Application protocol: Furniture catalog and interior design ISO 10303-236:2006(E)
© ISO

Cover page
Table of contents
Copyright
Foreword
Introduction
1 Scope
2 Normative references
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations

4 Information requirements
  4.1 Business concepts and terminology
  4.2 Information requirements model
5 Module interpreted model
6 Conformance requirements

A EXPRESS expanded listings
B MIM short names
C Implementation method specific requirements
D Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS) proforma
E Information object registration
F Application activity model    AAM
G Computer interpretable listing
Bibliography
Index

4 Information requirements

This clause specifies the information required for the representation of furniture catalogs and placement of pieces of furniture into a decoration project.

The information requirements are defined using the terminology of the subject area of this application protocol.

NOTE  The information requirements correspond to those of the activities identified as being within the scope of this application protocol in Annex F.

4.1 Business concepts and terminology

This subclause describes the business context for the information required for the representation of furniture catalogs and placement of pieces of furniture into a decoration project.

The data planning model in Figure 3 provides an overview of the information requirements of this domain.

4.1.1 Motivations for the usage of ISO 10303-236

Clear communication between the different parts of the supply chain is at the heart of developing any business. Information technology (IT), which is part of the communication process, is becoming a higher priority as businesses seek to reduce costs, improve design time and manage production and inventory systems. This technology is provided by ISO 10303-236.

This IT can be used with great advantage, by manufacturers, to send and receive e-commerce documents in standardised format, to get easier access to new markets, to manage product data through all product life cycle phases and distribute product catalog data to retailers and e-marketplaces. These advantages give the possibility of reducing administration costs for handling of quotations, orders, etc. as well as the opportunity to have Internet catalogs and e-commerce on manufacturers websites. However, IT systems are often viewed with some scepticism as organisations seemingly spend large amounts of time and effort trying to communicate seamlessly with little result.

A key difficulty is that every furniture company is different, with different product ranges, designs and styles. As a result businesses develop custom made systems to facilitate their development. This costs money and requires knowledge, and many smaller furniture manufacturers and retailers do not have the resources and capabilities to develop custom made systems. Using external IT specialists can also be very costly.

Currently industry is characterised by a diffuse range of systems, which inhibits the development of trading partnerships, the development of products, software solutions and e-commerce. These barriers are recognised as factors restricting innovation and development of the furniture industry.

Another important consideration is that the furniture industry is increasingly becoming international with retailers buying from manufacturers all over Europe and further overseas, who in turn source their raw materials from domestic and overseas suppliers. Product data standards differ across countries. This way, by developing international product data standards, both national and international trade barriers will be reduced, thus resulting in an extension of the business opportunity across the supply chain.

For larger businesses the resourcing of IT systems and establishing international purchasing departments can be incorporated into the company’s business plan. But for a small business, such a prospect may appear somewhat daunting. This consideration affects the development of the furniture industry. The process of taking part must be made easier if the industry, as a whole, is to capitalise on the benefits of international sourcing and the application of IT. The way to do this is to develop standards that aim to enable all companies to use appropriate technology effectively.

As an example, if 8 clients from 8 different countries want to comunicate, it should not be necessary for them to know 8 different languages. A unique common language can be used by all (for example English) to communicate. This central language, known by all, can be considered a standard of communication between the 8 clients. This is what will happen with ISO 10303–236. There will be only one language/standard that every application will understand and use to communicate with each other. If in one sector, inter-company commercial communication use sectorial standards or if generic standards are applicable, the communication is easy and direct.

4.1.2 Why ISO 10303-236?

Standards are of great value to ease communication between all entities. The fact that standards allow an understanding and agreement between several entities will facilitate integration between companies and organizations. Next figure illustrates how the communication is eased in both directions from Manufacturer to Distributors, Retailers, Suppliers and Furniture Designers and vice versa. In this sense, a direct communication is established between all actors without the need of translating or modifying information.



Figure 4 —  Basic scenario

Figure 4 —  Basic scenario

This part of ISO 10303 is a foundation for data exchange in the furniture industry so all the software involved in manufacturing, designing and selling a product understands the same vocabulary. Thanks to this vocabulary, the manufacturer is able to share its product information with other industry partners. Customers demand more and more information every day and this information has to be complete, updated, understandable and without errors. Standards are the answer to this problem. This part of ISO 10303 aims to stimulate and accelerate innovation across the furniture industry. It brings together raw material suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, software houses and technology developers, from around Europe, to develop the state of the art within the industry. This involves:

4.1.3 Impact of ISO 10303-236

The impact when adopting this standard will extend the market reach of different organisations up and down in the supply chain, thus facilitating the development of partnerships. It will also encourage product development and will instigate just-in-time business philosophy across the supply chain. Finally it will develop integrated product life cycles and the creation of partnership networks.

4.1.4 Business benefits of ISO 10303-236

There are a number of business benefits companies engaging in the project can derive and these include:

4.1.5 Benefits of applying ISO 10303-236 in the furniture industry for furniture manufacturers and providers

It is expected that furniture manufacturers and providers will achieve the following benefits from applying ISO 10303-236 in the furniture industry:

4.1.6 Benefits of applying the ISO 10303-236 in the furniture industry for retailers

It is expected that furniture industry for retailers will achieve the following benefits from applying ISO 10303-236 in the furniture industry:

4.1.7 Benefits of applying the ISO 10303-236 in the furniture industry for technology providers (software houses and e-marketplaces)

It is expected that furniture industry for technology providers (software houses and e-marketplaces) will achieve the following benefits from applying ISO 10303-236 in the furniture industry:

4.2 Information requirements model

The detailed information requirements for this AP are defined in Clause 4 of the AP module (ISO 10303-436).

NOTE 1   The ARM EXPRESS index contains a complete list of all ARM objects identified in the information requirements in Clause 4 of the AP module (ISO 10303-436).

NOTE 2   The module index contains a complete list of all the modules used in the ARM of this part of ISO 10303.

4.2.1 Model overview

The following subclauses contain a business overview of the requirements contained in the AP module (ISO 10303-436) as represented in the following list of modules.

4.2.2 ISO 10303-436: AP236 furniture catalog and interior design

This application module shall be used to address the following areas of scope.

ISO 10303-436 specifies an Application Module (AM) for the representation of furniture catalogs including the shape representation of the products, expressions and the representation of interior design projects.

4.2.3 ISO 10303-1351: Catalog data information

This application module shall be used to address the following areas of scope.

ISO 10303-1351 specifies an implementation module that provides the definition for the main information data of a catalog, such as the definition of a product (and its different versions) and its specifications (the features of a piece of furniture that the customer can choose in order to select one product from another). This part of ISO 10303 describes the structure of the product (modular pieces of furniture or just pieces of furniture that can be decomposed in its components), the effectivity of the catalog itself or the prices of the products, the documents (hardcopies or digital files) exchanged that gives additional information about the product such as detailed information, pictures, technical drawings, and a classification of the products in order they can be found easily in a catalog depending on different search criteria.

4.2.4 ISO 10303-1352: Catalog data information and shape representation

This application module shall be used to address the following areas of scope.

ISO 10303-1352 specifies an implementation module for the representation of the catalog data information and the geometry of the products. It includes application modules for the representation of geometric models, surface conditions, geometric tolerances, dimensions that characterize the shape of product components.

4.2.5 ISO 10303-1353: Parameterized catalog data information

This application module shall be used to address the following areas of scope.

ISO 10303-1353 specifies an implementation module for the representation of the catalog data information and expressions. It includes application modules with the ability to specify product properties, such as the price, depending on other properties values.

4.2.6 ISO 10303-1354: Furniture interior decoration

This application module shall be used to address the following areas of scope.

ISO 10303-1354 specifies an implementation module for the representation of the catalog data information, the geometry of the products and interior decoration projects. In this implementation module the definition of geometry for the products should be defined in order the products could be located in room space correctly.

4.2.7 ISO 10303-1355: Parameterized catalog data and shape representation

This application module shall be used to address the following areas of scope.

ISO 10303-1355 specifies an implementation module for the representation of the catalog data information, the geometry of the products and expressions. It represents products with a great number of variants and whose composition is characterized with boolean expressions of operands selected in a set of product features and their geometry.



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