Malaysian Furniture Industry
Malaysian
furniture industry is highly export-oriented with over 90% of its production
exported. Malaysia was the ninth largest exporter of furniture in the world in
2010 exporting to more than 160 countries. In 2011, exports of wooden furniture
amounted to RM6.2 billion and the main export destinations were the USA, Japan
and Australia.
Among
the furniture exported are kitchen furniture, bedroom furniture, upholstered
with wooden frame and office furniture of which over 80 per cent are made from
rubber wood, a light colored, medium hardwood popularly called ‘Malaysian oak'
. The export of garden/outdoor furniture from tropical hardwood is mainly for
the European market. The solid tropical wood species used are known for their
durability under different climatic conditions. Besides these traditional
markets, Malaysian furniture has gained access to the markets in New Zealand,
South America, Middle East, Africa and Russia. Malaysia is a major supplier of
office furniture to the Middle East market.
There
are more than 2,000 Malaysian furniture companies in operation, mainly located
in Peninsular Malaysia. A high concentration of furniture establishments are in
Johor (Muar and Kluang), Selangor (Klang and Sungai Buloh) and Melaka (Bukit
Rambai). A high concentration of furniture establishments are in Johor (Muar
and Kluang), Selangor (Klang and Sungai Buloh) and Melaka (Bukit Rambai).
Malaysian
furniture manufacturers have given greater emphasis on the finishing, design
and production of higher quality products with own-brand mostly for the export
market. Some of these companies have moved from supplying ready-to-assemble
furniture towards manufacturing own-designed furniture. Recognizing the need to
move from designing manually to the use of Computer Aided Design (CAD), AutoCAD
is one of the popular software system used by Malaysian furniture manufacturers
today. In order to produce designs which are both functional and aesthetic,
Malaysian furniture companies have ventured to utilize a wide range of other
materials such as metal, glass, plastic and other composite materials in
combination with rubber wood or other wood species for the increasingly
sophisticated market.
