From Panel Manufacturer to Furniture OEM: How Panel Plus Launched a New Business Model with Coohom

For a company that has mastered the art of panel manufacturing for over 30 years, entering the fast-paced world of custom furniture was more than a pivot—it was a complete business reinvention. This was the ambitious goal of Panel Plus, a leading Thai material manufacturer founded in 1990.

While equipped with world-class production capabilities, moving into OEM required overcoming industry-wide hurdles: the absence of intuitive design tools, the lack of specialized product knowledge in cabinet systems, and the need for a seamless digital workflow to connect design with production.

To bridge these gaps and successfully launch their new venture—Panel Design Lab (PDL)—what was needed went beyond standalone software. An integrated digital platform was essential, and Coohom provided the end-to-end backbone that transformed this OEM vision into a profitable reality.

       

The Challenge: The OEM Dream vs. The Manufacturing Reality

Panel Plus’s transition was not about improving an existing process but creating an entirely new one. Before Coohom, their ambition was blocked by foundational challenges:

• ❌The Design & Sales Gap
  The company had very few in-house designers and no intuitive tool to bring custom furniture concepts to life. This made it nearly impossible to attract OEM clients, collaborate on designs, and close deals effectively.
• ❌The Knowledge Gap
  Their expertise was in panels, not the intricate details of cabinet and wardrobe systems. Building a comprehensive, attractive, and manufacturable product catalog from scratch was a monumental task that would traditionally take years.
• ❌The Disconnected Workflow
  There was no digital thread connecting a client’s design to the factory floor. Lacking experience in custom manufacturing, the risk of miscommunication, production errors, and costly delays was extremely high.

“Our business model is different; we were shifting our entire business from materials to OEM solutions. We didn’t have ‘before and after’ renovation images because we were building the ‘before’ from the ground up. Coohom was the bridge to create our ‘after’.”– Panel Plus Representative

The Solution: A Blueprint for a New Business Model

The partnership with Coohom wasn’t just about adopting a design tool; it was about implementing a fully integrated platform that became the engine for Panel Design Lab.

• ✅Building a Scalable “Design Army” with White Label
  Panel Plus launched PDL AI Studio, a branded White Label platform. This platform became their recruitment engine, attracting external designers who could quickly become proficient and present photorealistic 3D renderings to clients.
• ✅Forging the Digital Link from Design to Factory
  Coohom was integrated directly with their HOMAG IX software and iShare MES system, ensuring that a finalized design is instantly translated into precise manufacturing instructions, material lists, and production orders.
• ✅Enterprise-Wide Integration
  The platform also connected to their SAP (ERP) and CRM systems, ensuring data flows effortlessly from sales and design to finance and production, creating a single source of truth for every project.

“Coohom wasn’t just a tool; it was the digital backbone for our entire OEM venture. It allowed us to launch Panel Design Lab with a powerful, end-to-end platform that connected designers directly to our state-of-the-art production line.”– Panel Plus Representative

       

 

Looking Ahead: Future-Proofing for Sustainable Growth

Panel Plus views Coohom not just as software, but as a strategic partner in their digital transformation.

“The end-to-end digital management eliminates guesswork, minimizes material waste, and ensures what is designed is exactly what gets built—a core promise of the PDL Custom Made service.”

As Panel Plus continues expanding, the partnership with Coohom lays the foundation for future innovation and market leadership in the OEM furniture sector.