What does the manager of the future look like?

Nika Machinery first learned about Ditrama - Digital Transformation Manager in 2019 when representatives of Transilvania University of Brasov visited their stand. The project, which aimed to train professionals capable of guiding companies towards their digital transformation, was in its infancy and the presence of specialists with close links to manufacturing would have helped by providing real market intelligence. Exclusive dealer in Romania of Cabinet Vision, complete design and production software for custom furniture, Nika Utilaje had the specialists and technical expertise needed. But before we get to the results of this collaboration, let's first look at how the Ditrama programme came about, who the partners are and what they aim to do. Professor Dr.ing Lidia Gurău told us about the programme and its link with Transylvania University.

What is Ditrama and why was this programme needed?

Currently, the furniture sector is strongly affected by specific challenges/threats: competition from cheap labour countries, ageing workforce, weak attraction of young people and so on. In order to grow, the sector needs to be transformed by developing new technologies in the framework of the 4th industrial revolution, Industry 4.0. It is the main way to regain the competitiveness and attractiveness of young talent.

There are many technologies now aimed at improving the efficiency of furniture manufacturing, such as the industrial internet of smart things, big data analytics, cloud computing, system and device integration and sensing, cybersecurity, robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, blockchain, virtual, augmented and mixed reality, simulation technologies and digital twins. This means that furniture manufacturers are more concerned with identifying and understanding the most appropriate technologies to get the best results.

In this direction, DITRAMA aims to train the professional capable of leading the progressive introduction of these technologies into the company's processes (supply processes, design and processing processes and distribution/delivery processes), through a direction that respects the company's know-how and overall growth strategy. Thus, the project materialised in a freely accessible online course, which you can watch below,

Transilvania University of Brasov - partner of the Ditrama project

The idea of developing an interactive, online and accessible course came from the Spanish coordinator of the programme, CENFIM, who launched the initiative by co-opting the partners he wanted to work with. Thus, we became 12 partners, from 8 countries, eager to explore this theme especially through the needs of the sector in each country involved. The aim was to define the profile of the new professional, the Digital Transformation Manager for the mobile sector by developing a multimedia training programme (MOOC).

The 36-month project is a collaboration of 12 partners from 8 different European countries from academia, business, applied research and training in an integrated synergy, in response to the need for companies to entrust the definition and implementation of their technological innovation strategy to a company professional.

"The team of the Faculty of Furniture Design and Wood Engineering, part of the DITRAMA project, would like to take this opportunity to thank NIKA Utilaje for their exemplary involvement in supporting both the development of course materials and the continued popularization of the project results. The DITRAMA "network" thus materialises in an inspiring linkage along the path of digitalisation between the educational environment and the real world of companies in the field". Lidia Gurău - DITRAMA team

Cabinet Vision - furniture programming software made available to the University by Nika Utilaje

The request to collaborate with Nika Utilaje came naturally because, in the project's theme division, Transilvania University of Brasov tackled, among other topics, the area of furniture design. The DITRAMA course also includes a case study of the implementation of the Cabinet Vision programme at Flory Design under the brand Gabxa. Flory Design was even among the first Cabinet Vision implementations in Romania, and the company's representatives came up with many examples of how the program helped them in their daily work in the workshop.

Cabinet Vision is a complete custom design program for furniture and has functions dedicated to working with solid wood as well as chipboard and MDF. It is modular software, with solutions for simple machine shops and complex, fully automated factories. It is used by more than 35,000 users in 50 countries and is the market leader in solutions for custom furniture manufacturers. In addition to highly realistic design and rendering, Cabinet Vision can fully automate and integrate design into the production process, no matter what level the manufacturer is at - beginner or highly advanced. Automatic transfer of files to production is done with Screen to Machine Center (S2M), software that takes the machining information visible on the screen and transmits it to the CNC or other computer-aided machines.

Examples of Cabinet Vision use:

• the design of any type of furniture;
• design of furniture pieces;
• photorealistic renderings and perspectives;
• price offers for the customer;
• customised drawings and reports;
• optimised cutting lists and bills of materials;
• barcode labels;
• G-Code files

"We are glad to be able to support the activity of Transylvania University, especially through such projects that aim to innovate in the field of woodworking. We believe that for every challenge there is a simple solution, and this is proven once again by the DITRAMA course. We invite you to attend the course and benefit from the technologies of the future today." Adrian Broșiu - Technical Director NIKA Utilaje