With an annual foreign trade surplus of over USD 3.5 billion, the furniture industry is launching the “Des-ai-gn Man-ai-gment Workshop” program in order to place artificial intelligence at its core, establish a holistic management approach from idea to production, and reach the USD 6 billion export target.
Stating that they aim to increase the average export unit price in the furniture industry from USD 3.5 to USD 6, Ali Fuat Gürle, Chairman of the Aegean Furniture, Paper and Forest Products Exporters’ Association, emphasized that the “Des-ai-gn Man-ai-gment Workshop,” to be designed specifically for the furniture industry in partnership with Yaşar University Design Research Center (YÜTAM), will be a workshop that brings a holistic perspective to the process from idea to production by using artificial intelligence tools.
Underlining that the participants of the workshop titled “Des-ai-gn Man-ai-gment Workshop,” to be held on Friday, 13 February 2026 at the Aegean Exporters’ Associations, will be professionals in decision-making positions in the furniture industry, Gürle said: “General Managers, Factory Managers, Production & Operations, R&D, Product Development, Engineering, Design, and Digital Transformation managers will address the steps of correctly reading market needs, developing a product concept, assessing manufacturability, creating production planning, and calculating costs. In addition, topics such as the digital twin approach in production, process innovation, AI-supported decision-making, and digitalization will be evaluated through practical examples by relating them to the production realities of the furniture industry.”
Summarizing the work to be carried out in the workshop, Gürle concluded as follows: “The focus will be on developing a product concept that responds to market needs with AI tools, matching the concept with existing production infrastructures to create production planning, conducting cost/manufacturability evaluations through alternatives, discussing the impact of digital twin and digitalization in production on processes, and establishing an applicable action framework for companies.”
Can Güvenir: Artificial intelligence is redefining the entire value chain
Emphasizing that today artificial intelligence is not merely a new tool, but a powerful break that redefines the entire value chain, from production to design, from marketing to decision-making processes, Dr. Can Güvenir, Director of Yaşar University Design Application and Research Center (YÜTAM), stressed that as (YÜTAM), they are aware that this transformation carries both great potential and the risks and threats that come with it.
Offering evaluations regarding the AI-related process, Güvenir said: “The real question is this: Will we make a leap in this break, or will we fall behind and become invisible? We believe that the answer to this question is possible not by merely following technology, but by understanding it and adapting personally and institutionally, and by keeping people and culture at the center while embracing data-driven work. Of course, working with data is now a necessity; however, data alone is not enough. This geography’s very valuable production culture, craft heritage, aesthetic language, and creative potential, when combined with artificial intelligence, can turn into a power that creates a real difference in the global market. For this very reason, we see the “Des-ai-gn Man-ai-gment Workshop” as a starting step that brings the sector’s decision-makers together on the same ground, makes the process from idea to production concrete, and activates action. Our aim is to make a strong contribution to preparing the human resources we train at the university for this transformation, while also enabling our sector to keep up with the times, increase its competitiveness, and turn this change into an opportunity,” he said.