The policies of the property market are changing increasingly, and what remains unchanged is the confidence of the state in regulation. As a downstream industry, the home furnishing industry is more or less affected by the property market. However, with the launch of affordable housing and the increasing proportion of house renovation, the furniture industry has achieved rapid development instead, running counter to the sluggish property market and entering a golden age of development.
Professionals believe that the furniture industry is an evergreen industry, as well as an industry for sustainable development and an industry that enrich people.
At present, China is still in the intermediate stage of industrialization, and the urbanization rate is still relatively low. If we want to reach the level of moderately developed countries, there are still 20 years to go. I believe that these 20 years will also be 20 years of sustained and steady development of China's furniture industry, and a golden development period for the furniture industry. If in the previous 20 years we focused mainly on quantitative expansion, then in the next 20 years we will focus mainly on quality improvement. Everyone should seize the golden period of opportunity, because now the national economy is moving forward at a rate of 8%, which requires a large amount of furniture. If GDP grows by 8%, the growth rate of the furniture industry will be about 15%, and maintaining such a rate can achieve coordination.
From the perspective of the international market, although there are still many uncertain factors, I believe that Chinese furniture with high quality and low price will still be welcomed by people all over the world, so exports will continue to grow steadily, but the growth rate will not be large.
Another development trend is that our industry may continue to transfer northward to the central and western regions, which will also make the overall industrial layout of our country more reasonable.
Starting from last year, although affected by the international financial crisis, the furniture industry suffered considerable difficulties. However, under the guidance of a series of policies of maintaining growth, expanding domestic demand and adjusting structure, and through the joint efforts of the whole industry, the furniture industry has overcome various difficulties, achieved steady growth in production, initial results in structural adjustment, marked improvement in economic benefits, and further expansion of the domestic market. According to statistics, from January to October 2011, the cumulative total industrial output value of the furniture industry was 413.110 billion yuan, the total industrial output value of the furniture industry in October was 46.824 billion yuan, and the number of enterprises in the furniture industry was 4086, around 100 million yuan. The first quarter of this year had a good start, with exports increasing by 26% year-on-year.
Industry insiders said that at present, the operation of the furniture industry has the following characteristics: First, export-oriented enterprises face greater difficulties. From the perspective of above-scale enterprises, brand enterprises focusing on domestic sales enjoy a good development momentum, while export-oriented enterprises, especially those focusing on exports to Europe and the United States, face more difficulties. The decline of individual enterprises is relatively large, and small and medium-sized enterprises without brands also have relatively great difficulties. A number of such enterprises closed down last year, but the number is not large. Second, the development of various regions is not balanced enough. Zhejiang, Shandong, Hebei, Beijing and Sichuan develop relatively fast, and private enterprises in Guangdong also develop relatively fast. In addition, the speed of our industrial transfer has obviously accelerated, and exports of several fast-growing regions — Henan, Jiangxi and Anhui — have more than doubled. All these are transfers from Guangdong to these regions. The development in Northeast China is not fast, and the development in other regions is also relatively slow. Third, progress has been made in structural adjustment and transformation. In the face of the financial crisis, the majority of enterprises have continuously adjusted their structure, improved quality, increased product varieties and promoted industrial upgrading. In addition, enterprises have strengthened management and reduced costs, so the economic benefits of enterprises have improved significantly.
At present, there are mainly the following problems in the development of the industry: First, product quality is uneven, there is insufficient supply of high-end products, and the production capacity of low-end and medium-end products is excessive, leading to fierce competition. Second, there is blind development. Many places regard the furniture industry as a pillar industry for development, which is certainly a good thing, but it also gives rise to the problem of redundant construction. Third, the international situation is uncertain, and there are still many difficulties in export. Fourth, on the whole, management is still relatively extensive and labor productivity is low.