and Steelcase c. 1937 Originally known as the
Metal Office Furniture Company, it was founded in 1912 by Peter Martin Wege, who had filed approximately 25 patents related to the
sheet metal and
fireproofing industries. Its early products included fireproof metal
safes and four-drawer metal
filing cabinets. In 1914, the company received its first product
patent for "The Victor", a fireproof steel wastebasket. The Victor gained popularity due to its light weight—achieved through a patented process of bending flat steel at right angles to create boxes—and its ability to prevent fires at a time when smoking was common indoors, particularly in the workplace. In 1915, the company began manufacturing and distributing steel desks after designing and producing 200 for Boston's first skyscraper, the
Custom House Tower.--> The company officially changed its name to Steelcase, Inc. in 1954. After becoming one of the leading companies in the office furniture industry during the previous decade due to its sales volume, it expanded into new markets during the 1970s, including Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Also in 1973, Steelcase delivered the largest single furniture shipment to the then-new
Sears Tower; the delivery included 43,565 pieces of furniture and furnished 44 floors. Meanwhile, it was found at fault in a
patent infringement suit brought against them by
Haworth, another furniture company. The Michigan firm was ordered to pay $211.5 million in damages and interest, thus ending a 17-year dispute with Haworth. Steelcase became a
publicly traded company in 1998 under the symbol SCS.