view of the sea may be a little tricky to achieve for most business owners but a potential solution is artwork or bringing focusing office interior design on more natural shapes and colours.

Millenium Shard

July 21, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Londontown. The Big Smoke. The Swinging City. Whatever you call it, London has been one of the most populated cities for thousands of years, and it continues to grow in population. So what do you do with all people flocking to the capital? You build upwards. And one of the most beautiful examples of stacking people on top of each other is The Shard. It was explicitly designed as a building of multiple uses. Essentially, it’s a vertical city where people live, work and play. The building boasts offices, restaurants, the Shangri-La Hotel, residences and the UK’s highest viewing gallery.

Inspiring office environments mean happy, productive employees and the offices at The Shard provide an incredible view of the capital, along with state of the art planning that makes the most of every inch of space available. Other facts about The Shard:

• The Shard is 309.6 metres, or 1,016 feet, high.
• It is 95 storeys tall, with level 72 the highest habitable floor.
• The building has 44 lifts, some of which are double-decker!
• Its exterior is covered by 11,000 glass panels – equivalent in area to eight football pitches.
• The length of wiring in the building would stretch from London to Paris.
• 1,450 workers from 60 countries built The Shard.
• Lifts travel at speeds of up to 6 metres a second.

Remarkably, a fox was found on the 72nd floor towards the end of construction. Nicknamed Romeo by staff, is believed to have survived on food left by construction workers.

Of course, not everyone can work in a building like The Shard. But you can make the most of your current workplace with the help of professional planners. Millenium SI are experts at recommending affordable solutions that are ideal for your office. Why not call us for a free consultation on 01942 603344.

Britain Certainly has Some of the Most Beautiful Architecture in Europe

June 1, 2014 / admin / 0 Comments

Britain certainly has some of the most beautiful architecture in Europe, if not the world. What people outside of the UK might not know if the story of The Great Fire of London in 1666. Starting in a small bakery on Pudding Lane, it quickly spread throughout the city and virtually gutted all of the homes and businesses that had been built in medieval times, leaving piles of smouldering rubbish for weeks after the disaster.

But like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, London rebuilt itself with some truly remarkable structures thanks to the vision of geniuses like Sir Christopher Wren. Churches, museums, royal dwelling and office buildings were built on a grand scale. Many of these buildings exist today, although they have been repurposed for use as the headquarters for some of the most prestigious businesses in the UK.

Any modern office building requires an extensive network of wiring for phones, internet, electric and fire extinguishers but nothing detracts from the beauty of the original features of an exquisite building like a tangle of wires hanging about. Of course, there are also safety issues involved with making sure all this wiring is up to code and do not pose a danger to the inhabitants.

A suspended ceiling is a secondary ceiling that is used in most industrial and commercial buildings. The most common secondary ceiling is the rectangular tiles that snap together to create a lattice pattern. However, there are a number of different designs and materials that can be installed to reflect the aesthetic feel of each individual office. A secondary benefit to secondary ceilings is it can help absorb noise, particularly in cavernous large offices with wooden flooring where sound waves can bounce around the walls like a ball in a game of squash.

Contact Millennium Storage and Interiors today on 01942 603344 and find out what suspended ceiling can do for your premises.