Furniture Transylvanian Cluster started the construction of the Center of Excellence for Furniture an ambitious project for the furniture industry in Romania and Europe, but also one of the most important development and applied research projects.
This project will be implemented in Cluj-Napoca at the Cluj Innovation Park, covering an area of 4,000 square meters. It is financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Competitiveness Operational Programme.
During various discussions about supporting the furniture industry, it became apparent that there was a lack of research being conducted. As a result, the idea of establishing research centers that would be jointly operated by multiple companies was proposed.
This way the Center of Excellence for Furniture has become a mature project in implementation, 4 years after the launch of this challenge, precisely to support indigenous development through experimental research, innovation and digitisation. The upcoming building will feature ten laboratories, including a "future factory" hall focused on developing materials and R&D solutions, as well as prototyping, testing, and preparing products resulting from R&D activities for production launch.
The funding of approximately 30 million lei received through the Competitiveness Operational Programme represents 50% of the initial investment and the first stage of preparation for operationalisation through operating services. The investment is co-financed by the Transylvanian Furniture Cluster and some of its partner members: Antares Romania – Scaune.ro, E-laborator, Basic Point, Hygia Consult, Tesagon and Serban&Asociații.
The center will have state-of-the-art IT equipment, powerful graphics stations and 3D printers for prototyping.
Whether it's modular furniture that can be reconfigured to fit any space, or office chairs with built-in sensors that detect if a person's posture is correct or if they've been sitting too long, and then transmit the data to a user's personal account, the future center will produce smart office, home, or lab furniture with lots of technology built in.
The Center of Excellence for Furniture is a project initiated by CMT members for the community of professionals in the furniture manufacturing industry, started in October 2022 and is due for completion in December 2023.
