Big Picture - March 2020 - 8

on
the Furniture Microfactory
road The home furnishing market makes up 12 percent of Gerber Technology's revenue, with more than 800
RECAP

customers globally. To tap into their increasing customer base, the digitization of the furniture industry, and the world's current obsession with customization, Gerber launched their digitally printed furniture platform at their Innovation Center in New York City on February 19.

BIG PICTURE

March 2020

The manufacturer of software and
automation solutions for the apparel,
signage and graphics, and now furniture
markets hosted current and potential
customers interested in learning how to
grow their business with digital print.
Gerber representatives led a full day of
sessions on industry trends and
challenges, client case studies, and new
technology, including the launch of
Accumark February 2020 software for
furniture. Guests were able to experience the entire process, from design to
finishing, through an interactive tour of
their microfactory with help from
sponsors, Kornit Digital and TVF.
"Like all industries, upholstered
furniture is currently seeing a large
demand for customized products and
faster delivery times, causing a bind for
companies who are still relying on
manual processes," according to the
company in a release. "Those who fail to digitize supply
chains relatively soon will continue to struggle as Gen Z, a
generation who chooses to ignore predefined trends, starts to
enter the furniture market."
Attendees witnessed the ease of building a fully customized, upholstered seat and pillow cases through Gerber's
furniture value chain:

* 3D to 2D development design
* 2D CAD to design patterns
* Pass cut data wirelessly to production
* Digital print
* Cut
* Assemble

In one of the sessions, RICARDO NAVA , sales manager,
Kornit Digital, highlighted the major trends sweeping the
furniture market today:
* Personal expression. Customers want the items in their
home to reflect their individual brand.
* Social media influence. 80 percent of women get
inspiration on what to buy from social media.
* E-commerce. You have to make it easy to buy on your site.
* Sustainability. 20 percent of industrial water pollution
comes from textiles and dyes. Rotary reactive averages 17
gallons of water per linear meter; digital print cuts that in half.

Top
Takeaways:
US consumption of
upholstered furniture
was $72 billion in 2018,
which was 25 percent
of the global consumption.

Furniture is a local market.
Designs, colors, styles,
and materials used
are based on the regions
they are made and sold in.

Furniture challenges
in 2020 include:
sustainability,
customization,
increased competition,
competing pricing,
increased variety of models,
reduced skilled labor,
and the need for
quicker delivery times.

Online furniture sales
are booming.
The US is the second
biggest buyer of furniture
in the world.
But brick and mortar
is not dead.
Furniture stores are
becoming showrooms.

Big Picture - March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - March 2020