Hexagon is a Sweden-based global leader in IT services and consulting that offers digital reality solutions in the manufacturing sector. Already a force to reckon with in the automobile and aerospace industries, its relatively new foray into furniture manufacturing is no less ambitious.

According to Hexagon India’s Managing Director, Sridhar Dharmarajan, the furniture manufacturing industry in the country is entering a “phenomenally exciting age” with a huge domestic demand to meet and very lucrative export markets to tap.

“Capital expenditure was a handicap until a decade ago,” Sridhar says, “But with funds flowing into India, we have the potential to even replace China in the furniture sector. India is already the fifth-largest furniture producer in the world.”

What does Hexagon offer furniture manufacturers? It begins with training and assimilation in simulated product design, material, and quality assurance – entire product ranges can be made, refined and readied for production using virtual reality (VR).

Next comes the VR prototyping, to measure and test the product, to compare its perceived quality versus performance quality. Here, artificial intelligence (AI) comes into the picture to make sense of the huge amount of data collected in the process.

AI addresses itself to answering questions about material and design, reducing material waste and gaining machining efficiencies, increasing productivity and following best industry practices – in the simulated (digital) world initially, and eventually in the physical dimension of the manufactured product.

According to Sridhar, Hexagon’s software portfolio – from design, prototype testing, manufacturing and even retail – can bring furniture faster to the market. It also offers versatility in terms of material and design of the products.

In short, says Sridhar, “We are putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, and quality across industry-scale design, manufacturing, infrastructure, safety and mobility applications.”

How does Hexagon deliver these technology enablers to the furniture maker? The company has physical classes – typically lasting a week – at its offices in Pune and Bengaluru. These can also be customised to fit into group training on clients’ factories.

These training sessions are also offered online, in the e-learning version, for product designers, machine operators, production managers and quality assurance personnel. Hexagon’s open-code system can cater to all makes of furniture manufacturing machinery, Sridhar assures us. For more information, visit http://hexagon.com.

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