The bones of high-quality furniture—solid frames, enduring fabrics, strong seams, and functional design—are timeless. Furniture industry trends, including technology updates and changing upholstery, are bringing these bones to life in exciting ways for today’s gathering spaces. Navigating the furniture industry while balancing time-tested and trending, requires sound partners with decades of industry experience and a commitment to innovation.
Changes in Upholstery and Technology
With home furnishing industry trends changing quickly, manufacturers must prioritize reliable, versatile tools that allow them to produce quality products while adapting to customer wants and needs. Upholstery trends, as well as broader industry shifts, point to more casual furniture, durable outdoor fabrics, sustainable materials, and a focus on pieces designed for millennial renters.
Cotton, polyester, acrylic, leather, and foam are all time-tested staples of the furniture industry. How they’re used or what they look like may change; what hasn’t changed is the need to cut a range of materials quickly and efficiently. Advancing technology is further enhancing cutting solutions with a focus on automation, real-time monitoring, and sustainable manufacturing.
Thriving in Today’s Furniture Market
Furniture industry trends and quality pieces that stand the test of time are not mutually exclusive. Investing in a solid foundation supported by trusted partners is essential to success in a quickly changing industry directly impacted by global affairs. Eastman offers innovative, industry-specific solutions backed by unmatched customer service throughout the life of your cutting and handling machines.
The benefits of accurate, reliable, automated cutting equipment are many. The right solutions allow furniture companies to navigate trends while addressing very real manufacturing challenges.
- Combat labor shortages with automation, connected cutting rooms, and material handling solutions.
- Adapt to supply chain concerns with real-time monitoring, reduced material waste, and US-made machinery.
- Increase efficiency with automated equipment that maximizes throughput and accuracy.
Cutting Funiture Textiles
The right automated solution—sized and outfitted for your unique cutting room requirements—makes it possible to balance timeless and trending. Eastman’s C135 conveyor cutting system can be paired with inMotion™ software for continuous cutting and EasiHold™ for lofted material. The Talon, a multi-ply cutter, can cut up to 3 in. (7 cm) of compressed material.
Pair your automated cutting machine with material handling solutions tailored to your specifications. Eastman offers feeding systems, including a Power Cradle that offers precise edge control and continuous Power Feed. Spread flexible fabrics with the Blue Jay, which requires only one operator to lay and cut full rolls.
Dependable cutting equipment can quickly adapt to trending fabrics, designs, and consumer behavior with a flexible, modular software suite. cutCollect allows for cut part handling and collection and patternPRO enables pattern design. Eastman also offers solutions for pattern matching, bow and skew, and leather, as well as pattern digitization. Add OPC UA server capabilities for a truly connected facility that responds to the cutting environment in real-time.
These powerful solutions, all backed by Eastman’s best-in-class customer service and technical support, position us as a strong partner for companies navigating growth in the furniture industry. Eastman Machine Company’s cutting room expertise spans both textiles and time. We’ve long been a trusted partner of furniture manufacturers cutting various flexible fabrics. Eastman offers our customers more than 134 years of experience and a history of harnessing the latest technology, from the first electric cloth-cutting machine to smart manufacturing.
