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Is $575 chair too expensive for civil servants?
By Ng Wan Ching
A CHAIR is not as simple as it looks. Take the Herman Miller chairs, renowned for their ergonomic design.
Photos: A $1,200 ergonomic chair for $575
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan ordered these chairs as well as office systems when he was chief executive officer at the National University Hospital (NUH) some 25 years ago.
Replying to The New Paper's questions on the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) decision to buy 472 Herman Miller Celle chairs for its staff, Mr Khaw said that one has to look at the lifetime cost of the chairs to see if they are worth it or not.
Quality
Each of the chairs cost MOM $575.
Mr Khaw said you can buy cheaper chairs, but if you have to replace the chairs every eight years or so, then the cheaper chair's lifetime cost would not be as cost-effective as the more expensive one.
Mr Khaw was speaking to The New Paper at a specially arranged lunchtime interview touching on broad-ranging subjects.
The subject of the chairs came up incidentally and he said: "I used to sit in a Herman Miller chair when I was at NUH."
He said he was impressed by the chairs as he was given a very old Herman Miller chair to judge its quality instead of a brand new one.
"They shipped in a chair that had been in use for more than 20 years to show us that after so long, it is still in very good condition," he said.
He added that, like MOM, he also managed to get a very good deal from the supplier.
"I believe Neptune Orient Lines was their first customer here and we were either their second or third customer," he said.
He said he ordered about 150 office sets and chairs back then.
"I think the chairs might still be there (NUH)," he said.
Meanwhile, Xtra Designs, which won the tender to supply the chairs to MOM, and is the sole authorised dealer for Herman Miller here, received several enquiries yesterday.
Its managing director, Mr Lim Choon Hong, said a number of people had called or e-mailed to ask if they could order one or two or even 10 chairs at the same price of $575 each.
The Celle chairs retail at $1,200 each.
"I am having difficulty trying to manage people's perception of the chair and their expectations," he told The New Paper.
He said that the price quoted for MOM is a special one as it is a bulk purchase.
"For bulk purchases, we are prepared to sell it at a lower margin. It's possible that for a project like this, the discount can be even higher because it is shipped here in bulk and we can save on shipping costs," said Mr Lim.
For those in the know, $575 for a Celle chair is a steal.
But it is not possible to retail these chairs for that price, said Mr Lim. However, some people feel the Herman Miller chairs are too extravagant for civil servants.
A Facebook page had been set up to discuss MOM's purchase of the chairs.
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By Ng Wan Ching
A CHAIR is not as simple as it looks. Take the Herman Miller chairs, renowned for their ergonomic design.
Photos: A $1,200 ergonomic chair for $575
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan ordered these chairs as well as office systems when he was chief executive officer at the National University Hospital (NUH) some 25 years ago.
Replying to The New Paper's questions on the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) decision to buy 472 Herman Miller Celle chairs for its staff, Mr Khaw said that one has to look at the lifetime cost of the chairs to see if they are worth it or not.
Quality
Each of the chairs cost MOM $575.
Mr Khaw said you can buy cheaper chairs, but if you have to replace the chairs every eight years or so, then the cheaper chair's lifetime cost would not be as cost-effective as the more expensive one.
Mr Khaw was speaking to The New Paper at a specially arranged lunchtime interview touching on broad-ranging subjects.
The subject of the chairs came up incidentally and he said: "I used to sit in a Herman Miller chair when I was at NUH."
He said he was impressed by the chairs as he was given a very old Herman Miller chair to judge its quality instead of a brand new one.
"They shipped in a chair that had been in use for more than 20 years to show us that after so long, it is still in very good condition," he said.
He added that, like MOM, he also managed to get a very good deal from the supplier.
"I believe Neptune Orient Lines was their first customer here and we were either their second or third customer," he said.
He said he ordered about 150 office sets and chairs back then.
"I think the chairs might still be there (NUH)," he said.
Meanwhile, Xtra Designs, which won the tender to supply the chairs to MOM, and is the sole authorised dealer for Herman Miller here, received several enquiries yesterday.
Its managing director, Mr Lim Choon Hong, said a number of people had called or e-mailed to ask if they could order one or two or even 10 chairs at the same price of $575 each.
The Celle chairs retail at $1,200 each.
"I am having difficulty trying to manage people's perception of the chair and their expectations," he told The New Paper.
He said that the price quoted for MOM is a special one as it is a bulk purchase.
"For bulk purchases, we are prepared to sell it at a lower margin. It's possible that for a project like this, the discount can be even higher because it is shipped here in bulk and we can save on shipping costs," said Mr Lim.
For those in the know, $575 for a Celle chair is a steal.
But it is not possible to retail these chairs for that price, said Mr Lim. However, some people feel the Herman Miller chairs are too extravagant for civil servants.
A Facebook page had been set up to discuss MOM's purchase of the chairs.
>> Next
Share141
1 2
