FURNITURE industry players in Cebu have decided to formally tap the academe in their efforts to “ride the waves” in maintaining global competitiveness.

The Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF), a group of furniture manufacturers and exporters, has formed a partnership with University of San Carlos, the Canadian International Development Agency-funded Private Enterprise Accelerated Resource Linkages (Pearl) 2 Project and the German Development Services (DED) to capitalize on the students’ talents in effective marketing.


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The partnership is meant to help keep the furniture industry afloat despite the stiff competition.

“We want to make the industry an attractive career destination for new entrants,” said Eric Casas, CFIF vice president for external affairs.

“We are holding hands with the academe as the industry is trying to swim,” Pete Delantar, chief executive officer of Natures Legacy Eximport Inc., said during the forum dubbed “Sink or Swim?: The Furniture Export Industry Riding the Waves” held last Tuesday at the College of Architecture and Fine Arts Auditorium of the University of San Carlos (USC), Talamban campus.

Formalized

CFIF board of trustee Laurie Boquiren said the organization has already started to touch-base with the University of the Philippines (UP) in Cebu, UP Diliman, Don Bosco Technical School and the De La Salle University, but it was only with USC where the ties were formalized.

With the academe now slowly opening to the needs of the industry, Boquiren said the possibilities of an exchange student and faculty program with other countries is seen to enhance the creative designs and marketing component of industry players and raise global competitiveness.

Charles Streegan, Pacific Traders Manufacturing Corp. president, said the industry is challenged by the shortage of world-class designers, who leave the country for higher pay abroad.

Kenneth Cobonpue, owner of Interior Crafts of the Island Inc. and multi-awarded international designer, echoed Streegan saying “finding hot-shot designers are impossible nowadays.”

“We need to train them, cultivate them because we don’t have schools for furniture design,” he added.

Although furniture companies are investing in productivity based programs and providing incentives for their employees, the reality is that when competitors offer two or three times their regular pay here in the country, these employees do not think twice about leaving, Streegan said.

This is why Boquiren said there is a need for industry players to tap the “fresh pool of talents” from the academe to “save” the industry from further downfall.

Survival formula

CFIF president Michael Basubas earlier said the Philippine furniture industry continues to be plagued by issues concerning the appreciation of the peso, decrease in demand for furniture exports in the United States, and the stiff competition brought about by cheaper products from China.

“Yes the market is soft, the peso has gone up, and profit margins are not that high but Cebu exporters have found a formula to survive,” said Boquiren.

She said local exporters have ventured into other emerging markets like Eastern Europe, Australia and the Asean countries as an alternative to the US, which used to be their main market.

Casas said players have now begun to look into expanding the marketing of their products in the tourism sector, “which has been ignored for a long time” by furniture makers.

With regard to the strengthening of the peso against the US dollar, Streegan said “there’s nothing you can do with things you can’t control.”

While the furniture industry has continued to lobby for support from the National Government, he said the “best solution” is to stop becoming “cry babies.”

He said, though, that with the savings that the National Government has earned from the peso’s appreciation, it is “high time” for it to “revisit” the export industry.

CFIF earlier reported that the strengthening of the local currency has prompted the closure of 35 furniture companies and the retrenchment of workers.

The Philippines furniture sector has generated 80,000 direct jobs and indirect employment of about 250,000. (MMM)

For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here.

(July 12, 2014 issue)
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