An Information System for the Furniture Industry to Optimize the Cutting Process and the Waste Generated

Abstract

Due to the current European economic stagnation and to face the increasing competition from emerging economies, significant changes in the European furniture industry need to be undertaken. Several institutions have produced reports showing that the European furniture industry must innovate the products, the production processes, the promotion strategies and the organizational structure in order to attain flexibility and productivity. The most relevant factor for the decrease in market share in the European furniture industry is the production cost, mainly due to labour and raw materials costs. The proposed information system aims to reduce the waste of raw materials generated in the production process, optimizing their purchase and consumption, boosting corporate profitability and sustainability.