Providing the official announcement of changes that have been developing over the second half of 2011, the president of Service West, Inc., Mark Vignoles, said today that the independent office furniture installation company will focus its resources on business opportunities in California, Australia and Asia for the foreseeable future. Vignoles is also the founder of the 30-year-old San Leandro-based specialist in furniture and architectural wall installation, office relocation and FF&E project logistics.

The announcement was intended in part to end speculation about the future of the recently closed Service West operations in the New York and Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas.

“The decisions to close New York and D.C. are final,” Vignoles said. “The clients whose projects we worked on in those markets were very supportive of Service West’s presence, and we deeply appreciate their business and their encouragement. But it’s essential to conserve our financial strength and continue investing in the people and material resources we need to operate effectively where Service West is in the best position to retain and gain market share when economic recovery truly does arrive.”

The continuing weakness of the US economy, the anticipated deep cuts in federal spending, and economic uncertainties in Europe and other regions of the world were cited as additional considerations in the decision to stop direct service to projects in Washington and New York.

Service West, with more than 325 field employees, will continue to deliver its complete service offering to commercial, governmental and institutional clients throughout California through branches in San Francisco, San Leandro, Sacramento and Los Angeles. Service West also serves clients throughout the US and in Europe and the Pacific through its GSA Schedule 48 contract for relocation and related services.

Expanding on the message of a Pacific Rim focus for the Service West business, Vignoles pointed to the opening of a branch in Singapore in the second half of 2011. Adding the Singapore operation makes a total of four full-service Service West branches in the Western Pacific region. The other Service West locations are Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

The management team at Service West Singapore (left to right): David Roche, warehouse and inventory manager, Andrew Fletcher, project manager, and Lee Phillips, branch manager.

The Sydney branch manager, Chris Orchard, spearheaded the Service West expansion to Singapore. Together with Mark Vignoles, Orchard researched the business opportunities and competitive environment. Orchard then developed the plan to incrementally establish Service West as a preferred brand of furniture installation and related services in the Singapore market.

“Singapore is one of the leading business hubs in Asia,” said Orchard. “We did our homework, we built the branch slowly and carefully and staffed very selectively, and now we’re starting to see some very positive results,” he said.

Within a matter of months, according to Orchard, Service West Singapore has completed major installation projects totaling more than 2500 workstations as well as numerous collaborative, meeting and public spaces. The branch keeps three delivery vehicles busy and is nearing capacity at its 3,000 cubic metre (106,000 cubic feet) storage and asset management facility.

Service West Singapore currently fields 10 installers per day and operates a 106,000 cubic foot furniture storage and asset management facility.

Lee Phillips, a veteran lead installer and later a senior account manager at the Sydney branch, directs the Singapore operation. The management team also includes Andrew Fletcher, a furniture project manager with 18 years of experience in the industry, and David Roche, a warehouse and inventory manager whose positions with Herman Miller and now Service West Sydney represent a total of 15 years of commercial furniture experience.

Commenting on the strategic importance of relationships with a number of leading Asian and global furniture manufacturers and dealers, Orchard said the relationships are “quite strong” and are anticipated to provide a basis for business growth in the relatively near term.

Phillips, the Singapore branch manager, said, “Building a field team from scratch has been a big effort and we’ve been fortunate to hire some very keen and enthusiastic team members. We now have a very good platform to expand our client base in Singapore and the region.”