These are in-depth pre- and post-show reports on major international trade fairs, held in Taiwan and other countries with significant participation by Taiwanese manufacturers and exporters. They are offered to help global buyers and other readers better understand what is going on at the fairs and the latest offerings by Taiwanese exhibitors.
The increasing use of mobile devices gives rise to "the chair as an office"
Oct 14, 2014By MICHELLE HSU Whatever you call the space where you work at home--studio, workstation, home office--the furniture you use there is undergoing drastic changes along with the evolution of lifestyles and working habits brought on by the use of PCs and mobile devices. Advances in information, communication, and network technologies have driven the rise of new work patterns all over the world,...
Manufacturers offer innovative products that meet the needs of the global market
Oct 14, 2014By JENNY WU China is the world’s largest furniture manufacturer, accounting for 25% of total global output, and in 2006 became the world's No. 1 furniture exporter. It is now also the world's biggest furniture market, with estimated market value of about 500 billion RMB (approximately US$83.3 billion) a year. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recently announced ...
One central Taiwan maker led peers by adopting CNC machines for production 18 years ago
Oct 13, 2014By STEVE CHUANG Shifting locales of global furniture production to emerging countries over the past few decades has profoundly uprooted market dynamics, with out-migration of Taiwanese furniture makers over the years also having destabilized the erstwhile prosperous furniture industry in Taiwan. Interviews with the following makers of bathroom fittings and accessories help to clear the air ...
Producers use product variety to overcome intense competition in the industry
Oct 08, 2014By CARMEN LO Living room furniture has always been the mainstay of the furniture industry, and items used in the living room change constantly along with market trends. Furniture manufacturers believe, therefore, that to survive they need to be able to provide different kinds of furniture products, and so most furniture makers in China have a variety of furniture items in their catalogs. Co...
Rising living standards and the end of the one-child policy leave manufacturers optimistic
Jun 19, 2014By JENNY WU China has more than 300 million people under the age of 16, accounting for a quarter of the country’s entire population, notes Zhu Changling, vice director of the China National Furniture Association. This means, he believes, that the potential for the development of children's furniture there is huge, since parents are caring more about their kids as their living standard improves...
One maker inspired by car seat design to develop lumbar supports for OA chairs
Jun 17, 2014By STEVE CHUANG The year 2013 was a year of mixed performance by Taiwanese OA furniture parts manufacturers, given that gloomy economies weakened global enterprises’ willingness to invest in fixed assets and dampened the sector to some extent. But with economies in the U.S., Japan and Europe showing signs of recovery this year, Taiwanese suppliers are generally optimistic about sales growth. ...
Manufacturers jump on the bandwagon of a fast-growing industry
Jun 11, 2014By CARMEN LO The annual value of China's furniture market soared from about 10 billion renminbi (around US$1.67 billion) in the 1990s to 780 billion RMB (US$130 billion) in 2010, making furniture one of the top five industries in China. Today the country's furniture industry is continuing to grow at an annual rate of 20%-30%, and hotel furniture is expected to play an increasing role in that g...
Foreign brands, tighter rules and a surging domestic demand pose threats and opportunities for local producers
Feb 05, 2014By CARMEN LO With its stunning economic performance over the past decades, China is today a huge and much-coveted market for global manufacturers in the furniture industry. Nearly 200 European furniture brands have reportedly heeded the call of China, hoping to tap demand there, along with other foreign counterparts. And as foreign brands flood into China, domestic furniture makers there are a...
Manufacturers survive by differentiating themselves from the competition
Jan 28, 2014By STEVE CHUANG Despite a sluggish 2013, most of Taiwanese furniture parts makers have not slackened their efforts to continue developing through improved production capability and better. The three manufacturers described below are noted for their consistent efforts to sharpen their competitive edges. Liang Harng One supplier that competes well on production capability is Liang Harng...
Chinese furniture manufacturers are upgrading management and technology to boost competitiveness
Jan 24, 2014By JENNY WU China’s furniture industry generated a production value of 1,130 billion renminbi (RMB) in 2012, keeping that country in first place in the world in terms of both production and market value for the fifth year in a row, according to Zhu Changling, chairman of the China National Furniture Association. Zhu says that thanks to China’s rapid economic growth, the residents of not only ...
