The world’s largest furniture producing country is not overwhelmed

For a long time, China's wooden furniture exports have maintained a growth rate of almost 20% per year. China has surpassed Europe and the United States to become the world's largest producer and exporter of furniture. From January to July 2012, China's furniture exports exceeded US$27.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 28%. However, behind the increasing number of exports, the integration of various complex factors, foreign technical trade measures and protectionist tendencies are also emerging.

US trade protection tendency is gradually clear that furniture export restrictions are constantly refreshing

Since April 1 this year, the scope of the US Lacey Act has been expanded. The coverage of the bill will be extended to all wooden furniture products. Importers are required to provide raw materials for each shipment of plants or forest products. Basic declarations of species and species, including the selection of the Latin name of the wood species, the country of harvest, the quantity, size and value, etc., the illegal act may be punished by imprisonment of not more than 500,000 US dollars or not more than 5 years imprisonment, confiscation of goods, The bill will have a major impact on wooden furniture exporters.

On September 18th, the US Department of Commerce announced that it will launch anti-dumping and countervailing ("double-reverse") investigations on hardwood and decorative plywood imported from China. This is the fourth anti-dumping investigation initiated by the United States on Chinese products this year. And the third countervailing investigation, according to the US Department of Commerce data, the value of hardwood and decorative plywood imported from China in 2011 is expected to reach 616.5 million US dollars. The reason for launching this investigation is the American Hardwood Plywood Fair Trade Association. At the request, the federation believed that the dumping margin of hardwood and decorative plywood exported from China to the United States was 298.36% to 321.68%, and the subsidy range exceeded the allowable range of 2%. The investigation may lead to the United States impose punitive tariffs on such products.

According to the US procedures, the US International Trade Commission is expected to make a preliminary ruling on the investigation around November 13. If the agency determines that such products imported from China cause substantial damage or threat to the relevant US industry, the US Department of Commerce will continue. Conduct a "double-reverse" investigation and expect to make preliminary results of countervailing and anti-dumping investigations in December this year and March next year.

Analysts said that this year is the US election year. The Obama administration frequently beats China for the purpose of campaigning, and repeatedly launched "double opposition" and "337 investigations" on Chinese products. Trade protectionism has obviously warmed up.

The EU requires China's wooden furniture and other exports must pass FSC certification

Recently, the European Parliament passed regulations on timber and wood products originating from third countries to ensure the elimination of the risk of illegal logging of timber and timber products into the EU, requiring all operators in the supply chain to share responsibility. The new regulations are more stringent than those contained in the original motion proposed by the European Commission. After the regulations are passed by the European Parliament, they must be agreed by the EU Council before they can be implemented.

The regulations cover wooden furniture for offices, kitchens, bedrooms, dining rooms, wood (including several types of wooden plaques), various types of wood panels, wooden picture frames, photo frames and frames, and various wooden packagings ( Including boxes, boxes, etc.). The new timber law requires all manufacturers on the timber production and processing chain to submit to the EU basic information on the legality of timber sources, such as timber source, country and forest, wood volume and weight, log supplier name and address, illegal timber. Wood products will be severely punished.

The inspection and quarantine department recommends that for the EU new wood law, enterprises should ensure that the source of raw materials and materials in the wood products are legal, and that they should be responsible for procurement, and actively promote the sustainable wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to ensure that Exporting the basic information such as the legality of timber and wood products to the EU, and preventing the participation in illegal timber and illegal wood products transactions.

Of course, from the outside, these situations are both understandable and foreseeable in terms of logic and common sense. As the world's largest furniture production and exporting country, standing on the so-called "high places", naturally it is "not chilly." "But what needs to be seen is that this situation is not simply an external trade protection, but also has its own reasons."

Brand construction lags neglecting the serious homogenization of R&D products

In the context of global economic integration, the trend of the furniture market has gradually diversified and personalized furniture products, and brands have become the first choice for consumers. The furniture products exported by China are mainly based on OEM, and the design drawings of the products are all provided by foreign investors. This makes the Chinese enterprises at the low end of the value chain, the competition for homogenization is serious, and the ability to resist risks is weak, let alone in the market. Take the initiative in the economy. The lack of original product design, competitive brand and plagiarism in China's furniture industry are all important issues that hinder the development of the furniture industry.

Enterprise management lacks scientific production efficiency is low

First of all, corporate training is not in place and personnel turnover is frequent, resulting in low-level staff quality, unfamiliar with the operation of modern machines, seriously affecting the improvement of production efficiency. At present, the annual per capita output value of China's northern furniture industry is 100,000 yuan, and that of southern enterprises is slightly higher, reaching 300,000 yuan, while the per capita output value of developed countries exceeds 100,000 US dollars.

Secondly, the lack of investment in automation facilities limits the improvement of production efficiency. Although some enterprises are aware of this problem, the lack of funds has become a bottleneck.

Third, the internal management of the enterprise is unscientific, the process design is uneconomical, and even some of the processes are unreasonable, which severely limits the improvement of production efficiency, which in turn affects the market competitiveness of the enterprise.