Chinese furniture industry explores possibilities with Swedish pine

Within the project Furniture for a Sustainable Life, nine Chinese furniture companies each designed and produced one item of furniture in Swedish pine. The project is a collaboration between the industry federation Swedish Wood and China National Furniture Association (CNFA) as well as between Swedish sawmill companies and the Chinese furniture industry. But above all this is a tangible meeting between sustainable Swedish wood raw material and Chinese modern industrial furniture manufacturing.

Four of the nine furniture companies chose to manufacture children@¬#s furniture. Swedish Wood has previously conducted a survey among Chinese consumers showing that children@¬#s furniture is an important market for Swedish wood in China. The survey also showed that Chinese consumers also prefer Swedish pine and spruce in bedroom furniture, kitchen tables and chairs.

There was a particularly strong interest in the furniture during the FMC exhibition. The Chinese furniture manufacturers have processed our sawn pine in a very skilful and inspiring way. It is obvious that the Chinese furniture manufacturers participating in the project are major industrial players, since the furniture is of excellent quality and attention to detail and finish is high, says Charlotte Dedye Apelgren Director of Interior & Design at Swedish Wood.

The project Furniture for a Sustainable Life has achieved great success. Swedish Wood@¬#s partner CNFA has never previously participated in a project that gained such a strong interest from their member companies.

Sweden is about to open up for Swedish pine as a furniture wood in China. Swedish Wood@¬#s presentation of the project at the furniture fair in Shanghai at the beginning of September, confirmed the interest in and potential of Swedish pine, says Charlotte Dedye Apelgren.

The Chinese companies involved are consistently very pleased with the results of the project. They have learned how Swedish wood can be used cost effectively and new ways to process and treat the wood surface. Good contacts have been established between Chinese furniture companies and they have shared their knowledge of pine with each other.

Facts Chinese furniture manufacturers
The Chinese companies involved in the project are large and established players in the Chinese furniture market. They work both with the domestic Chinese market and export furniture to the rest of Asia, the US, Australia and Europe. Some of the companies have hundreds of their own stores where they sell their furniture.

* For further information: www swedishwood.com