Gerber’s Innovation Center Empowers the Digitization of the Furniture Industry

The Gerber Innovation Center in New York City opened for the furniture industry on February 19th with a one-of-a-kind microfactory experience. The undisputed leader of connected platforms hosted a full day of workshops, live demonstrations, and customer case studies to discuss the current challenges the furniture industry is experiencing with customization. Gerber demonstrated how companies of all sizes can conquer customization, creativity, speed and eCommerce challenges by integrating their entire process from design through production using the latest software and hardware solutions.

“Gerber’s furniture microfactory experience is unlike anything else,” said Ketty Pillet, Vice President of Marketing at Gerber Technology. “We designed this experience for the furniture manufacturers to be able to actually experience the on-demand process from design to print to production, leveraging the latest innovative technology.”

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. 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. 

The event was truly an end-to-end experience with an overview of industry trends and challenges, a customer testimonial from Bassett Furniture, and several presentations on the most innovative technology including CAD, digital printing, automated cutting, and even a laser solution from Virtek which aids in assembly. 

During their all-day event, Gerber showed just how quickly on-demand manufacturing 
can happen by leveraging their integrated and connected platform to develop customized seats and pillows. The integrated solution, which features the latest in pattern making, digital printing, and IoT enabled digital cutting, streamlines the entire process and allows the company to remain both cost effective and sustainable by connecting different groups of users. The company also announced the launch of AccuMark February 2020 for the furniture industry which will allow them to reduce their time to market and allow for more creativity with a digital printing embedded process. 

“Gerber’s solutions have helped us dramatically improve our process by reducing costly mistakes,” said Roger Leonhardt of Bassett Furniture. “Since using their software, we’re saving as much as 1 to 1.5 yards for every mistake that is prevented, which is up to $20,000 in savings.”

One of the biggest values of Gerber’s platform is its ability to connect the print-to-cut process. As Mike Sanders of Top Value Fabrics stated, digital printing is a crucial component for on-demand production because it allows a designer to take their artwork and turn it into a unique decor piece that no one else has. By implementing a digital printing process, designers are able to do any quantities of yardage in as many colors as they like with photo exact prints, unleashing creativity.

“Digital printing is so much further along than I thought,” said Bruce Beamer of Teknion Limited as he watched vibrantly printed textiles pass from the Kornit Presto direct-to-textile printer to the GERBERcutter® Z1. “Today’s event has really educated me on the latest technologies out there, some of which I was not aware of.”

The Z1 is equipped with Gerber’s PrintSync device which integrates the printing and cutting process into one step, allowing for shorter lead times and reduced labor costs. The device can connect with any direct-to-textile printer with in-line drying capability.

About Gerber Technology
Gerber Technology delivers industry-leading software and automation solutions that help apparel and industrial customers improve their manufacturing and design processes and more effectively manage and connect the supply chain, from product development and production to retail and the end customer. Gerber serves 78,000 customers in 134 countries, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies in apparel and accessories, home and leisure, transportation, packaging and sign and graphics. 
 
Based in Connecticut in the USA, Gerber Technology is owned by AIP, a New York based, global private equity firm specializing in the technology sector and has more than $3.0 billion assets under management. The company develops and manufactures its products from various locations in the United States and Canada and has additional manufacturing capabilities in China. Visit www.gerbertechnology.com and www.gerbersoftware.com for more information.