Metal furniture for the first time in 1993 surpassed wooden furniture in annual productivity and has since remained the largest sector of Taiwan's furniture industry. Compared to makers of wooden, rattan and bamboo, or plastic furniture, metal furniture makers perform much better in Taiwan due to sufficient supply of metal materials and, more importantly, Taiwan's superior metal processing and fi...

Chairs have long been a staple item of furniture makers since they are indispensable and can be paired with other furniture items. Generally speaking, chairs include sofas, armchairs, office chairs, stack chairs, recliners, stools, rockers, folding chairs, and lounge chairs. Usually chairs are sold with tables or desks, but they also have an independent presence as well, depending on function and...

The global downturn generally forced industries and buyers to cinch belts, hence also driving Taiwan's woodworking machinery makers to focus on saving customers' costs, developing non-woodworking machines using core technologies, and vying for small orders of all kinds. Such cost-consciousness amid buyers has motivated, since the beginning of this year, many woodworking machinery makers in ...

Let Me Entertain You-Tune Into the Captivating Appeal of AV Furniture The most dramatic development in domestic interiors has been the growth of audio-visual equipment. In the space of only a matter of years, the expansive technological advancements in the home entertainment field have led furniture designers into new exciting realms. Accommodating wide screens and massive plasmas, housing ...

The 17th edition of the biennial Movelsul Brazil, the largest furniture trade fair in Latin America, was held Mar. 22-26 in Bento Goncalves, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, considered a major furniture center. The event attracted more than 34,100 visitors from over 60 countries and recorded over US$300 million in pending sales, all hitting their record highs, according to Sindmoveis—the...

The CENS Furniture magazine interviewed C.L. Tu, chairman of Cheng Kuang Wood Machinery Works Co., Ltd. who was elected chairman of the Taiwan Woodworking Machinery Association (TWMA) late last year, to talk about the trade and his plans for the three-year tenure. The TWMA represents and serves around 280 members on the island. Q: Where are Taiwan’s woodworking-equipment manufacturers main...

Once again the long-awaited results of a highly regarded design promoter—Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO)—have been announced in October. The 2009 Good Design Awards honors some of the brightest minds worldwide in the design profession. In 2009, the JIDPO received 2,952 applications worldwide. After being screened twice, 1,034 entries from 558 enterprises received the Good D...

Apparently the subcontract makers of office furniture (also often referred to as OA or office automation furnishings), mainly OA chairs, in Taiwan and especially those who have kept operations on the island, have been trying hard to stay ahead of rivals from China and other emerging nations by upgrading design, manufacturing and marketing. Market observers say that stable growth driving the ...

Thanks to the gradual recovery of the global economy, the furniture industry in China is starting to regain strength again. China’s furniture exports fell by 7.9% in the first 11 months of 2009, to US$22.24 billion; in November, however, the export figure was almost the same as the year before at US$2.44 billion. The country’s furniture makers are not only seeking to increase sales abroad but ...

China’s outdoor furniture industry has been developing briskly for years, thanks to strong domestic and overseas demand, and has now become a global powerhouse. Customs statistics show that the industry’s exports have been growing at an annual clip of 30%, enabling it to carve out a prominent status in the global market, which has an estimated capacity of US$20 billion a year. The country’s do...