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As lifestyles and demographics have changed in Japan, so has the furniture market. The desire for traditional furniture has given way to rising demand for customization. In addition, Japan’s shrinking population means competition between furniture companies has become even more intense. Furniture manufacturers must also boost flexibility and agility to keep up with rising demand for fast furniture. 

Karimoku previously relied on a traditional product development process that entailed manual creation of prototypes, heavy reliance on an upholsterer’s skill, and long validation cycles. The leather cutting process was also heavily dependent on worker skills. One worker was responsible for flaw identification, nesting and cutting. Operator training and ensuring that all workers had the same skill level was difficult.

Karimoku chose DesignConcept, ����AV’s CAD/CAM software, with the aim of significantly reducing product development and customization time. With DesignConcept, Karimoku will be able to reduce the number of physical prototypes and minimize lead time by simulating technical feasibility and production cost with virtual prototyping. Moreover, using DesignConcept will help Karimoku move towards its ultimate goal of establishing an in-store customization system.