Occasional Furniture Taking Center Stage at Home

After experiencing booming sales last year, some domestic manufacturers of occasional furniture complain that foreign order volumes have been falling since the beginning of this year. They ascribe the trend to the slowdown of the global economy and they believe many buyers worldwide are still digesting inventory. Some manufacturers say they don't expect orders to pick up during the remainder of this year because the government of mainland China, the most briskly expanding economy over the past several years, is trying to slow growth there.

Occasional furniture normally plays a supporting role to major pieces of living-room furniture such as sofas, armchairs, and couches. In many cases, though, occasional furniture with innovative designs is able to play an important role in brightening up the living-room environment.

Occasional furniture, including tea tables, coffeetables, and end tables, can serve as individual pieces of furniture or as part of living-room sets. For most producers here, occasional furniture account for only a small part of a total output that includes such items as dining tables, beds, cabinets, and complete living-room sets.

An industry insider notes production of fancy occasional furniture relies on well-established production and design skills with the backup of well-trained research and development specialists. Most domestic manufacturers in this line say they feel no pressing need to move production facilities overseas because they have cultivated many well-trained R&D specialists here.



Keeping It Fresh


Based on the operating philosophy of "sustainable operations, " Tair Wei Enterprise Co., Ltd., one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of occasional furniture, has been investing in state-of-the-art production equipment to turn out more environment-friendly metal-tube and wood furniture.

With over two decades of manufacturing experience in the wood and metal-tube furniture field, the ISO-9001-certified company has turned out more than 500 types of furniture, including kitchen racks, bathroom racks, dinning sets, vanity sets, occasional tables, screens, entertainment centers for living room, and many other stylish items.

At present, metal-tube furniture accounts for 75% of Tair Wei's total production value, with wood furniture making up the balance. The company has the ability to design and produce unique-style knock/down furniture, but also accepts original equipment and design manufacturers (OEM/ODM) orders.

The company has an in-house research and development department to concentrate on the production of innovative products. "Thanks to the dedication of our well-experienced R&D specialists, we can introduce brand-new products more frequently than our rivals, " states Lin Chiu-sung, general manager of the company.

To facilitate the production of innovative products, over the past few years Tair Wei has been increasing the use of state-of-the-art production equipment, including pipe-bending and welding machines from Japan. More advanced production equipment will be increasingly employed in the next few years.

"Automated production equipment is a key part of standardizing production processes, " says Lin. Such machinery has also helped his company speed up the development and production pace of many innovative furniture items, and improve overall quality.

Quality has also been boosted by the use of advanced inspection and testing instrument, Lin says. "All of our products have to pass strict inspection before they are shipped."

To aid its product development efforts, Tair Wei has invested heavily in developing sophisticated molds over the past two decades, Lin says. "Thanks to the backup of the strong mold industry domestically, we can rapidly complete the fabrication of sophisticated molds to meet rush orders. Taiwan is an ideal place for the production of high-quality molds. That's one of the many reasons that we have stuck to keep production roots in Taiwan."

In Lin's eyes, Taiwan has many talented experts to help manufacturers develop innovative products with unique designs. "Manufacturers need the support of the talented designers to transform their ideas into practical products, " Lin says. "As the international furniture world is getting more competitive, furniture manufacturers in Taiwan need to develop fancy and practical products to attract foreign buyers. Competing on price is the last thing we want to do. We need to make high-end products if we want to survive."

Tair Wei claims it can develop several new items a year. Recently the company introduced a series of new products, including a TV/VCR stand with built-in CD rack, a computer desk, and an ergonomic computer table.

"Many European consumers favor environment-friendly products, " Lin comments. "To meet the trend, we have to increase the production of products that meet the tastes of European customers. For instance, we have employed a kind of environmentally friendly foam in our products."

Tair Wei says that it can deliver products faster than rival companies. "We satisfy the need of our customers as quickly as possible, " Lin says. "We are always working to reduce our delivery time."



Knockdown King


Winbest Enterprise Co., Ltd. Is one of Taiwan's leading professional manufacturers of knockdown (K/D) wood coffeetables, end tables, chest of drawers, and a variety of small ornaments used in living rooms and studies.

At present, Winbest concentrates on medium and small-sized K/D furniture. "Our products can be made of either solid wood or medium-density fiberboard, " says Judy Huang, president of the company. "We also use composite materials, including glass and polyvinyl carbonate (PVC) leather, to enhance the diversity of our product lines."

Most of the company's products are made to standard specifications, but custom-made items can also be designed to meet special orders. "We can flexibly adjust our production to meet the rush orders from abroad, " says Huang.

Huang says her company has an R&D department in charge of designing innovative furniture products. She claims her company is one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of end tables thanks to its focus on quality.

With a production facility in Fengyuan of Taichung County, central Taiwan, Winbest says it won't move production to lower-cost nations, as many of the company's industry peers have done. "We are concentrating on high-end furniture with excellent designs. Our focus is quality not quantity, " Huang explains.

Currently the company exports most of its products, mainly to Japan, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

In the past several years, Winbest has participated in several international furniture shows, including major events in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Guangzhou.



Integrated Production


Another leading manufacturer in this line is Chang Yi Enterprise Ltd. Established in 1990 as a painting processor in Taiwan, Chang Yi relocated to mainland China in 1998. The company's mainland production facility makes a wide range of furniture items, including coffee tables, made of rubber wood, oak, medium-density fiberboard, maple, and pine.

The company's integrated production line is capable of handling materials sizing, painting, assembly, and packaging. The company says its materials are imported from New Zealand, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Last year, the company introduced a new management system that has helped it enhance annual output from US$300, 000 to over US$500, 000, says company president Chang Shun-chung. "This management system helps keep us efficient at a time when profit margins are low in the global furniture industry."

Chang is confident that mainland China's entry into the World Trade Organization will improve the production and sales environment in mainland China.

Over the past few years, Chang Yi has been rolling out a contemporary series of coffeetables made of maple, other solid woods, and medium-density fiberboard. The tables are designed in classic styles to meet the demand of U.S. consumers.

"We have laid a solid foundation in the mainland, so now we are paying much more attention to the quality of our products, aiming to broaden our customer base, " says Chang. "Many foreign buyers don't trust the quality of mainland Chinese products. But our dedication to producing high-quality items has won the confidence of customers in industrially advanced nations."

At present Chang Yi mainly exports its products through sales agents and distributors in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S., its products are sold through leading U.S. wholesalers, including Kmart and Wal-Mart."