Seth B

Posts Tagged ‘furniture sourcing’

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Furniture Fairs you Won’t Want to Miss

In Sourcing and Trading on September 2, 2010 at 9:53 pm

Furniture Fairs

To find out the top furniture fairs coming this fall 2010 read this blog.

New York Home Textiles – NYC, NY, USA (Aug 14-19) -New York Home Textiles + Gift Week is the premier textile show in the United States. It also offers a full slate of educational programs to enhance your show experience, as well as exciting after-hours’ events to help you make the most of your time in the Big Apple.

Formland – Herning, Denmark (Aug 20-23) – Scandinavia’s largest and most international trade fair for home accessories, design and gifts. Up to 20,000 professional buyers from over 40 countries gather ideas and inspiration for the coming season twice every year.

Tendence – Frankfurt, Germany (Aug 27-31) – The most important international consumer goods’ fair in Europe for the autumn, winter and Christmas business of the same year.

September

3F – Dongguan Famous Furniture Fair – Dongguan, China (Sept 1-5) – A huge furniture fair near the heart of furniture city in Houjie. Also, there is a home accent and lighting section. This fair has a large focus on the local China furniture market.

CIFF Furniture and Home Decor – Guangzhou, China (Sept 3-6) – The biggest furniture fair in China. Also running concurrently are sections for home accents and housewares at the same grounds as the Canton Fair. This show is both for local and international guests.

Maison & Objet – Paris, France (Sept 3-7) – More than just a trade show, MAISON & OBJET is a magnetic pole for all professionals. Design, home-fashion, objects, tableware.

Meuble Paris – Paris, France (Sept 3-7) – The Paris event devoted to furniture in all its expressions, this show will bring you to an international, high-quality offer spread out over more than 80,000m2.

Spoga + Gafa – Cologne, Germany (Sept 5-7) – The top European trade fair for garden + lifestyle.

Furniture China 2010 – Shanghai, China (Sept 7-10) – As one of the 3 largest furniture exhibitions in the world, Furniture China is held annually in September in Shanghai. It combines a comprehensive set of popular themes: Home Furniture, Office Furniture, Furnishings Fabrics & Lighting, Kitchen & Cabinet, Furniture Manufacturing & Supply.

Houseware Expo – Moscow, Russia (Sept 21-24) – Eastern Europe’s biggest international specialized trade fair, GIFTS EXPO is held twice a year, in March and September, in Manezh and Gostiny Dvor Exhibition Complexes, Moscow.

Habitat Valencia – Valencia, Spain (Sept 28 – Oct 2) – The most important sales and trends platform for the Made-in-Spain home, where the sectors that make up the home products’ industry will be showcasing their latest designs. There will be an extensive program of activities both within and outside the fair while the city of Valencia is living and breathing the project every day.

October

HCMC Expo – Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam (Oct. 6 – 10) – For years, HCMC International Furniture and Handicrafts Fair has been developing tremendously, contributing substantial achievements in promoting business images as well as furniture & handicraft products to overseas’ markets. This show has the most home furnishings’ vendors in Vietnam.

Trade Expo Indonesia – Jakarta, Indonesia (Oct. 13 – 17) – Indonesia’s largest event for furniture in the fall. Hundreds of manufacturers attend the 4 day event.

The Canton Fair – Guangzhou, China (Oct 15 -19, Oct 24 – 28, Oct 31 – Nov 4) – One of the oldest, and by far the largest home furnishing fair in the world (if you include the surrounding fairs). Phase 2 (Oct 24 – 28) of the Canton Fair is when most of home furnishings suppliers show there. Phase 1 includes lighting, and Phase 3 has home textiles, carpets and rugs. Overall, there are over a million square meters of exhibition space and over 50,000 suppliers. This is probably the best factory-sourcing fair in the world.

High Point Market – High Point, NC, USA (Oct 16 – 21) – The largest home furnishings market in the World. Buyers can find all the latest furniture, home decor, and lighting from top American and global manufacturers. People looking to buy from overseas will find prices at High Point to be competitive with Asia, and many wholesale and manufacturers are willing to ship direct from overseas’ factories.

Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair – New Delhi, India (Oct 17 – 20) – The biggest furniture and home accent fair in India. Fantastic products and great values for people looking to source in India with over 1000 suppliers.

Manila F.A.M.E – Manila, Philippines (Oct 18 – 21) – Asia’s Boutique Show is the largest home furnishings fair in the Philippines and features over 200 Home Decor Manufacturers.

Premier Vision China – Shanghai, China (Oct 20 – Oct 21) – One of the best high-end fabric and fashion shows in China.

China Sourcing Fair: Home Products + India Sourcing Fair: Home Products – Hong Kong, China (Oct 20 – 23) – Both fairs are at one location in Hong Kong (the AsiaWold-Expo, near the airport). This is an unassociated extension of this year’s Mega Show. Expect to find thousands more suppliers. But, since the Mega show is the premium event, suppliers at this event typically are waiting to get a space at the HK Convention Center in the coming years. Shuttles and the train make it easy to travel back and forth between events.

Mega Show 2010 Part 1 – Hong Kong, China (Oct 20 – 23) – An important sourcing exhibition for the gift, housewares, premiums and toy industries in the Asia-Pacific region, taking place every October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Since 1992 this premier trade-only exhibition has offered international buyers a one-stop showcase of over 5000 well-merchandised stands displaying products from nearly 4000 exhibitors.

Hong Kong International Lighting – Hong Kong, China (Oct 27 – 30) – Joining the HKTDC Hong Kong International Lighting Fair places you among the stars of the industry. Over 1500 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions made the fair the largest in Asia, and the second biggest of its kind in the world.

Mega Show 2010 Part 2 – Hong Kong, China (Oct 27 – 30) – Mega Show Part 2 has established itself as an essential dateline in the annual sourcing calendar every October, commencing as Phase 2 of the Canton Fair closes. A well-edited selection from nearly 1,300 Asian and international companies present high-volume products from traditional gifts and premiums, to everyday household items, as well as home décor products, home textiles, garden and outdoor goods, home improvement items, and designs for good living. Also on display will be the best of Asian pen, print, paper and stationery items.

India Carpet Expo – Varanasi, India (Oct 29 – Nov 1) – Almost 200 carpet manufacturers and exporters will attend this fair in Varanasi, India. Select buyers can receive significant incentives including airfare and hotel arrangements.

December

Home & Lifestyle Fair – Taipei, Taiwan (Dec 9 – 12) – Home & Lifestyle Fair (HLS) is held at the Taipei World Trade Center, Hall 2. It is the synonym for a new, more efficient kind of business meeting and is well known as a platform for communication and innovation through its unique workshop concept. Positioned as the only annual home & decoration show which focuses on design and home lifestyle in Taiwan, HLS 2010 presents a diverse exhibit profile including the goods of living & styling, dining & gourmet, bathing & feeling, home electronics, decor & giving, gardening & outdoor, and kids & pets.

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Cool Products from Milan Design Week

In Home Furnishings Trends on July 28, 2010 at 6:12 pm

The New York Times and fashion website Inhabitat have some great coverage and encouraging news from the Milan furniture fairs.  Not only is the visitor count up significantly from 2009, but also leading designers and furniture manufacturers keep pushing the limits on design concepts.   Highlights from the furniture fair are seen below.

The New York Times reports:

“Last year, the recession cast a dark cloud over the fair. The number of visitors to the cavernous Rho complex fell for the first time in years, to 313,385”.  “[This year] the visitor count rose to 335,354, according to the fair’s organizer, Cosmit, and many exhibitors acknowledged with relief that business was better than it had been a year ago. “There were signs of improvement,” said Rolf Fehlbaum, the chairman of Vitra, the Swiss furniture group. “And dealers were willing to order.”

Inhabitat’s eco-conscious motto “design will save the world” is very connected with this year’s Earth Day.  They feature many innovations using recycled materials, low-power lighting, and energy efficient concepts.  See our favorite pictures from Inhabitat’s Milan Design Week 2010 on the right.

Wooden stools and coffee tables from Giancarlo Zema’s Bright Woods collection are made from wood and natural resin rings that create a wonderful interactive experience as they change color and glow.  The stools come in a variety of colors and heights, making them a perfect complement to any room.

These stools are illuminated from inside

Simple but colorful chairs from Assembly Room are not only stunning to look at, but they are lightweight and stackable.  They are made from FSC certified wood and 100% wool that is renewable and compostable.

Great colors and made from FSC approved woods

The Leaf Collection by Giancarlo Zema have chairs with a flexible memory back that adapt to the curves of the body.

leaf collection table and chair

One of my favorites is the Innovo humidifier.  Using no electric power, the wooden top sucks water out of the lower resevior and releases it into the air.  Not only beautiful, the humidifier also gives off a cedar fragrance.

eco friendly humidifier

Final Image starting at top left corner going clockwise:

  • Sarah Turner’s Drink Bottle Lighting designs are breathtaking to look at and refreshing for the planet.  It is hard to believe these colorful lampshades and graceful curves once held drinking water.
  • The Double T-Future Lamp has several OLED  elements in a colorful modern design.
  • Light Form by designers Francesca Rogers and Daniele Gualeni Design Studio is a beautiful modular lighting system made up of wood panels that can be flipped back to expose energy-efficient electroluminescent lights.
  • The Copper Wattering Can by Thomas Eyck is an example of the superleggra, using simple elegant curves.

Some more great products in Milan

Inhabitat’s reports cover so many more fantastic designs and concepts, please use the links below to see the all their reports from Milan:

Milan Design Week 2010!, Best Green Designs, Triennale Design Museum, Salone Satellite, Designersblock, Interni Think Tank, and even more.

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The Best Furniture Sourcing Fairs (Spring 2010)

In Sourcing and Trading on January 18, 2010 at 7:07 pm

For a list of ALL upcoming events through May, visit our Furniture Fair Calendar

The top upcoming furniture fairs

February

Ambiente Frankfurt (Feb 12-16)
The passage sections of Ambiente feature suppliers and manufacturers from around the world.  A great show for home décor and housewares for those not planning on going all the way to Asia.

Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair (Feb 20 – 23)
The biggest furniture and home accent fair in India.  Fantastic products and great values for people looking to source in India with over 1000 suppliers.

India Carpet Expo (Feb 25 – 28)
Almost 200 carpet manufacturers and exporters will attend this fair in New Delhi.

March

MIFF Malaysia (Mar 2 – 6)
-More than 500 Malaysian furniture manufacturers and exporters.

Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition (Mar 5 – 8)
-A smaller show with all the top local Cebu manufacturers and designers.

Manila Now (Mar 4 – 7)
-More than 100 furniture and home décor suppliers.

IFFS Singapore (Mar 9 – 12)
-One of the leading furniture fairs in Asia for good design.

TIFF Thailand (Mar 10 – 14)
-200 Thai home furnishings suppliers

IFFINA Indonesia (Mar 11 – 14)
-The largest furniture fair in Indonesia, this is also the best furniture show of the year for finding Indonesian home furnishing suppliers.

VIFA Vietnam (Mar 11 – 14)
-A smaller furniture fair with around 100 suppliers.  This fair has mostly furniture companies, but not as many home decor suppliers as the fall HCMC Expo.

3F – Dongguan Famous Furniture Fair (Mar 16-20)
-A huge furniture fair near the heart of furniture city in Houjie.  Also, there is a home accent and lighting section.

CIFF Furniture and Home Decor Guangzhou, China (Mar 18 – 21)
The  biggest and best furniture fair in China in the Spring.  Also running concurrently are sections for home accents and housewares.

SIFE Shenzhen (Mar 19 – 22)
Another huge furniture fair, not as large as the other two shows running at the same time, but still very big and lots of manufacturers at this show.

Premier Vision China (Mar 31 – Apr 1)
-One of the best high end fabric shows in China

CIFF Office Furniture (Mar 27 – Mar 30)
-One of the best high end fabric shows in China

April

Hong Kong International Lighting -Spring (Apr 13 – 16)
-The premier fall Asian lighting fair is now twice a year.  Manufacturers and suppliers are from around the world, but a majority are Chinese and HK companies.  There are not nearly as many companies at the spring event and only occupies one tenth of the floor space.

Manila F.A.M.E (Apr 14 – 17)
-The largest home furnishings fair in the Philippines features over 200 Home Decor Manufacturers.

The Canton Fair (Apr 15 -19, Apr 24 – 28, May 3 – 7)
-One of the oldest, and by far the biggest home furnishing fair in the world (if you include the surrounding fairs).  Phase 2 (Apr 24 – 28) of the Canton Fair is when most of home furnishings suppliers show there.  Phase 1 includes lighting, and Phase 3 has home textiles, carpets and rugs.  Overall, there are over a million square meters of exhibition space and over 50,000 suppliers.  Please note, that while there are more furniture manufacturers now attending the canton fair, it is still not as good as the CIFF for furniture, but it is much better for home accents.  Four fairs are within walking distance.  To read more about these fairs Click Here.

High Point Market (Apr 17 – 22)
-The largest home furnishings market in the World.  Buyers can find all the latest furniture, home decor, and lighting from top American and global manufacturers.  People looking to buy from overseas will find prices at High Point to be competitive with Asia, and many wholesale and manufacturers are willing to ship direct from overseas factories.

Hong Kong Housewares (Apr 20 – 23)
-One of the best houseware fairs in the world, there are thousands of manufacturers from China, India, Asia, and other parts of the world.  Products are housewares, textiles, handicrafts, and a level of Pet Supplies.

China Sourcing Fair: Home Products + India Sourcing Fair: Home Products (Apr 20 – 23)
-Both fairs are at one location in Hong Kong (the Expo Center, near the airport).  This is an unassociated extension of the Hong Kong Houseware fair.  Expect to find thousands more suppliers. But, since the HK Housewares is the premium event, suppliers at this event typically are waiting to get a space at the HK Convention Center in the coming years.   Shuttles and the train make it easy to travel back and forth between events.

Hong Kong Gifts and Premiums (Apr 27 – 30)
-A huge event, but not as appealing for home furnishing buyers.  These are often less expensive products, but some product categories of interest, include picture frames, ceramics, and clocks.  Also running at the same time, is the China Sourcing Fair: Gifts & Premiums (Apr 28 – May 1), at the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong.

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Material Costs Bouncing Back?

In Uncategorized on October 23, 2009 at 6:46 pm

I recently received a very interesting report on raw material costs from a lighting factory.  I’ve been aware of the major drop in material costs over the last year, but I did not anticipate that they would be climbing back so quickly!

Iron Cost in RMB

Iron Cost in RMB

What I really find interesting is the urgency that this factory seems to have when you compare costs to the recent raw material spikes in 2007-08.  We are still more than 50% below peak prices.  It seemed that all suppliers are quick to raise prices, but slow to drop them.  I understand their concern with recent trends not looking optimistic; but let’s hope that the speculators calm down and real business can run smoothly. (Please see the bottom of Oil Price Graph, to see how trading volume has more than tripled since 2000!)

Oil Price and Trading over time

Oil Price and Trading over time

It appears to me that this email is a marketing attempt to drive more sales over the slow summer season.  This might actually prove to be a smart approach to push companies who will be buying product in the near future.  Overall, I do believe the numbers they are relaying to us are accurate and all buyers should be aware.

Another concern I have is labor costs in China.  Currently, we are hiring another data entry position, and it seems that we will have to pay about 2400 RMB per month to hire someone with decent English writing skills.  Also, just a few months ago when we were looking for factory workers, labor wages in Guangdong had risen to around 1100-1500 RMB per month, and the total cost per month for an average factory worker now costs over 200 US Dollars.  There may have been some increase in efficiency over the years, but value-oriented experts have been buying more and more outside the developed industrial regions in China,  looking to other countries instead.  My impressions from Vietnam, Indonesia, and India were that the total cost for an average factory worker is still below 100 US Dollars.

Below is the email from the factory, World of Lights.

Dear valuable customers:

The material price dived greatly causing by financial crisis last year. After one year’s consolidation by stock market and oil price, which is slowly drive to the previous high point.

The above 4 charts are the price trend for our materials, actually, almost all the materials we need are going up in the last few months, However, all our quotation until now are still keep on the bottom on Feb. 2009 when all the material costs at the lowest point.

Copper Price Graphs

Copper Price Graphs

We quite understand what situation our clients are, while the financial crisis still not released completely, market just turn to be a little better, if increase the price, we know this will be a great hurt to all our clients. So from March 2009 to August 2009, our factory and our suppliers endures material slowly rise, we try out best to digest the price increasing by ourselves, Meantime, we always keep the lowest quotation same as this Feb., 2009’s while the material cost at the bottom, to assure all our clients can move forward in the crisis. But now we can see the future that we may have to endure more and more pressure.

From the attached 4 charts we can see, our material cost are continually going up, the increase percentage even up to 40% at lease for iron. Of course, we still have to keep Feb.’s lowest price in this August and September. But what we worried about is that the coming traditional midseason after Nov. and the coming year, if the material still continually go up 20%-30% again, I am afraid that we will really have no ways to endure any more, so we write this email to communicate with all our clients, if you have any purchasing schedule, we suggest you deal with the stock as soon as possible or prepare in advance. We will still keep the Feb.’s lowest price in this Aug. and Sep. Thanks!

Nickel Price Graphs

Nickel Price Graphs

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China Raising Export Tax Rebates on Furniture

In Sourcing and Trading on June 9, 2009 at 6:45 pm

In recent news announcements, China has announced that it will start giving back tax rebates to factories who manufacture furniture and more than 600 other industries.  So, Chinese furniture manufacturers can remain competitive.

What I love is how fast Beijing can implement their policy.  Two years ago, they raised taxes, before the big drop in exports and sales worldwide.  Last year, they lowered some taxes to get more competitive, and now, it seems that exports will be given 15% of the 17% VAT they paid when they were purchasing the materials.   This means only 2% VAT paid to the government.  Factories who sell to local market and export will need to have good records to prove to the government that they exported the goods they are going to claim a VAT rebate on.

This is almost back to the original VAT free systems and rebates from years ago designed to stimulate exports while China built their economy up.  It seems the local economy still cannot support the 1.4 billion people?  Well, China is doing nothing different than other Asian countries (Indonesia and Vietnam), so it is a good move on their part to attract more business.

So, will we see lower prices being quoted soon?

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Dining Table Sourcing Guide

In Sourcing and Trading on May 12, 2009 at 5:39 pm

Is buying dining tables on your horizon? Don’t get into negotiations without good background information. Like any product, the pricing of tables and chairs depends on many things. We took 5 simple designs and got a lot of price quotes. Our goal is to give a good overview on how much a small to medium sized buyer should expect to pay for basic manufactured dining sets.

Along the way we encountered some interesting results. Prices quoted from China Furniture Manufacturers exceeded our estimates. Various factors could have caused the price differences, but we believe that the major reason was the order size. If your company is only ordering 1 container at a time, then some manufacturers in China may not be as focused on getting buyers good prices. However, there are many smaller furniture manufacturers in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia who are looking customers and don’t mind smaller orders.

As there are many different areas in China, we even tried to separate by region, assuming that, as in the past, different areas will have different prices. Again, this turned out to not be the case. Suppliers in Fuzhou and Zhejiang were close in pricing to the factories in Guangdong. The other explanation for the price difference is that the quality levels at the factories may be much higher. I can say that price and quality do make a big difference. A high-end factory will make a better product. This is why anybody who is seriously in furniture should visit the supplier before placing an order, or pay an expert to do it for them.

But, based on the companies we researched and the customers they work with, we’re suggesting negotiations will be needed when working with furniture manufacturers in China to get competitive market prices on simple wooden tables and chairs. Evidence that this is not just a trend but a real shift in Asian sourcing can be seen in a previous article we wrote FOB Asia. All the wood furniture is not FOB China, but actually “FOB Asia”; and from what I can tell, most is actually being manufactured in Malaysia and Vietnam.

As a side note, we have also recently heard from other people that the prices in China for higher end goods have been 15-25% higher, but they found their suppliers in China ship more reliably. So, price isn’t as important if your goods are late for your next market role out!

Dining Table

Dining Table

Dining Table
54″W 38″D 30″H
12″ Butterfly Leaf
Materials: Wood and MDF
Knock Down: Legs
Pkg: Individual Safety Pack

Chair
18″W 19″D 39″H

Price: Table: $93.00 Chair: $24.50 Set w/6 chairs: $230.00

Pub Table

Pub Table

Pub Table
36″W 36″D 42″H
Materials: Wood and MDF
Knock Down: yes
Pkg: Individual Safety Pack

Chair
19″W 24″D 48″H

Price: Table: $50.00 Chair: $25.00 Set w/4 chairs: $150.00

Round Dining Table with Leaf

Round Dining Table with Leaf

Round Dining Table w/ Leaf
36″W 36″D 30″H
17″ Leaf
Materials: Wood and MDF
Knock Down: yes
Pkg: Individual Safety Pack

Chair
17.5″W 19.25″D 35.5″H

Price: Table: $85.00 Chair: $26.75 Set w/4 chairs: $190.00

Promotional Dining Table

Promotional Dining Table

Promotional Dining Table
48″W 36″D 30″H
Materials: Wood and MDF
Knock Down: Legs
Pkg: Individual Safety Pack

Chair
18″W 23.75″D 38″H

Price: Table: $50.50 Chair: $22.00 Set: $135.00

Iron and Glass Dining Set

Iron and Glass Dining Set

Iron and Glass Dining Set
38″W 38″D 30″H
Materials: Iron and glass
Knock Down: yes
Pkg Individual Safety Pack

Chairs
20.5″W 18.5″D 39″H
Materials: Iron + microfiber cushion

Price: Table $40.00 Chair: $20.00 Set w4 chairs: $120.00

Chair with Cushion

Chair with Cushion

Final Note: You can substitute a microfiber cushion for a wood seat bottom for all above dining sets almost no cost difference.

Special thanks to: Fancy Wood Industries, GRM Furniture, Zhejiang Bole Furniture, Ningbo Fubang, and Pouva Furniture.

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Sustainable Furnishings Guide

In Eco Friendly Furnshings on March 30, 2009 at 7:36 am

I just finished uploading most of the sustainable furnishings guide. It was too long to put into 1 document, so I had to break it down. If you notice that its written a bit strange, thats because originally it was my speech. Then I decided that people would enjoy an interesting and shorter presentation, and I just handed out the speech, which was a very detailed document to help manufacturers and buyers understand the why and how we can become more sustainable today.

The slide show was uploaded a few days before, and a video of the Questions and Answers that followed the presentation will be online soon. Also, we’re now working on a material suppliers guide, to help factories locate environmentally friendly materials.

The GoodFactories.com Sustainable Furnishings Guide: (links)

Environmental Overview
Eco Friendly Materials
Cost of Green Products
Environmental Certification Companies
Engergy Saving Tips
Eco Friendly Marketing

Hope these can help people, there is no single perfect solution, but if you watch my presentation I hope that people can better understand why we should support companies who are making progress on a path to sustainability.

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Indonesia Furniture Fair Video

In Sourcing and Trading on March 30, 2009 at 7:02 am

Anybody interested in finding home furnishings in Indonesia should check out this video. There were some great products and sharp prices. You can read more on the Indonesian Furniture Fair (IFFINA) on Goodfactories.com

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Furniture Fairs in Asia (Spring 09)

In Sourcing and Trading on February 9, 2009 at 11:52 pm

A comprehensive list of Asian home furnishing fairs this spring, with insider details.
To view the article with links, please go to the Furniture Fair Guide

Asian Furniture Fairs

Asian Furniture Fairs

February

India Carpet Expo (Feb 12 – 15)
Almost 200 carpet manufacturers and exporters will attend this fair in New Delhi.

Ambiente Frankfurt (Feb 13-17)
The passage sections of Ambiente feature suppliers and manufacturers from around the world. A great show for home décor and housewares.

Indian handicrafts and Gifts Fair (Feb 25 – Mar 28 )
The biggest furniture and home accent fair in India. Fantastic products and great values for people looking to source in India with over 1000 suppliers.

March

India Houseware & Gift Fair (Mar 1 – 3)
-Smaller than IHGF, there are still more than 500 suppliers in handicrafts, housewares, and textiles.

MIFF Malaysia (Mar 3 – 7)
-More than 500 Malaysian furniture manufacturers and exporters.

Cebu International Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition (Mar 5 – 8 )
-A smaller show with all the top local Cebu manufacturers and designers.

Manila Now (Mar 5 – 8 )
-More than 100 furniture and home décor suppliers.

IFFS Singapore (Mar 9 – 12)
-One of the leading furniture fairs in Asia for good design.

IFFINA Indonesia (Mar 11 – 15)
-The largest furniture fair in Indonesia

VIFA Vietnam (Mar 11 – 14)
-A smaller furniture fair with around 100 suppliers. This fair has more furniture companies, and not as many accessory suppliers as the fall HCMC Expo.

TIFF Thailand (Mar 11 – 15)
-200 Thai home furnishings suppliers

Dongguan Famous Furniture Fair (Mar 16-20)
-A huge furniture fair near the heart of furniture city in Houjie. Also, there is a home accent and lighting section.

CIFF Guangzhou, China (Mar 18 – 21)
The biggest and best furniture fair in China in the Spring. Also running concurrently are sections for home accents and housewares.

SIFE Shenzhen (Mar 19 – 22)
Another huge furniture fair, not as large as the other two shows running at the same time, but still very big and lots of manufacturers at this show.

SFIFC Metal Furniture Fair – Bazhou City, Hebei, China (Mar 23 – 25)
-Primarily dealing with glass and metal furniture, it seems focused on office furniture and has over 1000 manufacturers at the exhibition.

Premier Vision China (Mar 30 – 31)
-One of the best fabric shows in China

April

Hong Kong International Lighting -Spring (Apr 13 – 16)
-The premier fall Asian lighting fair is now twice a year. Manufacturers and suppliers are from around the world, but a majority are Chinese and HK companies. It seems there are not nearly as many companies at the spring event and only occupies one tenth of the floor space.

Manila F.A.M.E (Apr 15 – 18 )
-The largest home furnishings fair in the Phillipines

The Canton Fair (Apr 15 -19, Apr 24 – 28, May 3 – 7)
-One of the oldest, and by far the biggest home furnishing fair in the world (if you include the surrounding fairs). Phase 2 (Apr 24 – 28 ) of the canton fair is when most of home furnishings suppliers show there. Phase 1 includes lighting, and Phase 3 has home textiles, carpets and rugs. Overall, there are over a million square meters of exhibition space and over 50,000 suppliers. Please note, that while there are more furniture manufacturers now attending the canton fair, it is still not as good as the CIFF for furniture, but it is much better for Home Accents. Four fairs are within walking distance. To read more about these fairs Click Here.

Hong Kong Housewares (Apr 20 – 23)
-One of the best houseware fairs in the world, there are thousands of manufacturers from China, India, Asia, and other parts of the world. Products are housewares, textiles, handicrafts, and a level of Pet Supplies.

China Sourcing Fair: Home Products + India Sourcing Fair: Home Products (Apr 20 – 23)
-Both fairs are at one location in Hong Kong (the Expo Center, near the airport). This is an unassociated extension of the Hong Kong Houseware fair. Expect to find thousands more suppliers. But, since the HK Housewares is the premium event, suppliers at this event typically are waiting to get a space at the HK Convention Center. Shuttles and the train make it easy to travel back and forth between events.

Hong Kong Gifts and Premiums (Apr 27 – 30)
-A huge event, not nearly as much for home furnishings buyers as these are less expensive products, but some similar categories, include promotional picture frames, ceramic gifts, and clocks. Also running at the same time, is the China Sourcing Fair: Gifts & Premiums (Apr 28 – May 1), at the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong.

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Quality Control is Easy: 5 Basic Steps to Follow

In Sourcing and Trading on January 18, 2009 at 6:31 pm

Ok, so quality control is never easy.  But, there are some basic guidelines that, if you follow them like the law, will make your life a lot easier.  Most large companies have systems in place, and I’ve found them all to be remarkably similar.  These concepts go beyond home furnishings, as I’ve seen them applied in the shoe, garment, and electronic industries.  Below is a basic summary of the key elements.

Create Master Standards

Written Orders and Spec Sheets:  The written order is the bible.  Make sure you have a very detailed spec sheet for every product.  Take the time to create a form for your company that is submitted with every order, so the supplier knows exactly the specs you wish.  Don’t leave details out.  The lack of details in an order means that you are essentially giving the option of “Factory Choice”.  If there is any question, you can even write in “all other specs are per the approved sample”.  Don’t give the factory the choice, unless you really trust them.

Approved samples:  Take the time to sign off on your exact product.  If the product you want to buy, already exists, then when you are at your supplier, you should take a permanent marker to sign and date the sample.  Even better, is to create a sticker that you can sign and date.  This lets the factory know that this is what you ordered.  When quality inspections are done, this and the written order are what need to be used.

Other steps can be taken, including establishing finish standards, if you are using the same finish on multiple items.  Also, you can even create item files for every sku you order, with images and notes on important details.  These can be used as a record for Quality Inspections, and should include the date of an inspection, the results, and any issues encountered.  These should be used by your company and can also be used by the factory.

Pre Production Samples (PPS)

If you have inspectors (internal or hired) in the country you are purchasing from, it is highly recommended that you take the next step, and review a “production” sample.  This should be a duplicate of your signed sample, or if there were any modifications needed, this may become your master standard.  Not only is it good to look at the sample, but you should make it clear to your supplier, that the PPS they supply should include packaging.  This way, you can ensure the packaging meets your standards.  Your team should sign off on the carton, and take images for future reference.  Please note, that carton marks and hang tags may not be finished in time for the PPS sample inspection.  You should not let this be a hang up, but should make sure that your written order has very good detailed images of the carton marks, and you should approve your hangtags, if you are not supplying them yourself.

Final Inspection

If you have completed the steps above, your final inspection should be a breeze.  The most common complaint I’ve received from lighting manufacturers, is that we did not supply enough information, and that is why they made the error.  There are quite a few ways to do a final inspection, but below are 2 ways I’ve seen used.

100% inspections, pre packaging: Make sure the factory knows the date you plan to view your goods.  Have them lay out the order in an open warehouse, along with your master standards, in an area with good lighting. Take out some random specimens and compare your master standards, item by item, and line by line.  If these are up to spec, go though the rest, and look at the key areas you expect a problem.  I suggest having a label created for your inspector.  This way, if a shipment comes in, and there is a problem, you know who to contact.  Also, the inspector will be more accountable.  If they are not willing to put their approval on a product, are you willing to ship it to your customer?  Also, make sure to have a few of the products in the packaging, so you can confirm packaging is to spec, carton marks are correct, and all labels and hang tags are in the correct locations.

Random inspections: This is the most common way for companies to do inspections before shipments.  The factory will have all the goods for the order already packaged and in the warehouse.  Your inspectors will go there, and select at random a select number of boxes.  There are guidelines and rules as to which level of random inspection is called for, depending on the size of the order.  If you have a good factory, and have gone through the above processes, than this is a more time effective way to do an inspection.  But, I would suggest the 100% inspections with new suppliers, until you feel you have confidence to move to random inspections.

Training

Last and certainly not least is the most important part of quality control in any situation.  Training your quality inspectors well is as important as all of the above steps.  You need to work with them, so they understand exactly how your quality control system works, and most important, when to ask questions.  They will run into cases where something is not 100% perfect, and they will need to make a decision.  Clearly defining what decisions they should make, vs. when to bring in a manager is essential.  Build a library of examples and images for them to review.  Spend time with them, and let them offer their opinion and make the decisions while you are there.  Once you feel confident that they can do this on their own, let them do it.  Managers can stop by unannounced on an inspection already underway, and help and offer advice, to keep the training going and to get feedback from them on the supplier.  You will be surprised how hard and diligent inspectors are, if you spend the time to train them.

Good Factories

The final note I’ll make, is that none of this really matters if the supplier you are working with is no good.  If you find a factory, which seems to not want to follow through with the steps above, or makes excuses why he cannot achieve what you have outlined, walk away.  The will power to move away from suppliers who are not meeting your quality inspections is probably vital to your future business.  There are lots of factories out there hungry for business and ship great quality.  We’re looking for them, and helping bring them to you.  If you have any recommend suppliers, we would be delighted to get to know them.  If you have had bad experiences, let the community know about it.  And, tell the supplier that you have written him up on www.goodfactories.com.  Good factories is a new concept to sourcing; where we promote improved quality and help factories understand the importance of quality though open critique, ratings, and reviews.

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