Convia, Inc., based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, is an American

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...

components Circuit Component may refer to: •Are devices that perform functions when they are connected in a circuit. In engineering, science, and technology Generic systems * System components, an entity with discrete structure, such as an assem ...

which provide an integrated

energy management Energy management includes planning and operation of energy production and energy consumption units as well as energy distribution and storage. Objectives are resource conservation, climate protection and cost savings, while the users have per ...

platform that allows for the control and metering of

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

, plug-loads and

HVAC Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. HV ...

. It is notable as one of the first companies to deliver and control power while at the same time monitoring energy and adapting its use in real-time.

History

In the late 1990s, Herman Miller, Inc., Convia's

parent company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

, realized that they could not create truly flexible environments until the

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

of the building became more flexible. They decided that if a building infrastructure embraced technology then the applications, including

systems furniture A cubicle is a partially enclosed office workspace that is separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall. Its purpose is to isolate office workers and managers from the sights and noises of an open workspace so that ...

, could also take advantage of that infrastructure and become more intelligent. The need for intelligent infrastructure led Herman Miller to partner with a leading technology

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

called Applied Minds in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

and their founder Danny Hillis. Danny Hillis is considered a pioneer of the

parallel computing Parallel computing is a type of computation in which many calculations or processes are carried out simultaneously. Large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which can then be solved at the same time. There are several different fo ...

industry and is the lead designer of Convia. Convia was launched in 2004.

Partners

In 2009, Herman Miller, Inc., and Legrand North America, an innovative manufacturer of electrical and network infrastructure solutions, announced a strategic alliance designed to broaden the reach of energy management strategies to fuel the adoption of flexible, sustainable spaces, ultimately reducing

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

and building operating costs while improving worker

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...

. Under the terms of the agreement, technology from Herman Miller's Convia, Inc. subsidiary is embedded into Wiremold wire and cable management systems from Legrand. These include modular power and lighting distribution systems, floor boxes, poke-thru devices and architectural columns, which provide flexible, accessible

power distribution Electric power distribution is the final stage in the delivery of electric power; it carries electricity from the transmission system to individual consumers. Distribution substations connect to the transmission system and lower the transmissio ...

to building owners and managers. Convia technology integrates a facility's

power delivery Electricity delivery is the process that starts after generation of electricity in the power station, up to the use by the consumer. The main processes in electricity delivery are, by order: * Transmission * Distribution * Retailing See also *Ele ...

and other infrastructure and technology applications, including lighting, HVAC, and occupancy and daylight harvesting sensors into an energy efficient, easy-to manage platform. Under the new alliance, “Convia-enabled” Wiremold systems enhanced this capability by adding control and monitoring of office plug loads (the amount of energy drawn by devices from an electrical outlet) and lighting loads. Also in 2009, recognizing that workers spend approximately 50 percent of their time away from their desks, Convia developed the Energy Manager for Herman Miller to bring energy management strategies to the

workstation A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems. The term ''workstat ...

. The system connects building power with the modular power in a cluster of Herman Miller workstations—including Vivo interiors, My Studio Environments, Ethospace system, Prospects, and

Action Office The Action Office is a series of furniture designed by Robert Propst, and manufactured and marketed by Herman Miller. First introduced in 1964 as the ''Action Office I'' product line, then superseded by the ''Action Office II'' series, it is an i ...

system.

Major Clients

United States Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...

(USGBC) *

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...

* Notre Dame *

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

* Pasadena Art Center College of Design *

Warwick School District Warwick School District is located in Lititz, Pennsylvania. The school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In t ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

* SHW Group Architecture * Sempre Energy * Southern California Edison *

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, Kuw ...

* PFG Best

Awards

* Environmental Building News and GreenSpec: BuildingGreen Top-10 Product for 2009 * Buildings Magazine — 2009 Top 100 Products/Services * 2009 Frost & Sullivan — Best Practices Award: North American Building Automation Systems Industry Innovation & Advancement of the Year Award * Consulting Specifying Engineer — 2009 Product of the Year Finalist * 2007 Editor's Choice: Buildings Magazine — Top Product Pick * 35th Annual Product Report: Architectural Record Magazine — Winner * Best of NeoCon 2007 for Workplace Technologies — Gold Winner * Buildings Magazine — 2007 Buildings Innovation Award in Workplace Flexibility: Grand Prize Winner * The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design — Good Design Award"Good Design 2007 - ENVIRONMENT." The Chicago Athenaeum. 2007. Web. 19 November 2009. .

Notes

{{reflist, 2 Manufacturing companies based in Illinois Electronic engineering Electronics companies of the United States Electronics manufacturing Companies based in Lake County, Illinois Buffalo Grove, Illinois