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Gerber AutoMatch™ Increases Throughput by 75%; Cuts Labor Costs in Half

Debuting at IFAI Expo, Fully Automated Solution Boosts Upholstery Pattern-Matching Precision

TOLLAND, CONN., USA, OCT, 20, 2016 – AutoMatch, a revolutionary layout and cutting solution that helps furniture manufacturers preserve visual continuity in their finished products, debuted at the 2016 Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Expo, October 18-21 in Charlotte, N.C. The fully automated system is the latest in a long line of innovations from Gerber Technology, the world leader in integrated software and automation solutions for apparel and industrial markets.

Gerber’s AutoMatch comes with some impressive statistics: The system increases throughput by up to 75% and helps manufacturers reduce labor costs by as much as 50%. AutoMatch utilizes advanced digital imaging technology to ensure that patterns such as stripes, plaids and other complex designs continue seamlessly from one cut piece to the next.

“Pattern continuity is the hallmark of quality upholstered furniture,” says Tom Gordon, director, product management at Gerber Technology. “However, ensuring continuity can be extremely time consuming and prone to errors, adding significant time and cost with wasted materials and labor associated with re-cutting.”

The AutoMatch technology captures a piece of fabric in a single digital image and automatically corrects for placement errors, pattern repeat variations and distortions. AutoMatch is accurate and repeatable, and most importantly, it can help furniture manufacturers slash costs over conventional methods that rely on teams of operators to manually align patterns before cutting.

Traditional matching methods require highly-skilled workers and rely solely on the human eye for accuracy. In addition to being time consuming, the manual system is costly and more likely to result in waste as a result of poorly matched patterns. By contrast, AutoMatch takes human error out of the equation.

In addition to ensuring greater accuracy, AutoMatch helps manufacturers save on labor costs: The system utilizes a single operator, and – unlike the manual alignment method – it does not require extensive training or labor skilled in furniture design and pattern matching.

“Gerber developed AutoMatch as a direct response to pain points experienced by furniture manufacturers,” Gordon says. “I can’t think of a better, more appropriate setting to unveil it to the public.”

Visit Gerber Technology in booth 1529 at the Charlotte Convention Center to see AutoMatch and other industry-leading solutions that help ensure accuracy, optimize productivity, maximize material utilization and minimize labor costs.

The IFAI Expo is North America’s premier industrial fabrics event. Each year, the expo provides attendees with opportunities to network with others and stay up to date on the technical textile industry’s latest innovations, products, and best practices. For more information about the 2016 expo, visit www.ifaiexpo.com.

About Gerber Technology

Gerber Technology delivers industry-leading software and automation solutions that help apparel and industrial customers improve their manufacturing and design processes and more effectively manage and connect the supply chain, from product development and production to retail and the end customer. Gerber serves 78,000 customers in 130 countries, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies in apparel & accessories, home and leisure, transportation, packaging and sign & graphics. The company develops and manufactures its products from various locations in the United States and Canada and has additional manufacturing capabilities in China.

Based in Connecticut in the USA, Gerber Technology is owned by AIP, a New York based, global private equity firm specializing in the technology sector and has more than $3.0 billion assets under management. Visit www.gerbertechnology.com for more information.