Key Takeaway from the Hexagon Global Reseller Conference: Sustainability
Contributed by Planit President, Peter Mate.
I’m back from Hexagon’s annual Global Reseller Conference. It’s a chance to connect with colleagues from around the world and learn where Hexagon is going. I have a few key takeaways from this year’s GRC.
The woodworking industry is thriving worldwide. Combined with the labour shortage, this is driving software demand up significantly. Turning to technology is no longer a choice, but many shops are seeing it as the only viable option to continue to produce and grow. The advancements in technology are multi-faceted; we can produce more, with better quality, requiring fewer people to do mundane tasks, while offering the consumer more choices than ever.
As for Cabinet Vision, we’re expecting four releases per year going forward. We’ve arrived at the end of the major overhaul of the underlying structure. What does this mean? We should see easier transitions from version to version going forward. We should also see fewer bugs and more features than we’ve seen in the past. If you haven’t moved to version 2022, it would be a good idea to plan the migration sooner than later.
The keynote talked about CO2 and sustainability. We’ve pumped a lot of CO2s out into the atmosphere, in the past 30 years especially. We now have the task of reversing that trend. With the evolution of technology, we have an opportunity to reduce waste, reduce energy consumption and reduce labour requirements. In a perfect world, we would produce our products with no defects and no waste. Maybe it’s time the industry moved to water-based finishes? The bottom line is the new consumer will care about how your products are made and what impact they have on the planet. If you don’t think about that, those customers will shop elsewhere. On a good note, these earth-conscious shoppers are willing to pay more for products and services that deliver a clear conscience. Something to think about.