Representing the first 3D solution entirely dedicated to the furniture market, DesignConcept Furniture (see image, left) enables product development and prototyping specialists to explore numerous ways for creation through virtual design. With high-performance display tools, this innovative solution helps improve product style and development, both for traditional furniture and for more complex contemporary models.

With several enhanced modeling capabilities (for wood structures, foams, and coverings), DesignConcept Furniture V2 rapidly creates virtual prototypes and enables designers to make stylistic decisions before conceiving the mandatory physical prototype, thus shortening the time to market. 

The previous version of DesignConcept Furniture received the “Adriano Ribera–Euroclifal 2006 award for technical innovation” from a panel of furniture manufacturing professionals at the 2006 Paris Approfal/“Salon du Meuble” trade show.

Accelerate industrial processes

In association with DesignConcept Furniture, Lectra's pattern-making (Formaris Furniture), marker-making (Diamino Furniture) and technical specification (GraphicSpec Furniture) solutions – each of which is displayed on Lectra’s booth – form a complete software chain designed to accelerate the industrial processes of upholstered furniture manufacturing.

To optimize production while meeting the quality demands of industry professionals, Lectra also proposes the market's most complete, flexible cutting solutions for leather as well as fabric, adapted to various production environments, with the MFC Furniture (displayed left; which ensures maximum quality), TLS-Total Leather Solution (a fully integrated solution that optimizes each step of the process for mass-production applications – including identification of flaws, automatic nesting, leather cutting and piece sorting), TopSpin (a single-ply cutting solution designed for just-in-time manufacturing) and VectorFurniture (displayed left, a multiple-ply cutting solution perfectly adapted to the needs and constraints of the furniture market).

An innovative offering that results from partnerships with our customers

“The furniture sector is going through a phase of profound change, marked by increased international competition, ever-shorter product lifecycles and the need to constantly innovate,” explains Bruno Blain, Lectra's furniture market director.

Resulting from partnerships spanning more than 15 years with the leading players of the industry, the solutions developed by Lectra cover the entire product lifecycle – including design, product development, industrialization and production (product development, pattern making, marker making, and leather and fabric cutting) – thus enabling furniture companies to control costs and optimize the development and production of upholstered products.

Largest international showcase in Spain

he International Furniture Fair of Valencia (FIM) is part of Habitat Valencia Forward, where 80,000 trade professionals are expected to attend, making it the largest international showcase for the habitat, with 2,500 brands exhibiting their products over 220,000 square meters. 

According to the Spanish National Association of Furniture Manufacturers and Exporters (Anieme), the sector comprises more than 13,000 companies (employing over 170,000 people) and accounted for around €8.5 billion in 2004, representing approximately 10% of total European production. “Spanish companies offer products whose ultimate guarantee is quality in terms of both materials and manufacturing process,” adds Anieme.