Five reasons why digitalization is beneficial for small series furniture production
The rise in small series production, for both fabric and leather furniture producers, is driven by increasing demand for more complex and customized products that reflect the personalized style and values of the new consumer.
Greatly influenced by the impact of COVID-19, consumer behavior is trending upwards in a more socially conscious direction. They want to make the world and their home a better place. At the same time, they want all of the conveniences of online shopping such as price transparency; the freedom to purchase whenever and wherever; and most importantly the gratification of near-instant delivery times.
To remain competitive, furniture manufacturers are seeking new ways to maximize process efficiency, minimize waste, and increase productivity. Forward-thinking companies are investing in digital technology and automation solutions to accelerate assembly time; lower production costs; and produce small series and customized furniture with a wider array of colors, designs and patterned fabrics.
Peter Bjerregaard, President of Ekornes, commenting on why the company is expanding production capacity, says, “Reducing lead times to our dealer partners and consumers is key. We know consumers’ threshold for custom furniture wait time is no more than four weeks.”
In digitalizing their production workflow, furniture manufacturers are able to adapt to the new demands of today’s post-COVID-19 consumer and overcome the challenges of mass customization by striking the right balance in optimizing their production, operation and cost management initiatives.