ZOW 2015: A networked value chain

Special exhibition area illustrates the potential offered by RFID technology in the furniture industry

[Bad Salzuflen, 6 November, 2014] Industrial manufacturing in the furniture industry is about to undergo a radical change: The demand for tailor-made products is also growing in the furniture sector, while, at the same time, delivery periods are expected to be as short as possible and prices should remain low. The individualisation of serially produced furniture is paving the way for the fourth industrial revolution - also referred to in Germany as Indus-trie 4.0. However, the shift away from assembly line production brings about, among other things, a greater degree of manufacturing complexity, which needs to be handled faultlessly and with short cycle times: "Optimising logistic processes and networked production is, therefore, all the more im-portant" stresses Horst Koitka, Director of abaco Informationssysteme GmbH based in Löhne. "An indispensable element in this case is RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification), which forms the basis for the consistent transparency of all logistic processes," explains Koitka, who will be acting as curator at the special exhibition area "RFID" at the forthcoming ZOW. This is where practice-oriented RFID applications will be presented up close which can be used to optimise these processes and procedures.

The client's desire for customised products does not stop short of the furniture industry, either. As a result, digitalisation along the entire value chain is becoming increasingly important - ultimately, smart production systems are in demand which can guarantee the smooth shift away from traditional serial production. However, customised serial production involves increased complexity in manufacturing, larger volumes of data and stronger interaction with the clients. Therefore, Industrie 4.0 also symbolises the optimisation of company structures and processes: In addition to managing this complexity, this also extends, for instance, to the increased networking of product and production data. It is precisely here that the wireless transmission technology RFID opens up new possibilities.

Information flow rather than data flood
Curator Horst Koitka has already lent his support to numerous furniture producers and component suppliers in the introduction of RFID technology into the corporate structure. The Director of abaco highlights the multifaceted areas of application of this identification system: "RFID is more than just the automatic recognition of products. This technology provides the impulse for holistically optimised individu-al production steps, whether in the field of machining, production or dispatch.

Everyone involved along the delivery chain will, therefore, be addressed at the forthcoming ZOW – the international fair for suppliers to the furniture and interior design industries: "Component suppliers, logistics specialists, manufacturers, logistic companies for new furniture as well as furniture dealers and shop fitters - all of these actors will benefit from the continuous communication made possible by RFID", remarks Koitka. The special exhibition area will illustrate the various possible areas of application of radio frequency identification using RFID chips: In this way, exhibitors and trade visitors will be presented with viable approaches for all process steps along the value chain - ranging from production to the goods issuing department at the plant through to the goods incoming department on the dealer's premises.

The special exhibition area RFID has already been an integral part of the business event organised by Clarion Events Deutschland since 2009. In 2012, for example, abaco joined forces with its partner company Fast Forward, also based in Löhne, to present the tagging process "abaTag": This process involves the RFID chip being integrated in the piece of furniture itself - the chip is, therefore, protected during the entire life cycle of the product and cannot be damaged from outside.
Particularly in light of the numerous areas of application in the synchronisation of information and the flow of materials, this transmission technology has become the key issue of the industry over the past few years.

With its clear focus on the exchange of knowledge and experience along the entire production chain, this year's ZOW will once again be offering exhibitors and trade visitors a high degree of value added - from design to production and logistics through to store presentation. The 21st edition of the international fair for suppliers to the furniture and interior design industries will be held at Bad Salzuflen Exhibi-tion Centre from 9th to 12th February 2015.

Clarion Events can trace its roots back to 1947 and takes great pride in being one of the oldest independent event organisers in the UK. More recently the firm has developed an international portfolio of brands and now has interests in a number of global vertical industries.

Clarion Events Deutschland GmbH
Ms Viola Hoffmann
Meisenstraße 94 | 33607 Bielefeld
T: +49 (0) 521 96533-67
E: viola.hoffmann@clarionevents.de
W: www.clarionevents.de

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This release was published on openPR.