Configura, maker of CET Designer software, is celebrating 30 years of helping people design and specify spaces. What began as a startup in a lake house with two programmers and the owner of a wall systems company has now grown into a global software company with more than 250 employees.
“The user and the customer have always been our top priority since the very beginning and we are grateful to be on this incredible journey together,” Configura Chief Evangelist and Co-Founder Johan Lyreborn said. “Since day one, we wanted to do things that didn’t exist, and today, we continue to challenge the unknown and go for the things people haven’t thought about yet.”
Thirty years ago, Sune Rydqvist approached his son Göran Rydqvist and Göran’s friend Johan Lyreborn to create a solution for quoting wall systems. Together, they created software that today is used by nearly 16,500 people around the globe across the commercial interiors, material handling and kitchen and bath industries.
CET Designer is a Parametric Graphical Configuration (PGC)-based software platform developed in CM, a programming language created by Göran Rydqvist. CET stands for Configura Extension Technology which allows manufacturers to create Extensions that plug into the software. More than 100 manufacturers around the world have invested in Extensions for CET Designer including Steelcase, Herman Miller, Haworth, Sunon, Kvik, NEDCON and Dematic.
"When we started Configura, we were amazed by enormity of challenges ahead of us," Göran Rydqvist said. "We entered unknown territory by creating our own programming language to address complexity with clarity and to completely eliminate build-times. Our developers could now create the required business logic with speed and efficiency, serving a critical role in our continued growth and innovation."
Since 1990, Configura has continued its steady path of growth, expanding to seven offices on three continents. Some of Configura’s key milestones include:
The software debuted at the Stockholm Furniture Fair in 1991.
In 1994, Configura signed its first partner Martela, a leading Finnish commercial furniture manufacturer.
In 2001, Configura signed one of its first U.S. customers, Wisconsin-based Spacesaver.
Configura signed leading commercial furniture manufacturer Steelcase in 2007.
Configura’s annual user conference – CET Experience (formerly known as the CET Designer User and Developer Conference) – launched in 2008 with 70 people in Las Vegas and today has grown to attract more than 500 attendees each year.
In 2012, Configura expanded into Asia with an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, followed by locations in Shenzhen, China and Tokyo, Japan.
Configura continues its growth journey and in 2018, brought on Norwegian company Vind to join as a long-term investor to accelerate further development of Configura's CET platform.
In February 2020, Stefan Persson joined Configura as the new CEO to guide Configura to a new level of growth.
“Configura’s software has been a game-changer for our business,” Martela Business Concept Owner Joonas Keskikallio said. “We have enjoyed our strong partnership and rich 25-year history with Configura. Congratulations to Johan, Göran, Stefan and the rest employees at Configura, and we look forward to working together for years to come."
“Looking ahead, I see Configura as the natural partner and industry leading solution for anyone who designs spaces within our focus industries,” Configura CEO Stefan Persson said. “We are a company that’s close to our employees, partners, community and the people who use our software, and it’s an honor to be part of this journey and help preserve these values as we continue to grow.”
Configura is committed to making a difference in the world by helping people and companies design better spaces. Configura also gives back to local communities around the world through its Corporate Social Responsibility programs, including partnering with universities to mentor programming students, volunteering with STEM-related organizations and supporting a turtle conservation program in Malaysia.
“When we started this journey 30 years ago, we didn’t realize we were getting into the environmental business,” Lyreborn said. “Our software's ability to eliminate design errors results in less order errors, less physical samples and less shipping, significantly reducing waste.”