Spells optimism in China’s furniture production market

Asia’s most influential furniture production, woodworking machinery and interior decor trade fair closed on a high note March 31. The event covered an area of 150,000 sqmtr, with a total of 1,459 exhibitors, including 340 companies from abroad. The four-day event attracted participation from a total of 107 countries and regions, and a record 89,858 visitors showed up to sniff out the latest and best products – an increase of about 7.8 per cent over the previous year. The number of buyers from mature markets such as Malaysia and South Korea as well as emerging markets including India and Pakistan also recorded significant growth.

An independent survey was commissioned by the organisers on exhibitors and visitors during the exhibition period to understand the latest status of the furniture production market. Results show optimism on the industry’s prospects this year.

The top two reasons for visiting the event was “seeking new suppliers” (62 per cent) and “looking to become an agent” (37 per cent). Nearly half (48 per cent) of the surveyed buyers were at the event for hardware and component for furniture and cabinet. In addition, functional hardware is expected to be the focal point of the industry and is thought to possess the highest potential for market growth.

86 per cent of the respondents also said a resounding “yes” when asked if they would return for the next edition – a 14 per cent jump from 2017, cementing CIFM / interzum guangzhou’s competitiveness as the region’s leading trade platform for furniture production.

“As the biggest furniture production trade fair for the Asian region, interzum guangzhou is of great value for gaining insights into both the product trends and future development of the industry. Coupled with China being the world’s largest furniture production base and consumer market with the greatest growth potential, interzum guangzhou has long been the most efficient trading platform for overseas brands to enter the China market. Our survey results are also very heartening with positive industry outlook and unprecedented participant approval rating,” said Keith Tsui, Managing Director of Koelnmesse China.

The new Custom Furniture Supplier Zone was a major crowd puller which saw manufacturers with superior raw materials and novel design gather under one roof. Besides functional hardware, the furniture lighting also proved to be the other segment to see exponential expansion.

“It’s our first time exhibiting in China. I’m extremely happy with the exhibition and it’s very important for our company. The number of visitors is huge and they are from all over the world. I’ve received visitors from over 20 countries, such as Vietnam, Australia, Canada and India. In addition, the quality of the visitors is also excellent,” said Aykut Engin, Business Promotion Manager of Beta Kimya San veTicaret AS from Turkey.

Regional Manager Erik Camani of Italy-based Cinetto F.lli S.r.l. – a fellow interzum guangzhou rookie – expressed similar sentiments: “There are just so many visitors and this far exceeds my expectations. 70 per cent of them are from China, and 30 per cent come from overseas. Most of them are furniture manufacturers, and there is also no lack of representatives from big brands. This year, our booth is in the Custom Furniture Suppliers Zone and I very much agree with this concept. Interzum guangzhou is a very important platform for our promotion in Asia. We will continue to exhibit next year.”

“Over the years, I can see that the exhibition has been constantly improving. We’ve found numerous trusted partners at Interzum guangzhou and hope that the show will become even better,” said frequent buyer Zolotarev Vitaly of Import Group from Russia.

Making his maiden visit to interzum guangzhou from India, CDS Creative Designs’ Kamesh Velayudham enjoyed the activities and services provided by the organiser, and expressed appreciation for the PIAZZA lounge.

Yet another bright spot, the inaugural “20 PLUS 20 Annual List – interzum guangzhou Outstanding Furniture Accessories“ initiated by show organisers to actively recognise and encourage innovative brands and products in the furniture manufacturing field saw nominations pouring in from exhibitors to vie for the top 20 most influential and innovative furniture accessories accolade for 2017-2018.

After several rounds of screening by the organising committee and a foreign expert consultant team, an award ceremony was held to honor the companies behind the winning products. A special feature display area was also erected and open to visitors who pored over the exhibits for free throughout the show period.

2017-2018 Annual List Finalists:
  • Luxe-Zenit-Syncron (Alvic)
  • Airmaster (Aydin Tekstil)
  • BD Cloud (Bekaert Deslee Textiles)
  • Magnerest (Boyteks Tekstil)
  • Knitted Mattress Ticking (Comfytex)
  • High glossy Two Component Waterborne Polyurethane Wood Coating (Covestro)
  • Slim Double Wall Drawer Box (Cossla)
  • Target (Italiana Ferramenta)
  • High Gloss 3D PETG Furniture Film (Klöckner Pentaplast)
  • Latex Mattress – L’A Dome (Lien A)
  • LINAK Electric Height Adjustable System For Office Desks
  • Recliner Mechanism (Lion Rock | Confer)
  • NJ27 Series / EASY DOWN (Nan Juen | Repon)
  • Enjoy Type Double-motor R2 H-set (OCTO)
  • Lever Switch (OKIN)
  • RENOLIT Box (RENOLIT)
  • Digital Printing Paper (Schattdecor)
  • MATERIA (Sige)
  • T-type Glissando (Titus)
  • Self Closing Set SILENTO CHIUSURA (ZIMMER)
Industry-centric seminars

Industry representatives explored various hot topics in the field of furniture production and strategies on the application of technology and provide the latest industry information and product technology solutions to participants.

Seminar topics include:
  • Colour Road 2018 / 2019 – Renolit SE
  • LEUCO Tooling – The pioneer of Industry 4.0 in the furniture and wood processing industry- LEUCO Precision Tooling (Taicang) Co., Ltd.
  • How to Choose the Most Suitable Electric Adjustable Systems for Your Office Furniture? – LINAK (Shenzhen) Actuator Systems Ltd.
  • Mattress Trends of the World – Boyteks Tekstil A.S.
  • Let the World Love the Chinese Intelligent Manufacturing – Cossla Hardware Co., Ltd.
Customised furniture zone to meet strong demand

In view of the strong growth potential for customised furniture, a Custom Furniture Suppliers zone was launched at International Hall 14.1 to provide a one-stop sourcing platform showcasing materials such as hardware components, wood panels, edge banding, worktops and surfaces for manufacturers and interior designers.

Business opportunities aplenty

A series of business matching activities were held on the third day of the show (March 30) at the PIAZZA lounge, also located at International Hall 14.1. As one of the highlights of interzum guangzhou, participating exhibitors met one-on-one with a number of successfully pre-matched buyers from renowned domestic furniture brands.

Networking at international hall

Business and pleasure do mix when it comes to interzum guangzhou. After receiving rave reviews since its introduction in 2017, the “Happy Hour” mini cocktail event were back again this year in the afternoon of March 30, providing participants with another opportunity to network as well as relax over fine wine, sumptuous snacks and soothing “live” jazz performance at the PIAZZA lounge in International Hall 14.1.

More goodies to be redeemed

Another well-received activity at interzum guangzhou since 2013 was the gift redemption program which returned in 2018 – only better. Visitors were able to redeem not one, but two gifts this year after they collected the required stamps and taken photos at designated spots respectively.

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