Industry Trends
Mass customization
With customers expecting more variety, lower prices and higher quality, the trends are toward mass customization (not one-size-fits-all production for the masses). This requires a combination of operational best practices built to deliver the throughput and cost benefits of mass production while providing flexibility in operations that are capable of reducing lot sizes or delivering custom products on an individual order basis.
Competing in the global marketplace
Furniture and fixture manufacturers face fierce competition in the global marketplace, but the opportunity for success has never been greater. Increased sales come by way of expanding into new markets and increased margins through operations improvements. Manufacturers in long-established markets leverage the strength of their brands and operational expertise to capture more market share while decreasing their cost structures. Emerging market operations are leveraging the momentum provided by low production cost to solve their tough problems: quality, delivery and brand awareness in the mid and high-end market.
What does it mean?
Furniture manufacturers that automate many of their business processes will be able to realize mass customization benefits. Companies looking to enter into the global market need to build strategic partnerships with sales operations in target markets, while companies in established markets need to leverage their expertise in combination with lower production costs.
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Success Stories:
Canterbury Windows
uses MAPICS (now Infor) solutions to deliver complex, high-quality products with the speed and accuracy its customers need.
Rapid-Line
using MAPICS (now Infor) solutions, Rapid-Line is able to look forward, see potential problems and correct them before customers are impacted.
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