Furniture businesses to get design and marketing assistance
Furniture businesses to get design and marketing assistance
The wood furniture business in Laos will be better able to compete in the region and on the international market after the Asean Furniture Industries Council (AFIC) has agreed to provide assistance with design and marketing.
Representatives from AFIC recently met with senior officials from the Lao Furniture Association (LFA) in Vientiane and they expressed their desire to provide assistance to LFA, the association's Vice President Ms Souphayvanh Thiengchanhxay told Vientiane Times .
They will send experts to give advice on design and marketing for Laos with the intention of producing furniture to meet international market standards.
Assistance from the AFIC experts on design will allow a reduction in the extravagant use of wood in local furniture production, she commented.
Agreement between the Asean Furniture Industries Council and the Lao Furniture Association is expected to be reached during the upcoming furniture meeting in China in the middle of this year, according to discussions between the two parties.
Ms Souphayvanh noted that this assistance is part of cooperation resulting from Laos becoming a member of the AFIC last year.
She explained that most of the business operators made their furniture to sell on the domestic market because they have no experience of exporting and their designs don't meet the requirements of international markets.
Only a few have been able to export to neighbouring countries, mainly China, and to Europe and America.
However, furniture products are still in high demand at home, added Ms Souphayvanh.
Some operators make large and ornate furniture pieces for export which, although they sell for high prices, can lead to a shortage of supply of raw materials in the future.
They need to improve their designs and enhance their marketing to penetrate larger markets because it appears that the furniture market in China is shrinking compared to the past, she said.
The furniture business will soon face challenges when the AEC starts at the end of this year, so we have to prepare for more competition in the region and in international markets.
A large number of furniture businesses will collaborate with us in order to improve their products and enhance their marketing, she believed.
Ms Souphayvanh said the LFA will continue to work with the furniture manufacturers to ensure they are able to produce products to meet the needs of the domestic market and compete on the same terms with the rest of the region.
The Lao furniture fair is one of the events held by the association in collaboration with several trade and commercial sectors to promote Lao furniture.
