GREENVILLE, S.C. — March 13, 2018 — The role of new technologies in the making of furniture and home furnishings products will be front and center at the next Home Furnishings Manufacturing Sourcing Expo this summer.
The show, July 18-19 at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, S.C., is specifically designed for American producers of furniture and home furnishings products looking for the latest in manufacturing machinery, technology and services. It is the second annual event for the show and represents the first time it will be held in the Carolinas, convenient to the industry manufacturing centers.
Exhibitors showing off the latest technology in systems and machinery will be featured attractions at the show, according to Expo organizers. At last year’s inaugural event, attendees said such companies were a key reason for attending. “We actually saw some things that excited us very much in the auto cutting exhibits,” said an attendee from Jackson Furniture Industries. “We saw a 3D-CAD program that was very impressive, and we are actually looking at making a purchase in that area.”
Among the technology-oriented companies already signed up to exhibit are Clarity Web Solutions, the Global Systems Group division of Leggett & Platt and SoftWear Automation.
The latter company, showing for the first time, will be bringing its fully automated robotic worklines that can be used for home goods as well as apparel and footwear.
According to Pete Santora, chief commercial officer for the Atlanta-based firm, SoftWear Automation will be showing its new “VR (virtual reality) lab using the HTC Vive headset that allows attendees to step into a facility and operate a to-scale virtual model of our workline for bath mats.”
SoftWear Automation will also be participating in the Exhibitor Presentations program, open to all Expo attendees. Santora said a key reason for exhibiting this year was the chance to show off its new systems. “Our worklines are expected to produce more than 30 million pieces for retail by the end of 2018 and we’ve very excited to meet the industry innovators in attendance.” The opportunities for domestic manufacturing are a prime driver for SoftWear Automation. “The ‘Sewlocal’ movement is part of our thought leadership and we’re committed to helping develop local supply chains and using our worklines to do it. “The industry has some challenging business model questions to tackle,” he continued. “I think many will focus more resources on supply chain and design for manufacturing initiatives.
“This year is going to be a great year for SoftWear and U.S. textile manufacturing will see another spike in growth.”
Registration is now open. For a complimentary pass, visit hfmse.com, click the registration button and enter promo code MyGuest.
More information on exhibiting and attending the HFMS Expo is available at hfmse.com or by contacting Lorie Gross, show director, at 404-449-4227, lorie.gross@expodevco.com
Posted March 13, 2018
Source: Exposition Development Co.
