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For smart offices, desk tracking is a must for integrators and OEMs

When was the last time you spent a whole workweek in the office at your desk? Probably pre-lockdown. The hybrid working habits we acquired during Covid19 are here to stay and as a result, offices are now often half-empty – that is a lot of expensive office real estate potentially wasted.

Modern hybrid office workspace with flexible seating and adjustable office desks

Desk tracking for smart offices has just been simplified thanks to the LINAK® DESKLINE® Desk Tracking System, with its smart sensor and Wi-Fi box.

The new system presents an opportunity for both desk manufacturers and 3rd-party integrators to offer LINAK connectivity solutions for office desks – creating an ideal solution for desk booking systems and flexible workspaces. It is extremely easy to promote, implement, and integrate – improving the lives of customers and end-users.

 

The smart office is already here – and desk tracking is essential

Forward-looking companies have already adopted a more flexible approach to these new ways of working, with shared desks and a smart office infrastructure, allowing them to restructure their office space intelligently to create cost-efficient solutions.

These new space management strategies are data-driven and specifically designed to manage hybrid work schedules and activity-based working. The tracking of office desks is at the heart of these new systems. Tracking data can be used as part of an office booking system or to optimize the use of the space by tracking the occupancy of an office environment.

 

Optimized desk usage: efficiency-enhancing data

The tracking of desk use can inform facilities managers how much desk capacity is required to keep the office functioning effectively – allowing for decision-making when it comes to downsizing real estate. It is also possible to make users’ lives easier by showing the availability of desks and giving them the option of making bookings and reservations for specific times and places. It can also automatically reveal no-show bookings to free up resources and show whether desks are occupied or have not been officially booked.

The tracking of an office environment via the desk yields many other cost-saving and efficiency-enhancing options on a larger scale: As well as showing whether there is an optimal space-to-employee ratio, sensors can also create a heatmap of an office to reveal which areas are most used – this can then be used to control room temperature, optimize cleaning, and reduce energy consumption.

 

A future-ready solution – available today

The DESKLINE desk tracking system is a future-ready solution that makes your offering relevant for IoT-based offices. Get integrated connectivity when adding adjustable desks powered by LINAK to a smart office, using a Wi-Fi network and a cloud-based connection. Simply integrate into a partner’s or customer’s own smart-office management system to track occupancy and other relevant data from desks via a sensor.

Diagram showing the partnership with system integrators using the LINAK Desk Tracking System.

 

A complete system, ready to integrate

The DESKLINE Desk Tracking System consists of a WiFi2LIN box/module for providing Wi-Fi connectivity, a Desk Sensor™ 2 (DS2) for detecting the occupancy signal, and an Application Programming Interface (API) for data sensor read out. Configuring the tracking system is simplified with the use of the DESK Wi-Fi App, which is an integral part of the solution.

  • Hidden under the desk – Easy, discreet mounting with two screws and two cables
  • No batteries or power cables - The sensor and the Wi-Fi box are powered by the desk’s control box
  • Retro-fit – Compatible with existing desks powered by LINAK (CBD6S and DL IC systems)
  • Cost-effective – Both when purchasing and in the long run
  • Simple to update – If needed, the SW of the Wi-Fi box will be remotely updated
 

Compatible with new and existing solutions

The solution itself is actually very simple to incorporate into both new and existing desk systems. A Wi-Fi box including a smart sensor is mounted under the desk – ready for plug and play.

The WiFi box is compatible with LINAK desk systems based on either the control box CBD6S or the DL IC systems.

It is also possible to retrofit the solution on existing desk systems powered by LINAK. And naturally, it works with both two- and three-stage electric lifting columns.

Illustration of height-adjustable LINAK Desk system with motor housing columns, control box CBD6S, Wi-Fi box with sensor, and DPG desk panel.

 

A natural evolution for LINAK

For LINAK, desk tracking is just the next step in our system thinking journey that we embarked on in 1998 when we launched the first ever complete electrically height-adjustable system for desks. Today, over 10 million electric desk systems later, we are still one of the leading companies in the industry, constantly setting new benchmarks for innovation, quality, and design.

Bjarke Thomsen, Head of Business Development, DESKLINE® at LINAK A/S.

We have decades of experience making movement systems for office desks. As a standard feature, our systems are ready for digital integration.

Bjarke Thomsen, Head of Business Development, DESKLINE at LINAK A/S
 

LINAK already offers digital interaction solutions that connect user and desk as well as WiFi and voice-controlled interfaces. But with this new cloud-based solution we are ready to help customers meet the challenges of a new era in office IoT interconnectivity - and our substantial market share represents a sizeable and attractive business opportunity for our integrator partners.

 

Data-ready is the new default position - take the next step with a trusted partner

To stay relevant, today’s desk manufacturers/OEMs and integrators need to offer data-enabled products to deliver on tenders designed to enable facility managers to take control of their new and unpredictable office environments.

As a desk manufacturer/OEM, it is easy to get started in the smart-office market. With the LINAK Desk Tracking System, all major integrators can incorporate your LINAK-powered desks into their office booking solutions. Our hardware and software solutions are a perfect match and are easy to integrate for you and the integrator.

 

We got your back

Whether you are a manufacturer of office furniture looking to offer your customers an integrated desk solution for a booking system or a system integrator looking for a tracking system for your office booking system/solution, LINAK is happy to help you. With LINAK as your partner, you will get world-class support and industry-leading quality. With 30 local sales offices, we are always close to you and your market, and ready to share expertise based on global experience, to keep your company competitive.

Find your local LINAK office here.

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