With the INNOVAFUN project, the funStep standards solution is finishing the pilot phase and starting the practical implementation.
The Spanish furniture retailer, "El Corte Inglés", and "Electrolux", the world’s leading home appliance company have already begun to implement the funStep solution.

funStep will help “El Corte Inglés” furniture department to retrieve catalogue data in an improved way and thus enable the company to provide better service to the end consumer.

By receiving hundreds of printed catalogues, El Corte Inglés has had difficulty in proceeding on real time to offer interior decoration projects to the end consumer.
Each catalogue consists of product information and geometric data such as dimension, constitutive elements, colour sets, various shapes and materials. The funStep solution enables companies to handle this complexity of defining data information for any decoration project and home design.

“If the end consumer receives a real time solution based on his requirements and desires for his house, he will feel much more comfortable, having a prompt reply and better service. This is what funStep solution offers to furniture retailers and home decoration designers”, says Mrs Maria-José Núñez, AIDIMA (Spain), coordinator of the INNOVAFUN Project.

What is funStep?

"funStep" is a set of solutions (tools and services) facilitating the exchange of all kinds of furniture related data. It is developed on the basis of the international furniture sector standard, ISO 10303-236 “Furniture catalogue and interior design”, and aims at helping businesses in the furniture industry and research organisations improve their business processes.

“One of the main benefits of funStep is that its services enable businesses in the furniture industry to work faster using standards and not proprietary solutions; thus giving SMEs the possibility of moving more efficiently and cost-effectively”, added Maria José Núñez. “These interoperable standards facilitate new ways of working, enabling better integration of business processes within SMEs and in relation to external stakeholders.”

The funStep initiative, born in 1998, focuses on interoperability issues trying to ensure clear communication within the furniture value chain through Information Communication Technology (ICT).

“We have had different pilot implementations in different countries in order to show industry the possible benefits of implementing funStep solutions. Now, with the INNOVAFUN project, we have exactly what we need for real implementations and we no longer need “pilots”, concluded Maria José Nuñez.

“Furthermore, optimising the supply chain operation through higher standards is crucial for the industry so it may respond to the growing international competition and facilitate the access to the market for innovative solutions and products. Although targeted to the furniture industry, INNOVAFUN will deliver results to be used as a reference also in other services and industries targeted by the six Europe INNOVA Standards Networks” .