CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

April, 16, 2009

Product News

New Version of Lectra's Software Suite for MFC Furniture Automated Leather Cutting System Improves Productivity for Upholstered Furniture Manufacturers

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials—textiles, leather, industrial fabrics, and composite materials—, is pleased to announce the release of the new V2R3 version of its software for the MFC Furniture solution, designed for professionals in the upholstered furniture industry that use or cut leather.

In today’s globalized and fiercely competitive marketplace, Lectra supports upholstered furniture professionals in their quest for greater productivity, flexibility, and control. The company’s solutions enable its customers to maximize their production output and thereby keep up with the increasing frequency of collection renewals. Lectra also helps industry professionals optimize their industrial processes by monitoring and analyzing data generated by equipment, operators, and suppliers in order to reduce production costs.

Piloted by this new software, the MFC Furniture cutting system stands out among the competition for its ability to maximize material savings by reducing leather consumption while respecting specifications for the finished product. It guarantees flawless cut quality and shortened production times, regardless of the business environment, production methods, or type of leather to be cut.

New V2R3 software suite for MFC Furniture: technological innovations that benefit users

With the new V2R3 software, the MFC Furniture automated cutting system now integrates optimized nesting methods. This upgraded package provides improved tools for cut order management, is easier to use, and includes a particularly comprehensive and powerful range of options.

Optimized nesting methods

The new V2R3 MFC Furniture software enables users to optimize the overall efficiency of the MFC Furniture cutter through nesting software available in LaserNest, AutoNest, and now ExpertNest formats.

LaserNest is Lectra's interactive nesting method which allows the operator to place pattern pieces on the hide using laser projection. Innovations in this new version of LaserNest permit even relatively inexperienced users to achieve greater efficiency when nesting patterns. The system is now simpler and more automated, making interactive nesting "intelligent" and limiting the number of repetitive and tedious tasks required.

AutoNest is Lectra's method for automatic nesting of pattern pieces on a hide. The quality of nest achieved with this automatic method has been maximized through improvements in the accuracy of image capture and processing as well as contour and flaw recognition, regardless of the color of the hide.

ExpertNest: Lectra’s unrivaled new nesting method

The new MFC Furniture V2R3 software is particularly noteworthy for the inclusion of a completely new and original nesting method: ExpertNest. A technological breakthrough without precedent on the market, ExpertNest enables companies to significantly increase their competitive advantage.

Until recently, there were only two ways of nesting pattern pieces onto hides. Professionals could perform nesting automatically with AutoNest or interactively, with LaserNest. Now they can make the most of a perfect combination of these two nesting methods. Once the first pattern pieces have been nested by an operator using LaserNest, AutoNest’s automatic nesting system can take over and complete the hide.

MFC Furniture is the only solution on the market to offer this combined nesting technique which meets the most essential requirements of upholstered furniture manufacturers.  They are now able to process all types of leather—natural, semi-aniline, printed, or corrected. What’s more, companies can choose, at any time in the process, the method most suited to their production, regardless of the styles and models to be produced or the organization of their plant.

ExpertNest guarantees significant improvements in productivity. Its combined nesting technique can generate an increase in productivity of up to 15% compared to LaserNest’s interactive nesting method.

New V2R3 software suite for MFC Furniture ensures better cut order management

The new MFC Furniture V2R3 software package also enables companies to manage cut orders better through the use of bar codes which guarantee total traceability of cut pieces, from the supplier through to the delivery of the finished product.

Automatic updating and archiving of cut orders, a simplified user interface, and a greater number of options for the definition of hide and piece characteristics make the management of cut orders easier and thus reduce the risk of errors.

Greater user-friendliness

New functions have been added to the V2R3 software, and existing options have been improved. The new package is more user-friendly: it is more manageable and can be configured to correspond to users’ needs. It can be adapted to their working methods and programmed to take the company’s physical and logistical production constraints into consideration. This flexibility ensures seamless integration into the company’s business environment. To provide further support, a more practical, straightforward, and comprehensive online assistance tool is available to help develop users’ skills and optimize use of the application.

A wide range of powerful functions

A more powerful and comprehensive range of options for nesting simulation and reporting has also been added to the new MFC Furniture V2R3 software. They can be used both to optimize nesting parameters based on real production data and also to select the best possible combination of variants and models for improved productivity. Thus, a better combination of results enables the software to achieve unrivaled accuracy when estimating costs and material savings. The reporting option has also been enhanced through the addition of new graphic tools for more precise analysis which, as a result, allow for greater control of production data.

In line with Lectra's customer support strategy, the new MFC Furniture V2R3 software suite is accompanied by a range of high value-added professional services delivered by Lectra's business and solutions experts.

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