IMA Schelling launches "Connected Manufacturing" for panel lines
IMA Schelling released a Connected Manufacturing platform in May 2026, linking edge banding, drilling and cutting machines into one data stream for OEE tracking and predictive maintenance.
IMA Schelling released its Connected Manufacturing platform in May 2026, connecting cutting, edge banding and drilling machines into a single data layer rather than isolated machine controls.
The system collects cycle times, tool wear, glue consumption and fault codes across an entire panel line. Output includes OEE dashboards and predictive-maintenance alerts — for example when an edge banding tool is approaching the end of its useful life, so it can be replaced between shifts instead of mid-run.
The technology addresses a specific pain point in panel furniture production: the edge bander is usually the bottleneck, and unplanned tool changes on a high-speed automatic edge bander can idle every machine upstream.
IoT-based predictive maintenance is one of the clearest cross-market trends in the edge banding segment, alongside the shift to laser and hot-air 'invisible' glue-line systems that eliminate visible glue residue on thin or glossy panel edges.
For machine buyers, the practical question is no longer whether a control platform exists, but whether it integrates with the existing MES/ERP layer and whether the data is exportable if the factory later mixes machine brands.
