The adoption of cutting software in small furniture manufacturers: a survey in Brazil

The scientific literature often addresses the Cutting Stock Problem in the furniture industry from the perspective of mathematical modeling and optimization. However, there has been little research exploring how companies—particularly small ones—adopt software tools that implement these methods. This study investigates the adoption of cutting optimization software in the Brazilian furniture sector, focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A structured survey was conducted with 73 furniture manufacturers across different company sizes. The questionnaire covered company characteristics, production processes, and software usage. Descriptive statistical analysis and ANOVA tests were applied to examine the data. Additionally, a market analysis was conduct identify and characterize the main software tools currently in use. The findings reveal that adoption rates are significantly higher among medium and large companies, and the most common features of the software tools used in the sector were identified.