ICT and e-Business Impact in the Furniture Industry - empirica

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ICT and e-business impact in the furniture industrysector, remote access is available to about 50% of the sector's employees. Diffusion ofremote access is only 24% in firms with 10-49 employees but raises up to 56% in firmswith 50-249 employees and to 67% in firms with 250 or more employees. The practice ofremote access to company network is probably related to the diffusion of PDAs, mobilephones, laptops and other portable devices, in combination with developments in Wi-Fitechnology, especially among the sales force, which is usually numerous and widelydistributed over the territory. Currently, these systems are mostly used by largeenterprises. However, companies of any size can take advantage from this kind ofapplications as they increase flexibility and shorten supply chain processes.Use of internal networksThe use of ICT to connect computers internally to a company network (Local AreaNetworks – LAN) is quite diffused, even for small firms, 67% of which use this technology(see Exhibit 3.1-3). The diffusion of Wireless LAN (W-LAN) technology has surged inrecent years across all the sector analysed in the e-Business Watch. Currently, almosthalf (47%) of employees in the furniture sector work in companies that operate a W-LAN.In large firms, the adoption rate has reached 66%. The increasing importance of wirelesstechnologies and internal mobility in this industry is driven by the type of organisation ofactivities: cooperative projects for the development of products, sales people accessingdata off the internet or from the corporate database for commercial purposes, usage ofwireless devices for trade shows and fairs, where inherent mobility and easy setup arestrong assets.Exhibit 3.1-3: Internal networks used (2007)Weighting scheme:% ofempl.LAN W-LAN Website Intranet% offirms% ofempl.% offirms% ofempl.% offirms% ofempl.% offirmsFurniture (EU-7) 84 71 47 30 87 79 45 31NACE 36.12+13 84 72 54 34 94 88 50 32NACE 36.14 84 70 44 28 83 75 43 30Furniture – USA 91 83 68 47 87 91 45 46Furniture – by size (EU-7)Small (10-49 empl.) 67 25 76 26Medium (50-249 empl.) 89 52 92 51Large (250+ empl.) 100 66 93 63Other sectors (EU-7)Chemical 95 82 58 38 89 84 69 43Steel 94 78 49 30 90 79 71 36Base (100%) all all all AllN (Furniture, 2007, EU-7+USA)761 761 761 761Questionnaire reference A4a A4b A4c A4dThe survey was conducted in 7 EU Member States (DE, FR, IT, ES, PL, SE, UK) and in the USA.Source: e-Business Surveys 2007 by the SeBWICT skills requirementsNearly 20% of firms employ ICT specialists; only 9% reported that they experienceddifficulties in recruiting qualified resources in this area. There are no differences across41
ICT and e-business impact in the furniture industrysize classes. The findings indicate that the shortage in ICT skills is not an issue in thissector. Interestingly, 64% of firms –and 61% of small companies- have made ICTinvestments in the past 12 months.Exhibit 3.1-4: ICT skills requirements and investments (2007)Weighting scheme:Employ ICTpractitioners% ofempl.% offirmsHaveexperienceddifficulties infindingqualifiedpractitioners% ofempl.% offirmsSay that e-business has asignificantimpact onskillsrequirements% ofempl.% offirmsHave made ICTinvestments inpast 12 months% ofempl.% offirmsFurniture (EU-7) 33 18 7 9 53 39 75 64NACE 36.12+13 26 19 4 6 54 37 80 74NACE 36.14 36 17 8 10 53 40 72 60Furniture – USA 11 16 48 7 29 31 46 48Furniture – by size (EU-7)Small (10-49 empl.) 13 12 35 61Medium (50-249 empl.) 39 4 53 77Large (250+ empl.) 49 7 75 87Other sectors (EU-7)Chemical 45 22 21 15 40 36 83 72Steel 52 24 20 5 36 28 85 70Base (100%) All E1=1 All AllN (Furniture, 2007, EU-7+USA)761 152 761 761Questionnaire reference E1 E3 E5 E9The survey was conducted in 7 EU Member States (DE, FR, IT, ES, PL, SE, UK) and in the USA.Source: e-Business Surveys 2007 by the SeBW3.2 Integrating new product design with manufacturing,marketing and sales3.2.1 Introduction to product design issuesIn the furniture industry, design of new products is a complex process that involves asynthesis of elements related to comfort, aesthetics and resistance. Furnituremanufacturers face many challenges when designing and modelling new products, theseinclude the difficulty in exchanging and sharing information with the shop floor, as well aswith business partners, along the supply and sales chain. In addition, issues concerningsustainability and green design are becoming a very important part of the furniture designand production process. This is due both to regulation and to the need for a moreresponsible usage of materials, combining social needs and responsibility with a creativeinterpretation of contemporary aesthetic concepts and the skilled use of productionmethods.The use of integrated, ICT-supported furniture design procedures can be a realcompetitive advantage in this sector, where most designers have an aesthetic rather thana technical background.42
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