CEN/ISSS workshop Advantages for the Italian furniture industry on the “funStep” model

1. CEN/ISSS workshop Advantages for the Italian furniture industry on the “funStep” model

2. The first discussions about “funStep” among the Italian furniture software suppliers were disappointing and no one was understanding really what is a “neutral data model”. Furthermore no one had experts available for participating to the analysis of the model. It was therefore clear that the furniture sector had not the resources for creating a completely new standard, but it was possible, due to the European research funds, the investigation about the use of the existing standards. General considerations about data modelling

3. The existing standards • The analysis made by the funStep project team of the existing standards demonstrated that a subset of AP214, Core data for [automotive] mechanical design processes, can be a candidate for representing furniture catalogue data. • Other useful standards were AP225, Building elements using explicit shape representation and Plib, Parts library. • The study of those standards by the funStep team was very long and difficult, but the results are positive.

4. STEP in the world • The monitoring of the diffusion of STEP in the aerospace and automotive industrial sector, that could be taken as a key for our marketing efforts was not encouraging: also in those fields the increasing of the rate of acceptance of STEP is very low. • It was clear in the “funStep” project team after the study of the data models that: • Each software company has his internal data model. • Any data model has a level of abstraction and validity: the assumption that every CAD can have a translator both directions to a “neutral” data model is not true

5. FunStep promotion in Italy • Notwithstanding the mentioned difficulties the positive results of the first validation works of the proposed model encouraged CLAC to study a strategy for promoting funStep in Italy • This strategy had to taken in account that the furniture industry in Italy is structured in a large number of small and medium enterprises, that no one has the resources available for participating actively in discussions about a “standard data model”, and that no one understand exactly what it is. • The general attitude is: “My data are my secrets and even the structure of those data is depending from my inventions”. • In this environment the common approach to STEP promotion (generic videos, general statements about the advantages of the use of a universal language , pilot demonstrations of data exchanges and so on) has little appeal to the companies and therefore no concrete results.

6. Decided strategy • Conclusions of the analysis of the standard: • The AP214 was defined by a group of experts of the major industrial companies of the world and incorporates the design and production experience of those companies. • The chosen subset for furniture data representation represents an high level data model for the furniture manufacturing companies and we think that its use will in the future improve the furniture CAD and software packages performances. • Therefore: • The standard can be presented as an help to the companies for the integration of their information systems and improve their performances.

7. Results of the chosen strategy • The presentation of the catalogue data model of “funStep” as an help to the company for integrating their information systems and improve their performances was successful. • FEDERMOBILI (the Italian Association of Furniture Retailer) was interested in its use. • CLAC was invited by FEDERMOBILI to check the use of the model with GPC, an Italian company, that offer a B2B service for automatic transactions between the manufacturers and their selling representatives.

8. Present work • The results of the work with GPC let CLAC validate more aspects of catalogue data representation • The validation is now going on with IN.TRES with equal positive results and new ideas about the model and the interoperability, as it was declared in the SMART meeting. • CLAC, FEDERMOBILI, IN.TRES and MISURAEMME, the Italian partners of SMART-fm, are now sure that pilot demonstrators can be realized using the “funStep” data model as a core structure for the furniture product data exchange among the different systems.

9. Proposed pilots

10. Advantages for “funStep” Interest group • The statement “Everything will be easier if everyone uses the funStep standard” represents only an hope and all what is happening in the STEP arena shows that the introduction of STEP by this way has a very low increasing rate. In our furniture sector may be even worse, due to the absence of large companies, that can impose the use of the standard. • By encouraging the use of “funStep” in real implementations, that can use it, FSIG will be able to show to all the furniture companies how the use of “funStep” can improve the performances of the information systems through more easy data integration.

11. Advantages for the Italian companies • The proposed integration can obviously be realized in a less expensive way without the use of “funStep”. • But the use of “funStep” will give the following advantages: • Each of the partners participating to the pilot can propose similar integration to different companies and those integration will be less expensive because only the new companies have to realize the needed translator to “funStep” • The use of a standard will be a selling point for the pilot participating companies

12. Advantages for standard promotion • The companies participating to the pilot are key players in the Italian furniture sector: • CLAC is the furniture organization located in Brianza, the most important district for high level furniture in Italy • FEDERMOBILI has now more than 300 retailers associated and they are rapidly increasing this number. • GPC (associated in this pilot with FEDERMOBILI) has now more than 20 manufacturers subscribers to his B2B service ARENA Furniture Channel and through the channel there are now more than 1 million Euro transactions per month. • IN.TRES is a well known CAD supplier and Misura Emme a well known manufacturer. • The standard will be well known immediately by all their customers and associates. • CLAC will have no problem in organizing effective promotion after the first results of the pilot.