Mengtian Home Group Inc. manages the end-to-end production and sale of customized wooden furniture in China, crafting everything from doors and wall panels to bespoke cabinets. Each panel, joint, and finish carries the mark of skillful hands.

Yet as customer orders grew more varied and complex, the workshop’s rhythm faced a new challenge: balancing the artistry of wood with the precision of smart manufacturing.

Production lines needed to be connected, machines needed to talk to each other, and systems needed to respond instantly to changing designs and material combinations.

Mengtian embraced this challenge by rebuilding its manufacturing execution system (MES) on the Mendix platform. The result is a digitally connected production environment that reduced maintenance costs by 40%, improved visibility across the factory floor, and allowed the company to respond quickly to shifting customer demands.

A Customizable Platform for Craftsmanship

Every order at Mengtian might be a unique combination of oak, walnut, glass, or aluminum. Each choice introduced variability into the production process.

“A fusion of multiple materials in the manufacturing process introduces variability we need to adapt to,” explained Keyan Zeng, CIO at Mengtian. “Our MES system had to respond quickly to both process and product changes.”

As the company explored how to reconstruct its MES, three options emerged:

1. Purchase an off-the-shelf solution
2. Build with traditional high-code development
3. Rely on a third-party provider

Each option had its drawbacks. “If we relied on high-code developers, both the cost and the organizational complexity would be much higher. We cannot build and maintain a large IT team with limited resources in a traditional company,” Zeng explained. Local talent for large-scale MES development was also scarce. The alternative was low code.

Through Siemens, Mengtian discovered Mendix and enlisted Nancal Technology for technical guidance.

Unlike traditional approaches, working with Mendix required no structural overhaul. Small teams could deliver solutions quickly, and responsiveness improved dramatically.

“With high-code, we would start with modeling and data flow analysis, with multiple steps between coding and verification,” Zeng noted. “With low code, our data flow maps directly to microflows. The transition from business data flow to microflow configuration, and then to product testing, is much shorter. As a result, we can respond much more quickly.”

More importantly, the team’s focus shifted. “Instead of spending most of their time writing and debugging large volumes of code, our team can concentrate on understanding business processes, analyzing workflows, and building data models,” he added.

In X months, Mengtian had a fully operational MES: compact, responsive, and tailored to the artisans and operators who rely on it every day.

A New and Improved Core System

Wooden furniture manufacturing is intricate, spanning cutting, milling, drilling, assembly, painting, and packaging. Managing this complexity without slowing the artisans had been a persistent challenge.

At Mengtian’s Qingyuan factory, production orders were printed in multiple locations, processed individually, and tied operators to specific workstations. Valuable time was spent on administrative tasks instead of crafting flawless finishes.

The new Mendix-built MES centralized production management and added key capabilities typical of a modern MES:

• Work order management – Operators see precisely which panel, frame, or door to work on next.
• Production scheduling – Machines and humans move together, dynamically adjusting for material availability and custom orders.
• Machine integration – Each saw, drill, and sander communicates its status, reducing downtime and idle time.
• Material and inventory tracking – From rare hardwood to specialized glass inserts, all components are visible in real time.
• Quality control checkpoints – Inspections are built into the workflow, ensuring every product meets exacting standards.
• Real-time dashboards – Managers can instantly spot bottlenecks, delays, or misaligned orders.
• Traceability – Every panel, joinery, and finish can be traced back through the production chain.

At Qingyuan, a complete batch of production orders can now be printed with a single click. Steps are streamlined, control is centralized, and operators focus on perfecting the wood grain, smoothing the finish, and assembling each cabinet to exact specifications.

The impact was immediate: production batches could be executed faster, errors were reduced, and shop floor efficiency improved. Maintenance and operational costs dropped by approximately 40%, while internal capability was strengthened, allowing the team to take ownership of both day-to-day operations and system evolution.

“Under the previous model, maintenance relied heavily on vendors, and we had to pay ongoing service fees for them to manage and support the system,” Zeng explained.

While Qingyuan thrived, the real test would be whether the system could flex across multiple factories.

Scaling Across Factories

Optimizing Qingyuan was just the beginning. Mengtian operates multiple sites, each with its own rhythm. While warehouses, equipment, and core data structures align, line organization, batching logic, and product-to-line allocation vary. A rigid one-size-fits-all system would fail.

Instead, the MES was divided into independent modules and configurable microflows: production line management, data integration, packaging, and input/output. Each module operates independently but within a unified framework.

The MES architecture was designed with service decoupling and buffering layers to handle peak data loads and simplify integration, enhancing scalability and system stability across all factories.

Modularity also enables Mengtian to focus only on the variables that change between factories. Qingyuan might deploy all modules, while another location could use only a subset. Microflows are adjusted, not rebuilt, letting each facility benefit from:

• Automated processing of large-scale production instructions
• Real-time master data calculation
• Visual reporting dashboards
• An integrated order distribution center

What began as a solution for printing and tracking orders evolved into a scalable, digital core that empowers artisans across every factory.

Keeping the Human in the Loop

For Mengtian, technology alone isn’t enough. The company prioritizes the people who touch every piece of wood. The MES had to integrate seamlessly with workflows, not disrupt the flow of sawdust and varnish.

IT initiatives are built around user experience and measurable value. New systems must achieve a “non-perceptible” switching state before full rollout, ensuring adoption feels natural.

“Every project must pass a value assessment. If the business department believes the project creates real value, we move forward,” Zeng noted.

The Qingyuan MES reflected this philosophy. Microflows mirrored business processes.

“The platform is flexible and powerful enough to support complex requirements, so we can confidently translate business logic into applications,” Zeng explained. “Because of this closeness, the system is easier for business teams to understand and easier for developers to implement according to real operational needs.”

Maintaining the Momentum

Mengtian’s journey began with a simple goal: bring traditional craftsmanship into the modern era without losing the people and processes that make it unique. Fragmented workflows gave way to a centralized MES, letting operators focus on what matters most: precision, artistry, and quality.

“Every project must create real value,” Zeng said. “If operators find it inconvenient, it won’t work.”

Looking ahead, AI-assisted development can accelerate modeling, improve decision-making, and guide operators with smart, context-aware suggestions. “If Mendix’s AI capabilities can further improve development efficiency and accelerate modeling and configuration, we will identify areas where it can bring our work to the next level,” Zeng added.

For Mengtian, the transformation is about more than software. It is about crafting systems that preserve tradition and remain agile.