STEP into almost any large office in central Scotland and the chances

are that you'll see the work of OEP all around you. OEP have furnished

thousands of offices all over the country and they're not even open here

-- yet.

The Essex-based firm don't officially open their first Scottish base

in Livingston's Dean Industrial Estate until the beginning of December.

Yet they already supply the majority of desking for the Scottish Office

and many other offices throughout Scotland in addition to UK-wide

contracts for DSS offices, Inland Revenue, British Telecom and the

National Savings Bank.

James Silvestro, the Scottish sales manager, explained why, at a time

when most firms are struggling to keep afloat, OEP are making a firm

commitment to an expansion which has already been estimated at more than

#500,000.

''OEP are already a successful company even without any representation

here. We have all these contracts without having anyone selling here.

''We wanted to expand and to improve services for our customers, who

were being supplied from a firm more than 400 miles away.''

Scottish customers from as far afield as Inverness and the Western

Isles will benefit from the proximity of the new base. ''There are two

ways to buy office furniture in Scotland,'' said Mr Silvestro. ''You can

either buy from the manufacturer who can give you a good price but

doesn't offer back-up services -- or you can buy from a dealer who

offers the services but who will be more expensive.

''OEP combine the advantages you would expect from both -- we can

offer good prices and good service as we are both manufacturer and the

dealer on the doorstep.''

Most of the manufacturing is done at the 60,000 sq. ft Waltham Abbey

base but there are plans to extend this too, so that seating will be

manufactured at the new Scottish premises.

The desks are supplied to the Livingston plant in component form to be

assembled there. Around 600 can be stocked at any time and this allows

greater flexibility for customers -- in some cases making 48-hour

delivery possible.

One customer has already seen even greater benefits of the new OEP

location, as operations manager Peter Slater explained: ''A customer in

Inverness had forgotten to place their order in time. They only managed

to give us 24 hours' notice but within that time 70% of their order had

been despatched as we had most of the equipment in stock.''

With the bulk of orders ranging from 150 to 520 work stations, the

installation is a major operation and one which operates best when the

layout of the furniture has been worked out in advance between OEP and

the client.

''Occasionally clients do place their own but we know the best way to

utilise the equipment. And it is best if we have planned the

installation in advance,'' said Mr Slater.

Each OEP ''package'' is tailor-made to suit the individual needs of

clients. There is the Alpha range, TX1000 executive range and the new

Beta range, a wire-managed (which allows wires from VDUs, telephones and

other desk-top equipment to be incorporated into the desk structure) and

very flexibile desking system.

And while the core range of desking, seating, screens and storage

units is comprehensive, at times further adaptations are made to meet

individual requirements -- a large JobCentre contract meant a special

batch of green desks.

''We are sensitive to the market and do change products to offer

tailor-made contracts. There are fashions in colour and design but oak

is still the most popular for desking in the UK,'' added Mr Silvestro.

''We're not the cheapest or the dearest: what we provide is a very good

quality desk at a reasonable price.''

Although OEP prices are certainly competitive -- OEP beat firms from

all over Europe to win the Scottish Office contract -- there are other

important considerations for firms who are re-equipping offices. Apart

from the durability and design of the furniture, the comfort and safety

of those who will use it should be a priority -- and it is with OEP.

''We have always been very conscious of this side of our business and

have always complied with all British Standards,'' commented Mr

Silvestro, who added that OEP also comply with the EC directives on

office furniture standards which will come into force at the end of the

year.

In addition, he is organising an Ergonomics at Work seminar, to be

held in Edinburgh and hosted by the Scottish Office, in an effort to

make office managers more aware of the changes required to keep the pace

with the changes in office technology.

The increased use of VDUs has major implications for office practice

and inappropriate furniture or a badly planned layout can have high

long-term costs for any company and its staff.

Inadequate working environments and things such as noise from

inappropriately placed copiers, printers and fax machines can also add

to the stresses of modern-day living and can be a factor in high staff

turnover. A badly planned office will be inefficient in other ways, too

-- perhaps staff have to make lengthy and frequent journeys to reach

vital pieces of equipment -- which is why attention to detail at the

planning stage is vital.

''We can advise on where the problem areas are and how they can be

dealt with effectively, perhaps using screens or relocating certain

pieces of equipment to another part of the office,'' said Mr Silvestro.

''Staff safety and comfort are vital to the efficiency of the office

and we take this into account in the design of the furniture and the

layout. Again, this is where OEP has the advantage over firms who are

simply dealers -- we are in control of the product. No manufacturer

dictates standards to us, we know that we are offering the customer the

best product -- we know because we have it made ourselves.''