Bia Software, the first Romanian software for online configuration of custom furniture

Nika Machinery created the first Romanian 100% software for online furniture configuration - BIA Software - which transfers the whole process online. This allows factories to make their showrooms online at lower and more affordable costs, and customers can model the fixtures to set up their room by finding out the price of the furniture in real time. When the configuration is complete, the software transfers the information directly to production, reducing time and streamlining the whole process.

Why such a programme was needed

After the technological advances the industry has benefited from in recent years, digitisation of production was the next logical step. Pandemic was a kind of litmus paper that highlighted the need for digitisation in all areas and showed its benefits. Brutally faced with the impossibility of coming into direct contact with the customer many manufacturers understood that the solution could come from online. Thus the need arose for software that facilitates the meeting between customer and manufacturer or between collaborating companies and streamlines production by reducing the time from order to production and eliminating the costs of setting up and running a physical shop.

Nika Machine has made BIA Software based on requests from customers who knew their skills in the field. The demand came because of their need to digitise and to remove the limitations that physical stores had. The development of such a program was based on Nika Utilaje's experience and skills in furniture design software solutions and is aimed primarily at custom furniture manufacturers.

How the program works

BIA Software is structured on two interfaces, one for the beneficiary and the other for the factory. In the customer interface we find functions for:

• room sizing
• location of fixtures in the room,
• resizing bodies,
• partitioning of buildings,
• selection of materials and accessories,
• real-time price view,
• order placement.

Basically, after signing up for an account in the app, the customer logs in and first sizes their room to be identical to the one they want to furnish. Then they enter the room and start adding fixtures. There is a library of fixtures created by manufacturers according to their preferences. These are either fixed fixtures or fixtures that can be resized and recompartmentalised by the user. To each of these, the factory can attach a photo of its actual image.

Unlike other applications, BIA Software allows you to resize and partition these fixtures. For all the bodies you can choose the material and colour you want and accessories such as handles, hinges or slides. The limits within which the customer can move in terms of choice are set by the factory. For each body, material or accessory added, the program shows the price of the furniture in that version. Once it is placed, the factory can intervene to point out any errors. Once the final version of the furniture is set the order is placed.

The factory interface has functions related to the creation of elements required for the customer's design, limitations placed on the customer and functions related to the transmission of information to production. The factory interface functions are:

• rules for the construction of bodies,
• price calculation,
• creation of libraries,
• limitation settings for the client (e.g. no higher than..., no wider than...),
• production reports,
• Vision+CNC Cabinet integration

There are two possibilities for launching the order into production: production reports with the type, material and dimensions of the bodies, parts list with the dimensions of each part in the case of machining with conventional machines, or importing the project and sending it to computer-controlled machines (CNC), in this case the program is integrated with the Cabinet Vision software.

A practical demonstration of how the software works can be found at here (demo from min.15).

What advantages does BIA Software bring to the factories where it is implemented?

One of the most important advantages is cost reduction. The costs of an online shop are much lower than a physical one. It also reduces the need for qualified staff.

BIA Software streamlines production by reducing the time it takes to process an order. The software allows the customer to design their own furniture, reducing the time it takes to do so. It also sends all processing information directly to production, eliminating human error.

Using the program allows digitization of business and targeting more potential customers. If a physical shop is only visited by customers in the vicinity, an online shop can be accessed by customers from hundreds of kilometres away.

The program will allow accurate costing, for both the beneficiary and the factory. Another advantage is that the factory will know at the time of placing the order all the materials needed and their costs.

How you can benefit from this programme

The software has been designed to be very easy to implement. All the databases are hosted on the Nika Utilaje server, at the factory there is only one file on the server and one link on the website. This also has the advantage that updating is done immediately and easily. And speaking of updates! Nika Utilaje will be coming with updates very soon. One will be the introduction of milled MDF panels in the configuration. More details will be coming soon. - Adrian Broșiu, Sales Director Nika Machinery

In order to be accessible to factories with different levels of development, BIA Software has been structured in 3 modules:

• Online showroom - for companies in the early stages of digitisation. In this case the factory interface outputs production reports in PDF format.
• Connected showroom - for companies with a medium level of automation. Option for factories that have Cabinet Vision and BIA Software exports the project to Cabinet Vision and further to CNCs.
• Industrial - for companies with a high degree of automation. In this case BIA Software is supplied together with the Cabinet Vision license.

Regardless of the mode, BIA Sofware is provided as 3, 6 or 12-month monthly subscription.