Client projects: Volvo Trucks Poland

Inspiration by diversity

Volvo Trucks Polska is successfully revitalising its head office with Kinnarps furniture, equipment and solutions. The change is welcomed by the employees, the project is rewarded by the headquarters, and the group’s companies from other countries follow in the Polish branch’s footsteps.

The history of the new office of Volvo Trucks Polska starts with the relocation to the new facility located in Młochów near Warszawa, which combines the functions of an office and a service station for Volvo and Renault trucks. Currently, there are nearly 200 people employed there.

Beginnings of the revitalisation

Directly after the relocation, the entrance area was renovated and fitted with new equipment, ensuring clear navigation, the possibility of presenting marketing content and an area for contact with clients – both a managing director of a company who came on business and a driver intending to use the services of the station. The remaining areas were equipped with items from the previous location. The next wave of positive changes was introduced by the new Managing Director of the company, Małgorzata Kulis.

The decision was made that our office should reflect the fact that we are the leader on the market and a very innovative company, said Monika Ślęzak, General Services Manager at Volvo Trucks Polska. We were going to furnish the new office in accordance with the latest trends in interior design, equipment and ergonomics. Comfortable, friendly and modern surroundings were the priority.

More meetings

The changes were conducted in stages. We renovated the floors of the building one by one, reveals Izabela Sylwia Nowak, the architect designing the interiors for Volvo Trucks Polska. The new interior design includes significantly more areas for employee meetings, both those formal in conference rooms and informal ones in the open space. The social zone, which includes open kitchens, has been notably expanded.

We are changing our ways of thinking about work and cooperation. Traditional individual workstations at worktables are complemented with a diversity of forms and scales of meeting areas. In some of them, one can have a chat at a cup of coffee; in others, one can organise more formal meetings and presentations; in others still, the employees can find it easier to clear their head and focus on something specific or just have an undisturbed telephone conversation. The open, flexible and friendly space affords good conditions for dynamic and creative work and cooperation, promoting development of relations and integration, explains Izabela Sylwia Nowak.

Trustworthy supplier

The supplier of the furniture, equipment and acoustic solutions was Kinnarps Polska, a company with which Volvo has been cooperating for years. Thanks to Kinnarps, I have always been up to date with trends in office design and equipment. When we started the revitalisation project, our cooperation has become even tighter, says Monika Ślęzak.

Kinnarps offers a wide range of models, features, forms and patterns of the finishing elements. As a result, we have been able to choose equipment that contributed to the individual character and atmosphere of particular areas, emphasises Izabela Sylwia Nowak.

Our cooperation with Volvo Trucks Polska allowed us to show the potential of our offer. Broad configuration options support the architect implementing the project, adds Monika Miksa, Key Account Manager at Kinnarps Polska.

We are the best at it

The news about the new office of the Polish Volvo Trucks spread to other European offices of the company. It is also Lithuania, Slovenia and Switzerland that will follow suit. The Polish office has become the innovator and the trend-setter,” Monika Ślęzak is pleased.

The Group is appreciative…

The Administration Department, led by Monika Ślęzak, has received a corporate award for implementation of the projects related to revitalisation of the office space in Młochów and workshops in Poland. It is a very important award for me. It shows appreciation for our work and is a clear message that the changes bring positive effects, emphasises Monika Ślęzak.

…AND ARE THE EMPLOYEES

The new interiors are very positively assessed by the employees, who are very happy to use the new meeting areas offering comfortable armchairs in green surrounding. Mobile acoustic walls can be easily moved to a different place, if needed. The new colours stimulate, motivate and put you in a good mood, says Izabela Sylwia Nowak.

All employees have been equipped with the Plus[6] office chairs which enjoy well-deserved reputation. Some workstations have been equipped with worktables with electric height adjustment, which allows the employees to work while standing up or sitting down. This supports ergonomics, comfort of the work, as well as effectiveness and creativeness of the employees, adds Monika Miksa.

The next stage will be revitalisation of the floor on which the offices of the management board and the regional management are located. There will also be an area for yoga practice.

Full satisfaction

I like to remind myself how big the changes that we have introduced are and how much the quality of our working space has improved. With the benefit of hindsight, I can say that all the choices and decisions on the colours, materials or models have been successful, summarises Monika Ślęzak.