“Thinking of tomorrow, today” is the guiding principle of Technische Fachschule Bern, established in 1888 in the heart of Switzerland. With around 650 trainee spaces and a diverse range of courses, TF Bern stands as one of the country’s most renowned educational institutions. But this technical college goes beyond traditional training — it also functions as a production site. The college’s product offerings include a wide variety of furniture and interior fittings for both private and commercial clients. Trainees gain hands-on experience by creating products based on actual customer orders. HOMAG’s apps for the joinery trade play a crucial role in this training model and have long been a key component of the educational experience at TF Bern.
Using apps in a workshop gets more easier
Andreas Dürner, a Vocational Trainer in interior fittings, and the other teachers at TF Bern have been implementing digitalisation techniques for some time now with an eye to the future — with digital solutions from HOMAG playing a major role: “The apps and digital assistants from HOMAG are an integral part of our training curriculum from the very beginning. The trainees who come to us don’t know it any other way ! For them, it is normal to use digital products in everyday training,” says Andreas Dürner.
Creating prospects using a flexible yet tailored approach
TF Bern offers trainees a complete package, as both the technical college and the training workshop are located under one roof. The production of real orders is an integral part of training: “We combine theory and practice. The trainees receive practical training using real customer orders, so they get to experience what their professional lives will be like in future while they are still training,” says Dürner.
The focus of this training workshop is quality: “We aim to create premium products,” he continues. The trainees are taught in classes, allowing teachers to respond specifically to the needs and individual requirements of students. The capabilities of each individual can be optimally supported and the training can be flexibly designed to cater to their situation: “For example, we have had young athletes complete their training with us. The curriculum is adapted to their training plan and vice versa. We want to create prospects for every situation in life!” says Dürner.
Once trainees have finished their carpentry training, they have the opportunity to complete a second training course to allow them to learn more about, and work efficiently in, other areas such as work preparation.
Getting started with digitisation
TF Bern added digitalized production processes to its wishlist several years ago. The apps and digital assistants from HOMAG were exactly what the technical college was looking for. As a pilot customer for HOMAG, Andreas Dürner started this transformation by gradually introducing the digital solutions at the college. Starting with the cutting optimisation program (intelliDivide Cutting) and the edgeband assistant (Edgeband Management Set), Dürner quickly scored his first successes: “IntelliDivide cutting optimisation delivers great cutting patterns, is fast, and we were able to save a significant amount of money right from the start. Thanks to the edgeband assistant, we now have order instead of chaos and we finally have an overview of what is still available at the edge rolls.”
Consistency is the key
Production processes were not the only thing that the team at TF Bern wanted to change — they also wanted to digitalise their work preparation: “We have been looking for a system that clearly displays our orders for a very long time. When HOMAG productionManager was launched, we started using the free trial version straight away. Since then, we have integrated productionManager into our day-to-day work. Order lists and documents are now only available digitally. Another plus point is that we were able to continue to use our existing BORM ERP system without any problems, as HOMAG digital products can be easily integrated into existing software landscapes,” says Marc Kammermann, Vocational Trainer and Head of the Technical Office.
The entire HOMAG app portfolio is now being used throughout the production process, from work preparation to production and assembly, and is an integral part of the curriculum.
Thinking of tomorrow, today with digitilisation and networking
Digitalisation is firmly integrated into everyone’s everyday training — it’s fundamental to their approach. It is normal for the trainees to work with apps and they have a lot of fun with them. They find the HOMAG products easy to use and sometimes even give them tips!
The teachers at TF Bern are committed to ensuring that the trainees learn their “digital craft” during their time at the technical college. Dürner thinks it is important that the trainees are familiar with digital networking alongside their manual skills, as this allows them to understand the entire process. In addition to learning their trade, trainees are able to identify processes that still require optimisation and the steps needed to achieve this.
Read more news on: HOMAG, digitalisation, woodworking technology, cutting optimisation, intelliDivide, edgebanding
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