Competitiveness of US wood furniture manufacturers - Lessons learned from the softwood moulding industry

摘要

The furniture industry in wood household (non-uphol-the United States has been sterecl) sector (SIC code losing market share to 2511). In the upholstered furimports for the past two niture sector, exports are still decades. This article focuses larger than imports. But the on the market segment wood household furniture where most of the loss has sector is the largest sector in occurred: the important the furniture industry. Domestic furniture manufacturers are losing market share despite one of the best housing markets in over 20 years. The U.S. trade imbalance for the wood household furniture (non-upholstered) sector increased by nearly 400 percent during the 1990s, from -1.9 billion dollar in 1990 to -7.3 billion dollar in 2000. Imports now equal 53 percent of domestic production (Fig. 1), increasing from 2.38 billion dollar in 1989 to 8.31 billion dollar in 2000. Most of this increase is attributed to export growth from Asia (China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia), Canada, Mexico, and others. Recently, China, Canada, and Mexico became the fastest growing exporters of wood furniture to the United States (Fig. 2). The focus of this article will be on the growth of non-European furniture exports because they are due primarily to wage cost advantages, cheaper fiber, and/or favorable exchange rates. Most European exports, by contrast, are high qua!!ty, fine furniture.