AnInnovativeProductionParadigmtoOfferCustomizedandSustainableWoodFurnitureSolutionsExploitingtheMini-FactoryConcept PaoloPedrazzoli1,FrancoAntonioCavadini2,DonatellaCorti1,AndreaBarni1,andTommasoLuvini1 1UniversityofAppliedSciencesandArtsofSouthernSwitzerland,ISTePS,Manno,Switzerland{donatella.corti,ta,alessandro.fontana}@supsi.ch2Synesis,Lomazzo,Italyfranco.cavadini@synesis-consortium.eu Abstract.Tofacepetitivepressures,Europeanindustrymustdevelopmethodsandenablingtechnologiestowardsapersonalized,customerorientedandsustainablemanufacturing.Thisstatementiswellunderstoodbypanies,sharedbypolicymakerattheEuropeanCommission(e.g.asperthe“FactoryoftheFuture”multi-annualroad-map),andempoweredbythecurrentfundingprogrammesforindustrialresearch(Horizon2020).Manufacturersaredemandedtomergetheneedtobereactivetowardscustomerneedsandwishes(customizedproducts),withtherequisitetobeproactivetowardsecologicalandsocialimpact(sustainableproducts).Thisconceptpointsouttwokeyelementswhoseimpactonmanufacturingplexandinterdepended:CustomizationandSustainability.WithintheCTC3-yearprojectmethodsandinnovativeenablingtechnologiesaredevelopedandintegratedtoenablealocalflexiblemanufacturingofgreenpersonalizedfurnitureclosetothecustomer. Keywords:furnituresector,mini-factory,shortsupplychain,greenlabel,customization. 1ProductionSystemInnovationintheFurnitureSector Europeisamajorplayerinfurnitureonaglobalscale,withatotalofmorethanpaniesofwhich95%areSMEs.Despiteincreasinglyfiercepetitionandsignificantrelocationofmanufacturingtolow-wagecountries,furniturecontinuestorepresentoneofEurope’smajorindustrialsectorswithanannualturnoverofmorethan130BillionEuro,andatotalworkforceof1,4million.Manufacturersinthissectorshave1)toemoreagileandflexible,inresponsetothefastrateinwhichmarkettrendschange,demandingmanufacturinginfrastructuresthatcanproducehighervariationsinsmallerquantitiesand2)tointroducepersonalizedproductsandserviceswhoseaddedvaluecantriggermarketeptance.Inthisframework,environmentintangibles(suchasenvironmentalpollution,wasteandenergyconsumption)arealsorecognizedasurgentandthefurnituresectorfacesthe
B.Grabotetal.(Eds.):APMS2014,PartII,IFIPAICT439,pp.466–473,2014.©IFIPInternationalFederationforInformationProcessing2014 AnInnovativeProductionParadigm467 challengetoactivelyconsiderandcontrolthosefactorsaswell.Thisisbecausebothcustomersdemandsustainableproductsandgovernmentsarewillingtosharpenregulationspaniestoimprove. AninnovativeproductionparadigmaimedatsupportingtheEuropeanIndustrytoadapttopetitivepressuresisbeingdevelopedbytheEuropean-fundedprojectCTC.Withinthisthethree-yearprojectstartedin2013,methodsandinnovativeenablingtechnologiesaredevelopedandintegratedtoenablealocalflexiblemanufacturingofgreenpersonalizedproductsclosetothecustomerintermsoffeaturesoffered,placeoffabrication,timetodeliver,andcost.Theintegrationofsustainabilityandcustomizationissuesisapromisingstrategyasstressedinrecentworks(e.g.[1]).ThisvisionisimplementedanddemonstratedwithinaEuropeanindustrialsectorofexcellence:thefurnituresector.Theultimateimplementationenvisionsa“greenfactorybehindaglasspane”directlyintheshoppingmall,wherethecustomerwitnessesthemanufacturingofitspersonalizedfurniture. Inthispapertheforeseensystemanditsimpactsaredescribed.First,thepillarsthenewproductionparadigmwillbebasedonareintroducedhighlightinghowtheygobeyondexistingsolutions.Then,anoverviewoftheforeseenmini-factorylayoutandfunctioningisdescribedbeforepresentingtheactorswhowillinteractwithit.Expectedimpactsoftheproposedconceptarediscussedbeforedrawingconclusions. 2TheProductionParadigm’sPillars Mainpillarsshapingthenewproductionparadigmandtheircorrespondinginnovativenessaresummarizedinthefollowingpoints: FormalizedDesignApproach(andrelatedsoftwaretechnologies)toempower“designtomanufacturinginonestep”(whichalsoincludesthedesignfinalizationcarriedoutbythecustomerhimself).Thedevelopmentofaformalizedfurnituredesignapproachreferstothetoolsandengineeringmethodstomakethedesignpatiblewiththemanufacturingphase(fosteringadesignapproachstandardization),andmustnotbemistakenfortheimpositionofmondesignstyle:distinctivenessofstylesmustbepreservedasakeyaddedvalue.CTCtoolsaremeanttoapproachproductdesignfromaholisticperspective,integratingdesignmethodologiesinpluginsoftwareforcurrentlyavailabletechnologiesinthewoodworkingsector.Theintegrationof3DCEandDfXmethodologiespromotedbyCTCincurrentsoftwaretoolsandthereductionplexityinthetransitionfromCADtoCAMwillfosterasimplifiedapproachtoproductdefinitionordingwithanefficientproductmanufacturing.Startingfromtheanalysisofthestate-of-the-artindesignmethodologies([2];[3];[4];[5])andtools(e.g.[6]and[7]forconfigurators),aprocesswillbedevelopedallowingthesimultaneousgenerationofproductdesignandreliablemanufacturingdataleadingtoa50%reductionof“designtoproduction”timeof50%anda80%reductionofthetimetomarketfornewproductsdevelopment.Mini-factoryProductionSystemModelthatcanbeeasilyandquicklyinstantiatedinlocalgreenfactories,andwhoseprocessesandmachinescanbedrivendirectlybytheformalizeddesignprocess.Thismodelrepresentsthefactory“tobe”blueprints,its 468P.Pedrazzolietal. logisticstructureandshortJITsupplychainmanagementapproachthattakesintoconsiderationexistingexampleofmini-factory(e.g.[8]).Itcanberegardedasthebasisforthe“factoryfranchising”concept,wherethemanufacturingsystemcanbeinstantiatedlocallywithminimalproductiondesigneffort.Thankstothisnewsystema60%decreaseinthroughputtimeinproductionisexpectedaswellasanincreasedabilitytorapidlyfollowmarketbymeansoffastproductionanddeliveryofcustomisedfurniture.Reducedenvironmentalimpactbecauseofnounsoldorlongtermstorageofproductsandreductionofworkinprogressthankstosmartordermanagementandresponsivesupplychainarealsointerestingimprovementsfrombotheconomicandsustainablepointofview.Woodworkmachiningsystemabletoempowerthe“ClosetotheCustomer”concept.Maintargetisthedevelopmentofanextgenerationwoodworkingsystemwithhighflexibility,highsafetystandardsandeaseofusewithlowproductioncostandlowenvironmentalimpact,inparticularforverysmallbatchesandJITproduction,ultimatelydeliveringveryquicklytothecustomer.ThesystemwillbeempoweredbyadvancedHMIcontrolandautomaticmachineset-up,andwillthenruncontinuouslyasinflow-likeproduction.Asthefactoryismeanttobeinstantiated“closetothecustomer”,themachiningsystemmustspecificallytackleissuessuchasdustextractionandnoisecontrol.TechnologicaladvanceswillallowtheachievementofareductionofCO2emissions,lowertrainingtimeandasaferworkingenvironment.ACTCGreenLabelinordertobringtocustomerawarenessoftheuniquenessandadvantagesoftheproductionprocess,basedonISO14955extensiontowoodworkingmachinesandontheFSC(ForestStewardshipCouncil),acertificatelabelwillbedeveloped.Thelabel,alsotakingadvantageofthedevelopmentofaproperassessmentmodel,ismeanttoberecognizableandunified,butstillarticulatedandcapableofhighlightinglocalpeculiarity. ThemostchallengingaspectoftheCTCprojectistheneedforadeepintegrationbetweenthedifferentmodulesthatexposeitsmultifacetedfunctionalities.ThefocusofthevalidationanddemonstrationactivitieswillbethereforetowardsaneffectiveintegrationofallCTCreferenceframeworkmodules,becauseitisinpletedcoordinationthatresidestheessoftheproject.Ifanyofposingelementsisinnovativeinofitsspecificcharacteristics,itisthecoordinatedeffortforcreatingamuchshorterproductionchainthatreallytransformsthemini-factoryintoamajortechnologicalbreakthrough.Theessoftheproposedproductionparadigmwillbethusbasedontheexploitationoftheabove-mentionedinnovations,but,aboveall,fromtheintegrationofalloftheminaninnovativebusinessmodeldeliveringvaluethroughalocalflexiblemanufacturingofgreenpersonalizedproductsclosetothecustomer.Theeconomicpotentialofthisconceptlaysinthepossibilityofinstantiatingseveralmini-factoriesalloverEuropecreatingawork. 3TheReferenceArchitecture TheforeseenfunctioningofaCTCmini-factoryisintroducedtogiveanideaofhowtheinnovativeelementswillbeinteractingwitheachothertoenableproductionand AnInnovativeProductionParadigm469 saleofsustainableandcustomizedpiecesoffurnitureclosetothecustomers.ThedescriptiontellshowtheCTCmini-factorywilllookliketoapotentialvisitoronceitwillberunning.PeculiaritiesoftheCTCsystematbothfactoryandsupplychainlevelarepointedouttoprovideanoverviewofwhataretheenvisionedresultsuponpletion.AschematicrepresentationofwhatisbeingpresentedisshowninFigure1.TheCTCmini-factoryfindsitsideallocationinashoppingmallwhereboththesalesarea(CTC-shop)andtheproductionarea(CTC-factory)arelocatednexttoeachotherandareessiblebypeoplevisitingthemall.TheCTC-systemgetsstartedwhentheCustomerenterstheCTC-shopand,withthesupportofatrainedCTC-operator,customizesthefurniturehe/sheisinterestedinusingauser-friendlyconfigurator.ThedesignoffurnitureisdrivenbyaparametricportfolioofproductsthathasbeenpredefinedbyCTCdesignerscoherentlywiththefunctionalconstraintsofthemini-factory.Oncethefurnitureproject(asinglepieceoffurnitureorpleteroom)isfinalizedandthecustomerissatisfiedwiththeoffer,anorderisgeneratedandsenttotheCTC-factory.Machineinstructionsareautomaticallycreatedmandthebehaviorofthemini-factory.Areal-timeupdateofproductiondataallowsthecustomertomonitortheprocessingstatusofhis/herorderotherthantoincreasetheefficiencyoftheproductionsystemitself.AhighlevelofintegrationofinformativesystemsisoneofthemainfeaturestheCTC-systemwillrelyon.Infact,asmoothflowofinformationfromtheideagenerationtotheproductionwillallowaleanfulfillmentofordersinshorttimes.Thedetailsofthefactoryhavetobecarefullydesignedalongwiththesupportingsupplychainandmaterialhandlingsystem.Theideaistohaveashortsupplychaininordertofavorthecreationofalocalsuppliersbaseandtokeepthelevelofinventorieswithinthefactoryaslowaspossible.RawmaterialsupplierswillbeconstantlymanagedbyCTCmini-factory,coherentlywithshort-termplanningoftheproduction,inordertograntadequatereplenishmentofstocks.Strongagreementswithfastcouriersareexploitedforquicklogistics.Insodoing,asmallinboundwarehouseabletocovertheneedsofafewordersisenough.Anautomatedwarehousewillbesetupinthisplacesothatrawmaterials(panels)willbemoveddirectlytotheproductionlinecoherentlywiththeproductionplan.Attheendoftheproductionlineapackagingareaissetupthatwillactalsoasoutboundwarehouse.Soatthispointthematerialisreadytobecollectedbylocalcouriersforfastdeliverytothecustomer.Fortheassemblyphase,theideaoftheproject,istoleavethecustomerthepossibilitytochoosebetweenaspecializedoperatororthekitforDo-It-Yourself.Finally,itisworthofmentiontheattentionthatintheCTCsystemitwillbepaidtothewastemanagement.Productionwastehastobemanagedinalife-cycleconsciousway,consideringmainpotentialwayoftreatment:re-cycledthroughdirectagreementwithrawmaterialsuppliers,burntforenergygeneration,orsenttolocallandfills.Tosumupitcanbesaidthatpactandleansystemisenvisionedthatwillguaranteetheachievementofexcellentperformanceintermsofbothcustomerservice(shortdeliverytimeandhighlevelofcustomization)andproductionefficiency.Thedesignofapropersupplychainisimportantaswelltoreachthislevelofperformance. 470P.Pedrazzolietal. Fig.1.ReferencearchitectureoftheCTCmini-factory,andcorrespondingusersTheCTCUsersComplementarytotheinnovativemodulesofCTC,andtakingintoountthattheyetheprincipalinterfacebetweenthemini-factoryasasystemononeside,anditsusersontheotherone,acertainsetof“CTCuserprofiles”hasbeendefined.Theseroleshavebeenselectedasthosestrictlynecessaryforthegoodoperationoftheminifactory.Theyare:•TheCTC-FurnitureDesigner,whowillpreparetheparametricproductportfolio;•TheCTCCustomer,interactingwiththemini-factorytoobtainacustomized furnitureelement;•TheCTC-ShopOperator,interactingwiththecustomerfortheproductdesign;•TheProductionManager,supervisingthewholemini-factory;•TheStockManager,specializedinmanaginginventory;•TheMini-factoryOperator,capableofoperatingthewholeshop-floor;•TheLogisticsCourier,tograntfastdeliveryofpackages;•TheSupplier,tocreateareallyshortandintegratedsupplychain. Theterm“userprofiles”hasbeenadoptedbecauseitisnotconceivedtorepresentthephysicalpeoplewhowillinteractwiththeCTCpilot,buttherolesneededtomakethefactorywork. AnInnovativeProductionParadigm471 4ImpactsGeneratedbytheImplementationoftheConcept ThebasicideaofCTCistomovethefactorydirectlywherethecustomerisusedtoshopping:agreenmini-factoryissetupbehindaglasspaneintheshoppingmall.Themaintargetoftheprojectisacustomersegmentwithanaveragemoneyavailabilitywhoiswillingtopayforahigherlevelofcustomizationandwhoisawareofsustainabilityissues.Thetypeofselecteditemsandthelocationofthefactorymaketheyoungandmiddle-agedpeoplewithchildrenthemostinterestedcustomerscategory.Thepilotmini-factorywillofferpiecesoffurnitureforbedroomsforchildrenandlivingrooms.ThebusinessmodelbehindthediffusionoftheCTCmini-factoryisbasedontheideathatthesamefactorymodelisinstalledinshoppingmallsindifferentEuropeancountries.Localtastesandneedscanbetakenintoountwhentheproductisdesignedinthepoint-of-sale,yettheproductionsystemismonone(notitssupplychain,though).Asawhole,expectedbenefitsfromtheCTCprojectwillhaveasignificantimpactontheEuropeaneconomy,alsoconsideringthehighnumberofinvolvedactorsinthesector.ImplementationoftheCTCMini-Factorywillhaveamajorimpactonthewoodfurnituresectorforbothcustomersandmanufacturers:thecreationofawork,forexample,couldreshapethetraditionalsupplychainandleadingtobenefitsnotonlyineconomicterms,butalsofromthesustainabilityperspective.Themini-factoryischaracterizedbyasetofmachinesandequipmentstrictlyclosetoeachothernotonlyforthephysicalproximity,butalsofromthemanagementpointofview.Thefactorycanworkwithoutwork-in-progresssincesingleordersaremovedalongtheproductionsystem.Thelevelofautomationishigh:thedesignsoftwareislinkedwiththeproductionresourcesandtheworkinginstructionsareautomaticallysenttomachinesthatarereconfiguredautomaticallywithalmostnullsetuptimes.Thesystemthusworkscontinuouslyavoidingtimelossesduetonon-productivetimes-likequeuesorsetups-thataretypicalinthecurrentproductionenvironmentofthissector.Thelevelofembeddedtechnologyissoadvancedthatinthebestperformingmini-factoryasingleoperatorisneededtorunthewholesystemandhedoesnotneedtobeskilled.Inorderfortheoperatortomonitorthesystem,itwillbepossibletorelyonacentralizedcontrolpanelthatdonotrequiresspecificknowledgeofthesinglemachine.Suchconfigurationoftheproductionsystemwillallowthepromisingshortdeliverytimes(48hours)andtheofferofhighleveloflevelofcustomization. TheinitialinvestmenttosetuponeCTCmini-factoryisexpectedtovaryfromaminimumof330.000Euroandamaximumof580.000Euro.InanIKEAshop,thepriceforasetofpiecesofwoodenfurnitureforalivingroomincludingTVandmediabinedwithstorageunits,abookshelf,adeskandacoffeetablecouldrangeapproximatelybetween350and1900Euro.AreasonablepriceforalivingroomofferedundertheCTClabelshouldbearound2500Euro. ApossibleaveragepriceforaCTCbedroomforchildrenincludingonesinglebed,adesk,onearmoirewith3doors,2shelves,abookshelfandachestofdrawerscouldbesetequalto2000Euro,whilstaroughestimationforalivingroomofferedundertheCTClabelincludingTVandmediabinedwithstorageunits,abookshelf,adeskandacoffeetableshouldbearound2500Euro. 472P.Pedrazzolietal. ANetworkofMini-factoryTheCTCmini-factoryfindsitsideallocationintheEuropeanshoppingmalls.TheevolutionoftheEuropeanretailenvironmentcallsformoreshoppingcentrespaceinthenearfuture:itwasestimatedbyExperian[9]thattheretailindustrywouldhavebeenthethirdfastestgrowingindustrybetween2005and2016withanaveragegrowingrateof2.6%peryear.Consideringboththeircurrentbaseandthedevelopingpotentialities,themallscanbeconsideredasafertilegroundforthepropagationoftheCTCmini-factoryproductionmodelinEurope.Theselectionofthelocationforinstallingthefirstmini-factoriesiscrucialtogettheexpectedresults.Italy,UKandFrancearethebestcandidates:theirhighnumberofshoppingmalls[10]isaproofthatcustomersaremoreusedtovisitshoppingmallsandareprobablymoreenthusiastictoexperienceshopping-relatednovelties. Inordertoidentifyareasonablenumbersofmini-factoriesinthehypotheticalworkthatcouldmakethebusinessmodelaprofitableandessfulone,themainpetingintheconsumer“do-it-yourself”marketsectorattheEuropeanlevelhavebeenusedasareferencepoint(i.e.Bricocenter,LeroyMerlin,Obicenter,Castorama).Ontheonehand,theproductionanddeliverymodeusedbytheCTCconceptisunique:paniesconsideredpetitorsintermsofproducttypesandvolumesusedifferentsalechannelsandworkstructurecouldn’trepresentavalidreference.Ontheotherhand,thechoiceofbasingthefactoryintheshoppingmallmakesitnecessarytotakeintoconsiderationfeaturescharacterizingtheretailworldandtheiradaptationtotheCTCconcept.Usingthespecializedchainsbasedonthe“do-it-yourself”modeseemsagoodchoicesince,thoughtheirofferisbasedoncatalogues,itcouldbeassumedthattheircustomerssharesomeinterestswiththeonestargetedbytheCTCmini-factory.Customerswholikethe“do-ityourself”productspayattentiontothesustainabilityaspectandarewillingtospendtimetochooseponentsandtoputtheirowneffortstogettheproductthatatthebestfitswiththeirneeds.Consideringthelevelofdiffusionofthe“do-ityourself”chainsinEuropeandassumingthattheCTCworkwillbe,atleastinthemediumterm,itisreasonabletoassumethat,in5-yeartime,anoverallnumberof150-180CTCminifactorieswillbeoperatingindifferentEuropeancountries.Theopeningofanaverageof30centresperyearisalignedwiththeexpectedeffortstoinstallanewminifactory.Theoverallexpectedeconomicimpactcanbequantifiedapproximatelyin360mlnEuroofearlyturnovergeneratedbyaworkof150units.Thisvaluecorrespondstoa3%marketshareinvalueoftheEuropeanmarketforthetwosegmentsofinterest(bedroomsandlivingrooms).Thisesteemislikelytounderestimatethebusinessofthemini-factorysinceasmartcapacitymanagementpolicycouldgenerateadditionalturnoverbysaturatingtheavailablecapacityproducingpiecesoffurnitureforthirdparties.Wideningthescope,alesseasilyquantifiable,yetimportant,businessvolumeisinducedinthesupplychain.Inthisphaseoftheanalysisitisnotpossibletoprovideprecisevalues,but,forsure,itwillcontributetoamplifytheCTCimpactattheEuropeanlevel. AnInnovativeProductionParadigm473 5Conclusion Thispaperfirstprovidedanoverallunderstandingofanewparadigminfurnitureproduction,basedonthelocalflexiblemanufacturingofgreenpersonalizedfurnitureclosetothecustomerintermsoffeaturesoffered(customization),placeoffabrication(mini-factoryintheshopping-mall),timetodeliver(logisticsarrangements),andcost(fromcustomizationtomass-customization).ItthenfocusedontheimpactthatsuchaparadigmwillhaveonEuropeaneconomyonceimplemented.Whilestillenduringpetitionandrelocation,Europeishelessamajorplayerinfurnitureonaglobalscale,wherepersonalizationandsustainabilitywillrepresentakeystrategyforitsfuturedevelopmentandess.WhereastheCTCparadigmisimplementedandtestedinthewood-workingsector,theprojectconsortiumfirmlybelievesthatnewbusinesssolutionsmeanttoempowerconsumersasdesigners,manufacturerstoproduceinadistributedandsmallscalemanner,andsupplierstobemoreflexibleanddemand-drivenwillbemandatoryformostEuropeanindustrialsectors. References
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