Joinery association meets IndustryFusion

An open-source networking solution for the manufacturing industry and the skilled trades, which also addresses the requirements of small and medium-sized companies in particular: this is something that the carpentry association Tischlerverband NRW is also interested in. A joint workshop was held to explore how IndustryFusion-X can also help the woodworking industry move forward in terms of digitalization.

The carpentry trade association of North Rhine-Westphalia represents around 3,500 small and medium-sized craft businesses and is committed to the interests of its companies in a variety of ways - from training and further education to state-wide public relations work and expert advice for its members. Among other things, the association is currently working intensively on the regulatory challenges that companies will face as part of the EU Data Act. At the same time, an analysis of the entire woodworking process - from the customer order to the assembly of the piece of furniture - is on the agenda with regard to potential for improvement. "These are both issues that can be efficiently addressed with intelligent networking and digitalization of the entire manufacturing process - and this is precisely where our open source solution IndustryFusion-X comes in," says Fabio Oettl, Managing Director of the non-profit IndustryFusion Foundation.

With this in mind, representatives of the foundation and the trade association recently met in Dortmund for a two-day workshop. They discussed a data room concept for the timber industry based on the IndustryFusion-X open source networking solution. The insights gained were deepened during a company visit to Bröker - a modern joinery in Winterberg, Sauerland. Among other things, the focus was on evaluating the interfaces of the heterogeneous machinery; the major challenge of existing format breaks between different software systems was identified. "Our goal is to build a trustworthy data room together with all the players involved in the value chain of our joinery businesses. We are currently developing specific value-added use cases for this, and the Foundation could be one solution," says Dr. Fabian Schnabel, Innovation and Technology Officer at the trade association.

The next step will now be to explore what concrete cooperation between the industry association and the Foundation could look like in the future. "In terms of the objectives addressed, IndustryFusion-X offers exactly the right solutions - from our unique IFF ProcessDataTwin to the fully automated digital product passport. However, these must be tailored precisely to the specific requirements of the timber industry," explains Fabio Oettl.

 

At a two-day workshop, representatives of the foundation and the NRW carpentry association will discuss how IndustryFusion-X can advance the wood industry in terms of digitalization.

 

During the company visit to Bröker - a modern joinery - the interfaces of the heterogeneous machinery were analyzed.

 

The next step will be to explore what concrete cooperation between the industry association and the Foundation could look like in the future.