by Rob Kirkbride
Innovant is well known for its highly technical desking and height adjustable table products. Its FORm_office is a standard for many of the top financial firms in New York and beyond…
With the understanding that not everyone needs such a high performance, highly technical product, Innovant is launching NIGEL, a new product line that features a modern, yet classic design that is still suitably sophisticated and simple to specify.
It has a lightweight appearance because of its slim frame and lack of hardware, giving it a residential feel. It certainly does not replace the company’s hit FORm_office line, rather enhances it by giving customers other options. NIGEL works well for customers seeking Innovant’s design methodology – clean, intelligent and tailored products – who do not have the high-level technology management needs.
Its design draws upon the Parsons Desk frame, with a quick assembly, knock-down design for easy transportation and rapid installation or reconfiguration. While FORm_office is a perfect fir for financial firms where a trader might have eight computer screens and a high need for technology integration, NIGEL is suited for technology, media, real estate and design firms. Customization comes through material selection or adapted storage and privacy accessories…
“There are many clients who come to Innovant who don’t need that horsepower [of FORm_office] under the hood,” said Bruce Wells, director of marketing and development. “They are looking for our sensitivity to design and want all the unique, client-driven features and detailing, but don’t necessarily need the level of engineering that comes with FORm_office.”
It is a similar approach to what car maker Tesla is doing – drawing in trendsetting and influential customers with its top -of-the-line model and offering models with less features later. Still, Wells insists that NIGEL is not a step down from Innovant’s commitment to quality. Instead, it is a different product for a different set of customer requirements…
NIGEL hopes to [further] open up Innovant products to a new category of customers… The company has quietly emerged from the New York financial market and has been gaining traction in other sectors… The company continues to branch out from there.
Originally published in the Monday Morning Quarterback, June 8, 2015.