The HON Company and Sherwin-Williams Offer New Design-Forward Color Program

Contract furniture designer and manufacturer The HON Company has put a colorful new spin on its metal product lines through a partnership with Sherwin-Williams. By teaming up with one of the biggest names in color, HON is working with Sherwin-Williams to offer a high tech color matching system on all metal casegoods and desk products. Through the new ColorCorrect program, designers and end users have the option to chose from 42 fashion forward, industry standard colors or specify any custom matched color they choose.

“Through this exciting partnership we now can match any color you like from wall paint to artwork, or even your favorite sweater,” said Fred Colony, vice president of metal casegoods. “If you want one unit in a custom color, or 100 units, we can create your customized paint color for any quantity.”

The ColorCorrect program offers three different levels—an expanded offering of HON’s core colors, the choice of industry standards, and custom colors for an array of design options. The precisely matched customized color will be applied using Sherwin-Williams’ durable PermaClad coating, which provides color, a tough mar-resistant finish, and high gloss.

“It’s the perfect partnership,” says Andy Maguire, vice president of marketing at Sherwin- Williams chemical coatings division. “HON is the expert in furniture. We are experts in paint color. We’re bringing them the color ingredients for their high quality products. It’s attractive to designers and architects, who like the latitude to pick from a wide range of colors for commercial interiors.”

“We do most of the tinting at our plants so we don’t have long lead times for custom matches,” Colony says. “And, if we can’t make it at the plant, there’s always a Sherwin-Williams store nearby to support us to ensure we stay on top of our standard lead times.”

What’s more, the two companies also share a sense of environmental responsibility. For years, Sherwin- Williams has produced coatings with low volatile organic compounds (VOC) to help reduce emissions. For more than 60 years HON has implemented sustainable practices to improve indoor air quality. For example, in 2006, HON became the first furniture manufacturer to have products certified in the Indoor Advantage™ program by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). HON’s manufactured storage products have achieved the highest level of certification—Indoor Advantage Gold—meeting the most stringent standards for furniture emissions in the United States.

The HON Company’s waste reduction efforts include recycling paint. In 2007, the company recycled more than 50,000 gallons of paint at its various manufacturing locations nationwide.