Chinese Office Furniture Makers Boom Despite Weak World Economy

Manufacturers move upmarket with superior products to escape low-end price competition

Compared to household furniture, office furniture has a much shorter history and was more or less neglected until recent decades, when office buildings sprouted all over the world to fill the need for office space. With so many people now spending so much time in offices, a cozy and comfortable working environment—and especially the right furniture to fill it—is becoming more important by the day.

Observers say that the furniture in an office can influence the mood of the people working there, while reflecting the image and the taste of the company that occupies it. More and more companies are paying increased attention to the furniture in their working areas; and this is encouraging office furniture makers to develop more high-end, high-quality products.

The furniture industry in China, along with other traditional industries there, has made near-miraculous progress over the past decade and now plays an increasingly important role in the world market.

To keep abreast of world trends, Chinese office furniture manufacturers are devoting growing efforts to R&D with the aim of improving their production technology and rolling out a constant stream of new models to fit the ever-changing tastes of consumers.

Zhongshan DIOUS Furniture Industrial Co. is a successful office furniture maker that turns out mainly large mid- and high-end office items of furniture for both the domestic and overseas markets.

Established in 2005 in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, the company at first focused on products designed to meet domestic demand. Success in the domestic market prompted the firm to move overseas, and today it markets its furniture in Southeast Asia and the Middle East as well as 31 provinces and cities in China.

To keep competitive and enhance its manufacturing processes, the company has imported advanced machinery and equipment from Germany and Italy. It also has the backing of a strong R&D team that develops more than 80 new products a year, most of which are sold under Zhongshan DIOUS's own “ROYTI,” “SUNDV,” “AODIS,” and “DIOUS” brands.

Taking Furniture Green

To comply with growing global environmental sentiment and the demands of increasing numbers of health-oriented consumers, Zhongshan DIOUS uses as much recyclable, toxic-free, and natural materials as possible to develop ‘green' furniture. In addition to the convenience and comfort of its products, the company also pays strict attention to safety and devotes great care to every aspect of design and production in order to avoid any mistakes that may cause danger; the feet of chairs and tables, for example, are designed in round instead of angular shapes and the materials used are specially treated to be slip-proof and fire-resistant.

Thanks to its stringent quality control and safety inspection, the company's products have been certified to international standards and have gained popularity among consumers both at home and abroad. Shongshan DIOUS today enjoys a solid reputation as a trustworthy supplier of office furniture.

Gongguan Grevol Furniture Co. was established in 1992 in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, and has developed into a reputable office furniture manufacturer supplying a variety of office furniture products such as executive tables, conference tables, file cabinets, and computer desks, among others.

To guarantee quality, the company is involved in every step of the development and production of its products, from design and the selection of materials to manufacturing processes, packaging, and marketing. “Quality is the key to the success of our products,” says Gao Hanguang, the firm's chairman. “To develop quality products, we strive for perfection so as to turn out the best products to satisfy our customers.”

Dongguan Grevol sells most of its products under own brands, “Grevol,” “Shifa,” “Jiashengshijia,” and “Grevol Ezone.” In addition to the domestic market, it also sells to around 30 countries and regions throughout the world, mainly the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Australia, Japan, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

“Since 2000 we have been doing very well in overseas markets, with our clients in the U.S. and Australia being mostly chain supermarkets,” Gao comments. “Our furniture is made mainly of boards; it can be assembled and knocked down easily and can also be packed and transported conveniently. Anyone who likes DIY is a potential customer for us, and our customer pool is expanding. We've witnessed stable growth in orders over the past several years, even in 2008 and 2009 when the global financial tsunami struck a heavy blow at the global market.”

Holding to a corporate philosophy of integrity, respect, and perfection, Dongguan Grevol has built up a good reputation among its clients and its products have gained increasing popularity in the market. One result was the firm's selection as the sole furniture supplier for the 16th Asian Games held in Guangzhou in 2010.

Thriving in a Difficult Environment

Although the manufacturing environment in China has become more difficult because of the appreciation of the renminbi (RMB), rising raw materials prices, soaring wages, and global economic weakness, Dongguan Grevol is still doing very well. “To deal with the worsening situation,” Gao explains, “we have upgraded our facilities to strengthen our manufacturing capability and efficiency and to lower manufacturing costs. We are trying to attract more clients with high-end products at reasonable prices; and we will work hard to expand our market share not only in China, but also overseas.”

Founded in 2006, Foshan Dehao Furniture Co. is now a leader in the Chinese furniture industry, turning out mainly mesh office chairs and public mesh chairs which are available in more than 30 patterns.

The company's operating base occupies an area of over 10,000 square meters on which stands a building, with a floor area of 16,000 square meters, containing a hardware workshop, punching workshop, chair workshop, and R&D department.

Today's world is dominated by e-products and most offices are computerized, so white-collar office workers usually spend long hours working in front of computers; and this, industry experts believe, may harm their necks, backs, loins, and hips. To deal with this problem, Foshan Dehao has concentrated on developing ergonomic office chairs almost from the beginning.

“We use ‘green' materials to make ergonomic office chairs which contain no harmful chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC),” comments a senior Foshan Dehao official. “Our products are healthy and environmental-friendly.”

The executive notes that furniture manufacturers in China are now facing a turning point and suggests that they shift their manufacturing strategy from price-oriented products in large quantities to quality-oriented products in small volumes. He emphasizes, in addition, that a successful manufacturer should pay attention to R&D and always strives to strengthen competitiveness by enhancing efficiency.