Pierre Stoffberg – Innovare.
Modern furniture manufacturing has changed since the 1990s when stand-alone CNC machines with proprietary software from the same and different marques were incompatible. Today, interconnected design, materials scheduling, production control and monitoring, and inventory management processes form the foundation of competitiveness.
Twenty years ago, chunky code and incompatible file formats constrained designers. A dongle unlocked the software to enable CAD and CAM (computer-aided design and manufacturing) computer-aided design (CAD) language into a format compatible with the machine software.
Connectivity seemed out of reach as machine manufacturers vied for customer “loyalty” by locking them into their software brands. However, customer complaints and rapidly developing Industry 4.0 technologies are driving European woodworking machine manufacturers to build a new common language for their machines.
While the latest woodworking machines are networkable, older CNC machines used by furniture, case goods and kitchen manufacturers may remain incompatible and impact the firm’s competitiveness.
Pierre Stoffberg of Innovare says the solution lies in integrating and managing the production process, from design through quoting and invoicing, materials inventory and manufacturing to finished products and stock.
Drawing on his production experience and IT skills, he uses Pytha or Ardis to transform manufacturers’ various hardware and software systems into comprehensive production systems.
Several South African interior commercial, office, and home furniture manufacturers have used Ardis since 2015.
Pytha
Stoffberg says Pytha is ideal for small-scale businesses with one, maybe two CNC machines and front-end designs. “The software opens the doors for customised processing”.
“Pytha lets interior designers use 2D or 3D visualisation to present real-time walk-throughs for potential customers. It draws on up-to-date libraries of raw materials, hardware and consumables from suppliers like Blum and Grass to test combinations of different materials,” says Stoffberg.
The built-in estimation software generates cutting and parts lists in seconds and technical drawings in about five minutes. It writes the programmes for CNC beam saws and machines and can automatically generate labels and component drawings with a bar code if needed.
The cutting optimisation includes free-form parts nesting, and boring, grooving and routing patterns. “Pytha removes limitations on creativity and makes planning and production affordable for small manufacturers,” comments Stoffberg.
He advises larger companies with several CNC machines and those with MRP (material resource planning) and ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, and MES (manufacturing execution system) to opt for Ardis.
Ardis
Ardis stands for Applied Risk & Data Intelligence Solution. It is a modular system that lets customers focus on their current needs without limiting future expansion. Product versions support different complexity levels for small, medium and large businesses.
Stoffberg says in South Africa, most customers start with the Optimiser option and add the stock programme when ready to include their stock management processes. The Ardis modules include:
- Optimiser: Cutting patterns, nesting and third-party integration.
- Stock: Full inventory and offcuts automation with automated parts labels and time-tracking.
- Trade: An e-ordering platform ideal for cut-and-edge businesses. It allows the business’ clients and prospective clients to log into the system and get real-time quotes because the optimising and stock management systems are integrated
- Perform: Integrates the manufacturer’s MRP (material resource planning) system and MES (manufacturing execution system). It is the latest offering from Ardis and integrates capacity planning with a track and trace process.
When optimising, the Ardis software balances yield and cutting time to maximise value. It keeps optimised batches as large as possible and reuses offcuts with Ardis Stock software. Stoffberg says he has helped clients achieve up to 98% recovery from their boards
Cost optimisation maintains the right balance between yield and cutting time. For newer equipment, the logging happens automatically. When an operator scans a barcode, a picture of the part tells the operator what to do.
Every process step is closely monitored and guided so that fewer mistakes happen. Another innovative solution is the fully automated broken parts system. An operator can report a broken part digitally and reorder a new one, and the rework launches automatically.
The Ardis Perform solution limits work in progress and continues component sorting. When the MES detects a job nearing completion, it automatically generates a product sheet. It informs the operator of what must be picked and at which location.
“The beauty of the Pytha and Ardis software is that they are computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems compatible with all CNC software. It means all brands of CNC design and machine software can communicate,” Stoffberg explains.