Global furniture market needs innovative, modern designs
Global furniture market needs innovative, modern designs
Furniture producers in Southeast Asia need to improve their knowledge and skills, use advanced production methods and offer modern designs if they want to enter the world market, according to Chinese and Asean furniture organisations.
The two parties' requirements to drive the growth of the region's furniture makers were discussed at the Asean Furniture Industries Council (AFIC) 30th Working Committee Meeting at the second Asean-China (Chongqing) Home & Living Expo 2015, held recently in China.
The meeting stressed that the quality and quantity of products had to be developed when entering the large international marketplace.
“The obligation of the two parties on upgrading production capacity does not mean that we have to use large quantities of raw materials,” a representative of the Lao Furniture Association, Ms Chanhtay Thammavongsa, said last Friday after returning from last month's AFIC meeting.
“They mean that we have to use new information and our abilities to meet market demand,” she said.
She said that among Asean countries, the Philippines was good at design, Vietnam was the largest exporter of furniture, while Thailand was good at carving. Laos, as a new member of the AFIC, used high quality natural timber that generated strong demand from China.
However, to enter the global market, producers had to improve capacity, including the use of wood. “We use too much wood in the production process and the resulting product is also too heavy,” she explained.
“On the other hand, the international market is demanding lightweight products with different designs that can be moved around easily because most living spaces in buildings are small.”
“And people often change or remove old furniture and replace it with new items.”
“That's why if Laos wants to enter the international market, we have to improve our skills, have better design ideas and work hard at improving manufacturing methods.”
The utilisation of modern machinery in the production process was another innovation that other major furniture producing countries were implementing to increase quality and quantity while lowering production costs.
“Our products are quite expensive because we use too many hours of labour and that drives up the cost. But the Chinese market loves products that are handmade.”
Another necessary development is the detailing or identification of the source of raw materials, such as whether it is natural wood or from a commercial plantation.
She said products made from plantation timbers could enter the international market easily but those made from natural forest timber or hardwood were more problematic because importers had to consider whether they could legally buy them.
At the AFIC meeting Asean furniture producers also vowed to help each other to upgrade production methods to ensure regional products could penetrate the global market.
