Lepage Millwork x Solutions Novika

Lepage Millwork, a manufacturer and exporter of high-end wood doors and windows since 1947, faces challenges related to optimizing raw material use and improving productivity. Currently, the cutting line operates on a push-flow basis, where the wood is processed before orders are confirmed. This method leads to a buildup and waste of raw materials, while also being impacted by supply fluctuations linked to political and environmental factors.

Innovation: Lepage Millwork aims to revolutionize its sawing line with a pull-flow process, in which automated wood grading ensures consistent quality while reducing the need for human decision-making, thereby optimizing raw material use.
People: Although indispensable to the process, people struggle to manage the many variables that influence raw material optimization. Their decisions, often intuitive, lead to inefficiency, waste, and “over-quality.” Advanced technologies are essential to support human decision-making.
Environment: Faced with the growing scarcity of high-quality forest resources, production must adopt smart and sustainable solutions to optimize wood usage. This will strengthen resilience to supply constraints imposed by climate change.
Expertise: Thanks to Solutions Novika and the Cégep de La Pocatière—experts in digital transformation and artificial intelligence—data will be leveraged and translated into instructions tailored to advanced technologies. This will ensure dynamic adaptation to production variations and optimized cutting.

Project Objectives:

• Optimization of raw materials : Supply chain resilience in the face of climate and political challenges.
• Digital transformation and automation (Industry 4.0) : Integration of advanced technologies for a pull-based production model.
• People and the environment (Industry 5.0) : Simplification of operations and optimization of raw materials & Technological Advances.
• Machine vision systems (Microtec scanners) : Detection and classification of visible and invisible wood characteristics.
• Artificial intelligence algorithms : Optimization of cutting by dynamically adjusting work orders.
• Full process automation : Real-time synchronization between inventory management, production, and customer orders.

This project represents a major breakthrough for the wood industry, positioning Lepage Millwork as an innovative and competitive player in the international market, while enabling the acquisition of strategic expertise in optimizing wood processing methods.