Singapore’s share of world furniture export market is expected to increase to 2 percent by 2015 from the present 0.7 percent, a Singapore government minister said on Sunday.

The outlook for Singapore’s furniture industry is clearly optimistic and buoyant, said Singapore’s Information, Communications and the Arts Minister Lee Boon Yang at the opening of the international furniture fair Singapore 2008.

The fair is held in conjunction with the 25th furniture show of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),

“As furniture manufacturers, you must continue to sharpen your competitiveness to grow the business and win new market share. This is where having distinctive branding and strong design capability could make a huge difference to the future of Singapore’s furniture industry,” he said. Read more »

The Chamber of Furniture of the Philippines (CFIP) announced that they have officially taken over the helm of the ASEAN Furniture Industries Council (AFIC) from the Malaysian Furniture Industries Council (MFIC). The Philippines, which is next in line for chairmanship after Malaysia, will carry the baton for AFIC from 2007 to 2009. The other member countries of the AFIC are Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.

Dato’ Yong Seng Yeow, President of MFIC and the immediate past Chairman of AFIC formally handed over the reigns of AFIC to Mr Nicolaas K. De Lange who was appointed by the Board of CFIP as Chairman of AFIC for the two-year term. Mr De Lange has previously served as President of CFIP for two terms and also manages his own company, Designs Ligna. Read more »

Furniture makers and interior fit-out specialists from around the world will take part in an international hospitality furniture expo to be held in Bahrain next month.

The International Hospitality Furniture Expo (IHFEX) will be held at the Bahrain International Expo from September 3 to 5.

The event will be opened by Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr Hassan Fakhro.

The exhibition will target the fit-out of hotels, service apartments, commercial projects, cruise liners and other hospitality projects.

“The Singapore pavilion will combine trendsetting designs with fresh ideas, to provide visitors with a fruitful experience at IHFEX,” IHFEX director Tony Chan said. Read more »

The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) announced that they are now calling for entries for the much anticipated Furniture Design Award (FDA) 2008. The theme for FDA 2008 – “TENSION” – encourages participants in the Students and Young Designers categories to explore the element of tension in their design concepts.

Mr Andrew Pang, Chairman of the FDA 2008 Organizing Committee, said, “We have given much thought in choosing a theme that will stretch the imagination of budding designers. I am excited as “TENSION” will challenge their creativity to the hilt yet allow them tremendous free play in the process. We wish to inspire them to think beyond the general definition of “TENSION” and design something that will ‘blow us away’. The annual FDA has unearthed many design talents and we want to continue to identify designers of tomorrow as Singapore establishes its position as a furniture design hub”. Read more »

The first International Hospitality Furniture Expo (IHFEX) which aims to tap the vibrant Middle Eastern market will debut at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre from 1 to 5 September 2007. It is the Middle East’s only fully dedicated furniture contract manufacturing exhibition targeting the fit-out of hotels, service apartments, commercial projects, cruise liners and other hospitality projects.

IHFEX is organized by, Singapore based, MP Congress & Exhibitions Pte Ltd and International Furniture Fair Singapore Pte Ltd (IFFS). It is endorsed by the Bahrain Ministry of Industry and Commerce and supported by the Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority and the Singapore Furniture Industries Council. Read more »

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Named the gold and silver award winner in the Furniture Manufacturer Category of the Singapore Furniture Award (SFIA) 2006 respectively, Koda Ltd and Sitra Holdings, two of Singapore’s leading furniture powerhouses will be setting the quality benchmark for the Singapore Pavilion at the International Furniture Fair Singapore 2007/24th ASEAN Furniture Show (IFFS/AFS 2007).

Recognised as household names in the international furniture circuit, Koda and Sitra won kudos at SFIA 2006 with their financial growth and consistency, leadership in manufacturing, marketing prowess and management philosophy. Their participation at IFFS/AFS 2007 further consolidates the show’s reputation as Asia’s “must-see” premier furniture trade event and a highly anticipated one in the global furniture show circuit.

Mr Jerry Tan, Chairman of the IFFS/AFS 2007 Organising Committee, said: “We are proud to count the winners of SFIA among our exhibitors at IFFS/AFS 2007. Koda’s and Sitra’s presence at IFFS/AFS 2007 reaffirms the show’s ability to attract world-class furniture trade exhibitors and buyers. The two companies are representative of high-calibre local furniture players who are going to make a big impact at the show with their products and designs. Coupled with the enthusiastic participation that we’ve received so far from leading furniture players worldwide, we are confident that IFFS/AFS 2007 will continue live up to its reputation as the “Best Show in Asia.” Read more »

The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) announced the appointment of Mr Andrew Ng as the President of the SFIC and the office bearers on the new Executive Committee for 2006/2008. Mr Ng, who is the Managing Director of Kiat Lee Industries Pte Ltd will be taking over from Mr James Koh, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Koda Ltd, who served two full terms as SFIC’s President. Mr Ng will spearhead the Council’s mission of establishing Singapore as a premier furniture hub.

An experienced furniture veteran, Mr Andrew Ng, joined the SFIC in 1990 and saw to the successful implementation of several key Council initiatives. Mr Ng also spearheaded several SFIC industry development programmes and had a hand in initiating numerous networking events for the local furniture industry. Currently at the helm of the upcoming International Furniture Centre project, Mr Ng is also a known personality amongst the Asian and international furniture network.

“I am indeed honoured to be part of this dynamic team. The new executive committee will not only continue to diligently pursue SFIC’s goals and objectives, but will also carry on the good work implemented by the out-going committee. With newer technologies coming on-stream by the day and a highly competitive global landscape, it is imperative that we adopt clearly defined strategies and a creative approach to ensure continuous growth for our industry. My committee will continue to play a significant role in promoting the interests of our members and the Singapore furniture industry to ensure that we stay ahead of the curve in the global furniture marketplace.” said Mr Andrew Ng. Read more »

Singapore’s furniture industry will receive $16 million over the next three years to fund new initiatives aimed at improving design capabilities.

The move is expected to almost double Singapore’s share of the global furniture market to an estimated S$1.7 billion in three years.

The funding boost is part of a government-led multi-agency programme to enhance local industry and enterprise competitiveness.

This funding boost, under the government’s LEAD (Local Enterprise and Association Development) programme, was announced at the opening of the International Furniture Fair on Wednesday.

Government agencies SPRING and IE Singapore say local designers need to keep honing their design skills to stay competitive. Read more »

The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) will launch a series of projects at the cost of 16 million Singapore dollars (about 10 million U.S. dollars) to boost the industry, Second Minister for Trade and Industry Vivian Balakrishnan announced Wednesday.

Addressing the opening of the International Furniture Fair Singapore, Balakrishnan, who is also Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, said that these projects will nurture local design talent and expand the industry’s global market share through branding and novel designs.

An International Furniture Center comprising export showrooms and a Furniture Design Village will be established at Sungei Kadut in northwestern Singapore to make the city state a springboard into the Asia Pacific region. Read more »