A profile of the furniture manufacturing industry / Susan M. Walcott, PhD.

Available on the Davenport University Library database page in the "e-books Business Expert Press" e-library.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 87-89) and index.

Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Structure of the furniture industry -- Chapter 3. How the industry operates -- Chapter 4. Industry organization and competition -- Chapter 5. Market forces inside and outside the industry -- Chapter 6. Regulation of the furniture industry, domesticand global -- Chapter 7. Challenges and opportunities for the furniture industry.

The furniture industry (NAICS 337) plays an important role in the U.S. economy as a bellwether for manufacturing through its utilization of a global production network. Types of furniture range from household to institutional, with particular growth in firms supplying medical and government-related commodities. The industry is highly responsive to fashion trends but is partitioned into high-, medium-, and low-cost segments that reveal different locational and market responses to changes. Recent developments indicate that the post-1980s migration of furniture manufacturing to offshore, low labor cost countries has continued butshows some faint signs of stabilizing in the United States for high end customized and technologically intensive products utilizing the remaining embedded skilled labor and locally clustered industry components. Businesses that survived the recessionary "creative destruction" largely adopted lean manufacturing processes and took advantage of available lower-cost equipment and buildings to upgrade their production practices, absorbing market from former competitors. New partnerships occurred with branch and headquarter relocations in Asia, along with cooperative supplier relationships with former U.S. and new foreign companies. Industry survivors adopted practices that could be highly instructive for other manufacturers challenged by globalization to grow stronger by increasing their adaptive capacity. An overview of the industry and its global production network considers new trends such as "green" products and processes, shifts due to demographic changes responding to life stage and real estate differentiation, and shifts in global production sites. Case studies of major U.S. manufacturers utilize site visits and interviews with representatives from these firms. Assessment of global competitors illustrates opportunities and challenges in these locations; lean manufacturingpractices utilized by U.S. survivors show diversity and key components. Regulations impacting the industry include environmental protection restrictions and trade infringement. The conclusion considers the future of the industry in regional clusters.

Description based on PDF viewed 02/16/2020.