Archive for January, 2006
By: kompas,
WALUPUN relatif tak ada perubahan yang drastis pada desain mebel luar ruang, sebenarnya dari waktu ke waktu desain mebel luar ruang pun mengalami perubahan. Dari sisi bahan baku, misalnya, kalau dulu hanya dikenal kayu seutuhnya, kini-meski tetap berbahan baku kayu-sudah dipadukan dengan beberapa elemen bahan lainnya.
DEDI Wirawan, Manajer Umum PT Kurnia Jati Utama Indonesia, mengatakan, perubahan desain mebel luar ruang dengan memanfaatkan elemen bahan lainnya tak dapat dihindarkan karena ini juga berarti menghemat bahan baku kayunya.
Produknya antara lain memadukan mebel luar ruang dengan bahan lain, seperti besi untuk kerangkanya, kain untuk dudukan dan sandaran kursi, kuningan, dan stainless steel.
“Mebel luar ruang produksi kami yang desainnya dipadu dengan bahan lain di samping kayu hanya sekitar lima persen. Itu pun sebenarnya lebih banyak karena permintaan para pembeli. Terakhir ini kami membuat mebel kayu yang dipadukan dengan kain nilon. Oleh karena mebel luar ruang ini merupakan pesanan, jadi kain nilonnya dipasok oleh pembeli,” tutur Dedi menjelaskan.
Perubahan pada desain mebel luar ruang produknya lebih banyak terletak pada detailnya saja, misalnya berbeda di bagian sandarannya, pegangan tangan, kaki kursi, atau cara penyambungannya.
“Mebel outdoor umumnya hanya terdiri dari kursi dan meja taman, kursi panjang untuk berjemur di kolam renang, dan garden tile atau jalan setapak untuk taman yang terbuat dari potongan kayu kecil-kecil,” kata Dedi menambahkan.
Sebagian mebel luar ruang produk PT Kurnia Jati Utama Indonesia pun desainnya disesuaikan dengan gambar yang diminta pemesannya. “Untuk desain order seperti ini kami tidak mungkin menjualnya ke pasar dalam negeri atau memperbanyak untuk diekspor sendiri. Kami membuat mebel sesuai dengan pesanan saja, karena desain itu hak paten mereka,” ujar Dedi.
Adapun untuk mebel yang didesain sendiri oleh pihaknya, Dedi mengaku banyak mendapat ide dari majalah furnitur dan interior, serta melihat berbagai bentuk mebel saat dia mengunjungi pameran-pameran.
JIKA PT Kurnia Jati Utama Indonesia mengalami kendala pasokan bahan baku kayu jati, tidak demikian dengan CV Golden Teak Garden, yang juga eksportir mebel luar ruang. Chandra, Presiden Direktur CV Golden Teak Garden, mengatakan, dia mengandalkan para perajin Jepara untuk menyuplai mebel jadi yang akan diekspor.
“Kami tidak menangani soal bahan baku kayu jati. Itu urusan setiap perajin, dan selama ini mereka relatif tidak mengeluh kekurangan bahan baku. Kami sebatas pesan mebel untuk memenuhi permintaan pasar luar negeri,” jelas Chandra.
Oleh karena itu, sejak awal Chandra selalu menjelaskan kepada para pembeli produknya bahwa dia tak bisa menjamin desain mebel pesanan mereka tidak diperbanyak oleh perajin- meskipun dia sebenarnya telah memesan agar perajin membuat mebel terbatas sesuai dengan jumlah pesanan saja.
“Kami pernah dikomplain di Jerman, dinilai meniru desain mebel yang telah mereka patenkan, yaitu kursi taman. Padahal, model tersebut sudah umum dibuat di Jepara sejak lama. Untuk membedakannya, kami membuat desain sendiri agar produk tersebut tidak sama dengan desain yang telah mereka patenkan,” kata Chandra.
Sementara Hans Poerwanto, Direktur Prestige Furniture di Yogyakarta, antara lain menggabungkan kayu dan alumunium untuk meminimalkan penggunaan bahan baku kayu jati. Alumunium khususnya digunakan untuk rangka utama mebelnya. Penggantian ini dilakukan karena aluminium lebih mudah dicari daripada kayu jati.
“Biasanya untuk rangka utama dengan bentuk melengkung yang menghabiskan kayu dalam jumlah besar diganti dengan aluminium. Harapannya, agar usaha ini masih bisa lebih panjang umurnya,” kata Hans yang biasanya merancang sendiri desain mebel produk Prestige Furniture.
Dia mensyaratkan desain mebel luar ruangnya berkonstruksi kuat, fungsional, indah, dan ergonomik sehingga nyaman diduduki. Desain mebel luar ruangnya dibuat sederhana sehingga tidak makan banyak tempat, dan diciptakan dengan sistem knock down atau bongkar pasang.
“Sistem bongkar pasangnya dibuat sesederhana mungkin sehingga ibu-ibu rumah tangga pun bisa membongkar dan memasang kursi atau meja outdoor itu,” ujar Mike Thomasius, asisten desain Prestige Furniture, yang juga berusaha membuat produknya seringan mungkin.
WARNA pada mebel luar ruang umumnya cenderung menggunakan warna-warna alami kayu, hanya aluminium, besi, plastik, atau kain kanvasnya saja yang diberi pewarna. Penggunaan warna alami kayu ini didasarkan pada survei pasar yang hingga kini tampaknya masih menyukai warna-warna alami.
Setiap bulannya Hans, umpamanya, rata-rata mengadakan perubahan dua desain mebel luar ruang, baik merupakan penciptaan desain baru maupun penyempurnaan produk lama semata. “Umur desain-desain mebel outdoor mampu bertahan lama, yakni sekitar lima tahun. Kita ini kan mass product sehingga perubahan dan penciptaan desainnya tidak terlalu cepat,” kata Mike Thomasius yang mengaku mendapatkan ide desainnya dari berbagai majalah ini.
Beberapa penciptaan desain itu antara lain kursi yang biasa digunakan untuk berjemur dan biasa diletakkan dekat kolam renang, yang dulunya dibuat “mati” atau fixed, kini menjadi fleksibel dengan sandaran punggung yang bisa diubah sesuai dengan keinginan penggunanya.
Selain itu, ada pula sistem penguncian baru terhadap kursi yang bisa dilipat. Ini, kata Mike, lebih dimaksudkan untuk keamanan penggunanya.
Sedangkan PT Aneka Unitop Bekasi, menurut manajer pemasarannya, Asep Suryatna, mengolah desain mebel luar ruangnya lewat penyelesaian yang simpel atau dengan teak oil. “Furnitur dari kayu untuk luar ruangan itu tidak kenal kata kuno, tinggal bagaimana kita mengolahnya, bisa dipadu dengan kain kanvas, besi atau alumunium,” ujarnya.
Perusahaan yang mengekspor semua produknya ini bekerja berdasarkan desain pesanan pembeli. Mereka memang memiliki brosur sebagai contoh model mebel yang mereka produksi, dan menyebut penggunaan kayu nyatoh sebagai salah satu cirinya. Mebel dari kayu nyatoh yang diberi sentuhan teak oil dibuat dalam beragam bentuk, seperti kursi, meja, dan kursi lipat.
Sementara produk PT Subadiya Prima lebih beragam lagi. BS Tjahjono, pemiliknya, memadukan kayu tidak hanya dengan kain terpal saja, tetapi juga dengan rotan dan batu. “Salah satu kelebihan perajin Indonesia adalah cepat mengadopsi desain baru. Kami bisa membuat apa saja, dengan beragam cara finishing serta paduan, dan hasilnya tetap luwes,” tuturnya menambahkan. (J09/ELN/IKA/CP)
http://www.kompas.com/kompas-cetak/0408/19/furnitur/1212310.htm
January 30th, 2006
— Furniture Today
Will offer full, mixed containers
GALLATIN, Tenn. — Case goods manufacturer and importer Cresent Fine Furniture will open a warehouse in China to improve the flow of goods to dealers.
The facility will offer full and mixed direct containers, supplementing less-than-truckload shipments from its warehouse here, the company said.
Cresent said it would disclose details of the service at next week’s Las Vegas market, where it is showing for the first time in space 66458 at Mandalay Bay.
Director of Sales and Marketing Richard Tomkins said, “By offering multiple logistical options, we can create a best-fit strategy for each retail partner, rather than a one-size-fits-all scenario.”
January 30th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
World Market Center officials announced that they have partnered with Opportunity Village, a Las Vegas-based, not-for-profit agency, to create a furniture donation program to benefit people with intellectual disabilities and their families in the valley. Permanent and temporary exhibitors at the upcoming Las Vegas Market are being asked to donate their merchandise after the show to Opportunity Village’s Thrift Store where donated goods will be sold at and all proceeds will benefit the hundreds of families served by the organization.
Established in 1954 by a group of Las Vegas families, Opportunity Village operates two campuses, two work centers and a Thrift Store in Las Vegas. Opportunity Village trains and places hundreds of disabled adults in jobs throughout Southern Nevada and is now the largest private provider of vocational training, employment, advocacy and recreation for people with disabilities in Nevada. Opportunity Village is world renown, completely funded by donations, and often used as the model for developing similar programs in other states and countries.
“Opportunity Village approached us with the idea of creating this furniture donation program and after learning more about the wonderful services they provide, including vocational training, employment and social recreation services for the intellectually disabled citizens of our valley, we jumped at the chance to form a partnership to support this great organization,” commented Dave Palmer, General Manager at World Market Center. “We want this program to be successful and so we are encouraging all of our tenants and exhibitors to donate their furniture at the end of market to Opportunity Village.”
Exhibitors at the upcoming Las Vegas Market donating goods to Opportunity Village are asked to complete a short donation form, clearly label goods as donation items and separate these items from other merchandise. Las Vegas Market’s general service contractor will be available to help assemble the items being donated at the end of market during move-out.
For more information about Opportunity Village, please visit their website at www.opportunityvillage.org. If you have questions about the furniture donation program, please contact Opportunity Village at 702-259-3700.
The Winter Las Vegas Market is being held January 30 February 3, 2006 at World Market Center and the Pavilions. The temporary exhibits at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center will open on Tuesday, January 31 and run through February 3, 2003. Las Vegas Market hours of operations are 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. On Friday, Market hours are 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Online registration is available for buyers, designers, international registrants, exhibitors, and representatives as well as other industry members such as non-exhibiting manufacturers, media, speakers and suppliers by visiting www.lasvegasmarket.com and completing the online application process.
Opportunity Village
Opportunity Village is a Las Vegas-based, not-for-profit agency that serves people with intellectual disabilities to improve the quality of their lives as well as the lives of their families. Established in 1954 by a group of Las Vegas families, Opportunity Village operates two campuses, two work centers and a Thrift Store in Las Vegas. Opportunity Village is now the largest private provider of vocational training, employment, advocacy and recreation for people with disabilities in Nevada. Opportunity Village currently serves hundreds of people with severe disabilities every day, and generally has a waiting list of many more who need those services. Your donated goods will be sold at the Opportunity Village Thrift Store and all proceeds will benefit the hundreds of families served by Opportunity Village.
World Market Center
World Market Center is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and convention complex in Las Vegas. When fully built, at 12 million square feet in 8 buildings, World Market Center will be the largest trade show facility in the World. The 12 million square foot campus will showcase furniture, decorative accessories, lighting, area rugs, home textile and related segments, as well as a Design Center open year-round to the trade. The second building is under construction and will open in 2007; officials are now leasing the third building to a broad cross-section of the home furnishings industry. The second Las Vegas Market is being held January 30 – February 3, 2006, with permanent showrooms on-site at World Market Center. Temporary exhibits will be located at the Pavilions adjacent to World Market Center and at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, as well as Off-Price Home & Gift at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
For more information on Las Vegas Market, and to find out about leasing or exhibiting opportunities, visit the website or call 888-WMC-SHOW (962-7469). Attendees can send inquires to the Buyer Services dept. at buyers@lasvegasmarket.com.
January 30th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
Nick Lanphier, CEO of Oakwood Interiors and Steve Balsamo, CEO of Creative Ideas announced that they have decided to merge their respective companies and to consolidate their manufacturing operations into the Oakwood Interiors’ facility located in Ontario, Ca. This consolidation will result in a stronger presence for U.S. manufactured furniture for both product lines at a time when many manufacturing jobs are being lost to off-shore suppliers.
Oakwood Interiors manufactures a line of high quality Bedroom Furniture in the Oakwood Interiors Facility in Ontario CA. Creative Ideas’ manufactures a high quality line of Home/Office Furniture that will be relocating from their Corona, CA. facility into the Oakwood Interiors Facility. The combined operations will result in stronger and greatly improved manufacturing operation. It will also improve product distribution efficiencies as well as many cost savings over having two separate facilities.
Nick Lanphier is quoted as saying “I believe in the strength and dedication of our associates. We have been producing high quality bedroom furniture in the United States for over 20 years. The combination of these two product lines will ensure that we will be doing so for another 20.” Steve Balsamo followed Nick’s comments by saying “Creative Ideas” product line of Home/Office Furniture has led the home office industry from its inception over 27 years ago. Combining our operations will lead to greater efficiencies and enhanced value for our customers.” Both companies are excited about the prospects and opportunities that lie ahead.
Two years ago Oakwood Interiors acquired the Alan Morgan line of bedroom furniture. This line of fashionable foreign sourced products has been well accepted in the market place and customers have benefited from Oakwood’s reputation for high quality and attention to detail. The new combination of the Oakwood Interiors and Creative Ideas product lines will likewise continue to benefit from Oakwood’s mission of being a premier supplier of US manufactured product for the furniture industry.
The combined product lines will be showcased for the first time at the January 30, 2006 Las Vegas Furniture Market in Showroom 1001 on the tenth floor. All dealers are encouraged to visit this exciting showroom and see what’s up in Made in America product.
January 27th, 2006
By:furnituretoday
Bedding and Beyond: How to get your share – and more. March 29 – 31, 2006. Ritz Carlton Lake Las Vegas Resort.
Click Here to Register Online
January 26th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
WNDU News of South Bend, IN (http://www.wndu.com) reported that a truck crashed through the wall of the Oak Express store in Mishawaka, IN this past Saturday. The truck drove right onto the showroom floor but nobody was injured.
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The Miami Herald (http://www.miami.com) discussed the unusual job of Shlomi Gal-on, also known as “Dr. Sofa” in an article posted to their website on January 22. It seems that Dr. Sofa’s job is to help New York apartment dwellers to get oversized furniture to fit into apartments with small stairwells and doorways.
The article noted that he cuts “the sofa and other furniture into pieces, move in the parts and reassemble them as if nothing happened. His business is not unusual in New York City, where he has at least five competitors.”
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China Knowledge (http://www.chinaknowledge.com) noted that the second largest IKEA store will be opened in Wanjing China. The article stated that, “The new store in Wanjing is expected to cost the furniture giant US$100 million for construction and will occupy an area of 44,000 sq m, IKEA’s second largest after the 55,000 sq m Stockholm store.”
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The Winston Salem Journal reported that Lexington Home Brands plans to keep production of their The World of Bob Timberlake line in the US when they resume its production. It seems that Lexington ceased production of the line earlier this year when it closed a plant in Lexington. The article states that “The closing, which resulted in the loss of 360 jobs, was part of Lexington’s plan to ramp up the import component of its wooden furniture to 90 percent…”
January 26th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
La-Z-Boy, a leading manufacturer of upholstered furniture, has announced the opening of a La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® store in Lynnwood, Wash., located at 19230 Alderwood Mall Pkwy. The store boasts the design-focused format of the company’s “new generation” stores, which help customers in every step of their furniture shopping and home decorating experience.
The new 17,700-square-foot store features the full selection of stylish La-Z-Boy® furniture, beautiful accent pieces, and a professionally staffed design center to help customers put it all together.
“La-Z-Boy offers furniture for any home, whether you are looking for something contemporary or classic, casual or traditional,” said Andy Spotts, store owner. “The style, quality and comfort of La-Z-Boy furniture combined with the design expertise and customer service we provide make an easy, enjoyable furniture shopping experience for any customer.”
The La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries store network numbers 329 locations, representing one of North America’s largest furniture retailers and the fourth largest U.S. furniture retailer.
Headquartered in Monroe, Mich., La-Z-Boy is North America’s largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture and the world’s leading producer of reclining chairs. It is a division of La-Z-Boy Incorporated, (NYSE: PCX: LZB) one of the nation’s largest furniture manufacturers and marketers.
January 26th, 2006
By PAUL NOWELL / Associated Press
The future of artist Bob Timberlake’s popular original furniture collection is in jeopardy as its manufacturer decides whether to continue the domestic production Timberlake insists on, according to the artist.
Word of the apparent standoff between Timberlake and manufacturer Lexington Home Brands offers a dramatic illustration of the free-trade challenges facing North Carolina’s once-robust furniture industry, which shed more than 20,000 jobs — over 27 percent of total employment — in the first half of this decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Production of the Timberlake line has idled since December, when Lexington closed the last plant that was making it. For now, stockpiled inventory is being sold, Timberlake said Thursday, but he has refused to give the company permission to move production of his core line of original furniture overseas.
Lexington Home Brands did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the future of the line, saying chief executive Bob Stec would not be available to speak until next week.
“They’ve stopped making it now, but they are seeking to still to make it domestically,” Timberlake said Thursday following a ceremony at which he received an award from Gov. Mike Easley. “They’ve stockpiled quite a lot of it.”
The artist’s relationship with Lexington Home Brands goes back some 15 years, when he was one of the first celebrities to attach his name to a furniture line. In recent years, he has given permission to Lexington Home Brands to introduce lower-priced spinoff lines that include some imported pieces.
But Timberlake has refused to allow the most expensive line to be off-shored, saying quality will suffer if the pieces are made in China or another foreign country. For the past several years he has spoken openly of his determination to keep the original Timberlake line exclusively made in America.
“I feel like the original stuff needs to be made here and I made a stand,” he said. “We kind of kept it going for three or four years, but there’s only so much you can do.”
Lexington Home Brands, once a major Davidson County employer, has shed about 2,000 jobs since 2001 as the company has moved more and more production overseas.
Lexington Mayor Richard Thomas said Timberlake has done all that could be expected to protect North Carolina furniture jobs.
“He kept it going and we’re hoping it can be resurrected,” Thomas said. “It would be nice to have it, but we realize these companies need to be profitable and they are competing against China.”
In 2002, the most recent year for which sales figures were available, Lexington manufactured an estimated $70 million worth of Timberlake-brand furniture. The company has since been taken private and no longer regularly releases sales figures.
Timberlake said he and Lexington Home Brands reached an impasse over the line during negotiations last fall.
“They kept asking and asking and pushing,” he said. “In October, I said, `Quit asking. Take it off the table.’”
In the past two years, Timberlake has signed off on production of two lower-priced, imported lines under the Timberlake brand: “Studio Traditions” and “Salt Aire.”
In a statement announcing “Salt Aire” last fall, Lexington said the collection “takes advantage of worldwide sourcing to introduce the brand to a new and younger audience through lower price points, value-engineered construction, beautiful veneers, a great mix of materials, and fresh styling.”
Timberlake said he tried to be realistic while also preserving the quality of his core line.
“I know some of the stuff has to be made offshore. We have to do that,” he said. He then pointed at a solid cherry cabinet on a showroom floor: “But I didn’t think they could make this and keep up the quality.”
He said workers at Lexington — many of them relatives or people he grew up with in Davidson County — know he has done his best to save furniture jobs in North Carolina.
“They all know we did all we could,” he said. “The (furniture) industry changes, sometimes for the better, other times for the worse. … We saved these jobs for about three or four years.”
http://www.wcnc.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8F8NBOG1.html
January 23rd, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
Vaughn-Bassett Furniture Company, a large manufacturer of wooden master bedroom furniture, announced plans to open a permanent showroom at World Market Center Las Vegas.
A respected manufacturer in the industry for more than 85 years, Vaughan-Bassett’s new showroom will be in the second building at World Market Center, scheduled to open for the January 2007 Las Vegas Market.
“We attended the inaugural Las Vegas Market in July 2005 and we were very impressed with the large number of small and medium sized dealers who attended. We have over 3,000 accounts in the United States and we need to reach those dealers,” said Doug Bassett, Vice President of Sales at Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company. “We look forward to our first market in Las Vegas when our showroom in Building Two opens in January 2007.”
World Market Center officials are excited to have Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company join the roster of companies leasing space in the second building. Babs Blair, Director of Leasing at World Market Center commented, “As a well-known and respected company in the home furnishings industry, Vaughan-Bassett is truly an asset to our growing mix of tenants at World Market Center.”
Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company: Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company in Galax, Virginia, was founded in 1919 by Mr. B.C. Vaughan and Mr. J.D. Bassett, Sr., both from Bassett, Virginia. As of 2006, Vaughan-Basset has become the largest manufacturer of wooden master bedroom furniture in the United States. Over ninety-five percent of its production is made in its plants in Virginia and North Carolina.
World Market Center: World Market Center is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and convention complex in Las Vegas. When fully built, at 12 million square feet in 8 buildings, World Market Center will be the largest trade show facility in the World. The 12 million square foot campus will showcase furniture, decorative accessories, lighting, area rugs, home textile and related segments, as well as a Design Center open year-round to the trade. The second building is under construction and will open in 2007; officials are now leasing the third building to a broad cross-section of the home furnishings industry. The second Las Vegas Market is being held January 30 – February 3, 2006.
For more information on Las Vegas Market, and to find out about leasing or exhibiting opportunities, visit the website at www.lasvegasmarket.com or call 888-WMC-SHOW (962-7469).
January 23rd, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
BIFMA International announced the availability of the new standard for Color Measurement. The new standard, BIFMA Color 3.1-2005 was released January 16, 2006.
This standard is intended to provide a common practice of color measurement technique for office furniture manufacturers and suppliers. The new standard will be an integral part of establishing methods of visual and numerical requirements for color evaluation. The BIFMA Color Working Group’s intent was to take numerous standards already written for color evaluation and make them user-friendly and directly applicable to the furniture industry. During the document development process, care was taken to maintain the guiding principals of other, more voluminous publications while simplifying the language. The BIFMA Color Working Group believes this document to be a practical bench top document for color measurement.
The new standard provides a description of Primary and Secondary Light Sources. A section of the standard is dedicated to the evaluation of painted and solid laminate surfaces, as well as the evaluation of plastics and textiles. Definitions of the complex terms used in color measurement evaluations are also provided.
The work on the Color Standard began at the request of the BIFMA Supply Chain Committee’s Quality Subcommittee. The Color Working Group met on a frequent basis during the year 2005 to complete the work and publish the finished standard.
Copies of the BIFMA Color 3.1-2005 are available in electronic (pdf file) or paper copy. A copy of the Standard Order Form can be downloaded from the BIFMA web-site at www.bifma.org or contact the office directly at 616-285-3963.
January 19th, 2006
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