“…more and more people are living in big cities…” For the first time in history, more people live in cities than in rural areas. How does that affect people’s homes? That’s a question we are asking ourselves. When singles, families with children and couples move into urban areas, their needs naturally change. Which means we need to change, too. By making a lot of home visits and interviews to different homes all over the world, we learn more and more about people’s lives at home. We know that urban homes need to fit more people, more things and more activities, often in smaller spaces. More life in less space demands flexible homes. With home furnishing that can be used in many different ways and multi-purposed on a daily basis, like stacking and folding. The IKEA PS 2014 collection is probably the most obvious expression of IKEA furniture designed for the ever-changing, moving, urban way of living. Urbanisation also means that IKEA stores have to become more accessible to people and offer good and affordable options for home delivery. One example of this is the new IKEA store in the city centre of Hamburg, Germany. IKEA Germany took on the challenge of exploring how an IKEA store in the city centre could meet urban customer needs. Want to know more about the learning so far? A small ribbed fitting, called the wedge dowel, is changing the way IKEA furniture is assembled. The dowels come pre- installed in the furniture panels. This means that you don’t need a whole toolbox to assemble your IKEA furniture. The idea came from a traditional way of putting furniture together. Combining industrial techniques with handcrafted production methods, wedge dowels have replaced traditional metal fittings for assembly. This means that an entire bookcase can be assembled in a lot less time! The wedge dowels also make the construction very sturdy. Introduced to the range in 2014, the REGISSÖR storage series and STOCKHOLM cabinets are made up of panels with wedge dowels, which are glued on to the various parts at the factory. All you do is fit them into the pre-drilled holes - like putting together a jigsaw puzzle! “Assembly should be fun and enjoyable! We would like customers to see the parts and instinctively understand how to put them together,” says Pontus Håkansson at IKEA Components AB. Read more on www.IKEA.com/ouryear Read more IKEA product and co-worker stories on www.IKEA.com/ouryear © Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2014 The production costs of this brochure were EUR 0.07 per copy. 20,000 copies were printed. This document is the property of Inter IKEA Systems B.V. and the contents may in no way be copied or reproduced without the consent of Inter IKEA Systems B.V. The IKEA logo and the IKEA wordmark are registered trademarks of Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Read more on www.IKEA.com/ouryear Highlights from our year Many companies, organisations and people build the IKEA Brand together, working every day to move us forward. Every person, every initiative, idea and solution created contributes. On www.IKEA.com/ouryear, we’ve collected stories from different parts of the IKEA world to describe our 2014. Welcome to catch a glimpse of a wonderful year. And know that your contribution makes all the difference. © Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2014 Siew Yen Ong Graphic Communicator, Service Office, Russia Welcome to our 2014! “It’s about helping the customer and making products fun and easy to assemble.” See more people and much more on www.IKEA.com/ouryear Production. Design. Logistics. Communication. Sales. Food... and many more! In different countries, companies, organisations and departments, we all do our part in fulfilling our vision to create a better everyday life for the many people. We asked co-workers from all over the IKEA world for their personal views and insights from 2014. Curious about what they shared? Have a look at www.IKEA.com/ouryear into cities Moving Co-workers sharing their everyday with you! “The possibilities are endless!” Assembling your IKEA ® furniture has never been easier! A beautiful cabinet made with handcrafted methods that you can assemble with minimal effort. How is that possible? IKEA 2014 ®