Steelcase and Lab Crafters Announce Strategic Business Alliance

Steelcase recently announced that it has negotiated a strategic business alliance agreement with Lab Crafters Inc., a 30 year old company located in Ronkonkoma, NY, that manufactures a portfolio of product solutions developed for laboratory environments. Lab Crafters designs and manufactures fume hoods, casegoods, and other integrated laboratory solutions. The alliance will provide Steelcase new capabilities to meet customers’ needs for product solutions in a wide range of laboratory settings.

For a number of years, Steelcase has created laboratory solutions, including its lab bench product. The foundation of lab bench is a structural module that can be combined into benches of almost any length and configuration. Unlike more traditional casework products, the entire system is flexible. Since lab bench components are easily adjustable, they can adapt to the changing needs of different workers, changing projects, and changing equipment to help accelerate a facilities change process. Utilities like power, data, vacuum, and water are easily routed through this infrastructure, and two people can move, disconnect, and connect the benches to be configured in many combinations or directions, using minimal hand tools.

Lab bench was initially designed to serve the bioscience market, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and other health care markets. The product can also be applied to a variety of higher education scenarios as well as the food and electronics industries.

“Laboratory Solutions is a fast growing division of Steelcase, and Lab Crafters is a valued partner who can significantly enhance our capabilities,” said Dean Witting, general manager of Steelcase Laboratory Solutions. “This alliance will advance our momentum in the marketplace by integrating Lab Crafters’ fume hood technologies and extensive industry expertise with our marketing, distribution, and research based product development approach.”

“This alliance blends innovation, marketing, and distribution expertise with similar corporate cultures and values. Like Steelcase, Lab Crafters is committed to producing leading edge products and solution based applications. And both companies share a dedication to problem solving through sustainability and environmental responsibility,” said Bob DeLuca, senior president and CEO of Lab Crafters. “This alliance will allow both companies to provide a richer
offering of products intended to help laboratory workers be more effective.”

Effective immediately, Steelcase and Lab Crafters will distribute a full range of products throughout North America, including Canada and Mexico.