The first step of digitalization in the joinery and carpentry trade usually means CAD/CAM. Löw Breidenbach Möbelbau joinery already uses the CAD/CAM design software SmartWOP, but is now going a step further by placing even more digital focus on what happens in the workshop by using productionManager.
Cabinet design in the blink of an eye
Founded in 2011 by Benjamin Löw and Thorsten Breidenbach, the joinery employs around 18 people at the 750 m2 workshop in Elchesheim-Illingen where its primary focus is on furniture and exhibition stand construction. Commissioned in 2018, the SmartWOP software enables master carpenter Jonathan Henkenhaf to easily design a cabinet. He can do this by dragging and dropping the basic volume into the editing window and assigning the exact dimensions from his drawing to it. He also places other elements using drag-and-drop and adds fittings and materials. After a few minutes, the work is completed and the cabinet is designed. The CNC programs are generated and are directly available for further processing.
Working in harmony: SmartWOP and productionManager
With just one click, the master carpenter transfers the data from SmartWOP directly to the productionManager digital order folder from HOMAG. The entire order, including all details such as the order status and parts list, is available in productionManager and can now be released for production.
Production status in real time
The Löw Breidenbach team did not have an overview of which order items had been processed and to what extent. productionManager has now remedied this problem. Several stations in production report completed processing steps directly to productionManager, either automatically or manually. At the Löw Breidenbach joinery, the panel-dividing saw and the CNC machine already do this automatically. This eliminates manual work steps for the machine operator. At other stations, such as the edge banding machine or in assembly, feedback is provided via tablets and scanners. Processing progress is automatically available in real time in productionManager. Every employee, whether in the office, in the workshop or on assembly, can keep an eye on the order status and the progress of the order at all times.
"We have been working with productionManager for a few weeks now and are getting on well with it. We're glad to finally be able to plan better and, if necessary, intervene in a controlled manner," Benjamin Löw enthuses.
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Digital operation from work preparation stage to production: Löw Breidenbach relies on SmartWOP and productionManager
“Until a few weeks ago we still lacked a pivotal tool for truly digital operation. Everyone in the team was already using SmartWOP to design their own orders and to generate all the production data for them. But it wasn't possible to keep track of how things went from there. We've now found a solution: productionManager, the digital job folder from HOMAG. It harmonizes with SmartWOP and delivers what it promises.”Benjamin Löw, Managing Director and Master Carpenter, Löw Breidenbach Möbelbau GbR.