Will Vietnam Become a Wood Products Giant? Vietnamese Furniture manufacturers follow the successful formula of China — new plants, filled with new equipment, manned by abundantly cheap labor. By Tom Dossenbach
On the other hand, there are other opportunistic woodworking clusters emerging in other parts of the world. None is more interesting to me today than one in Southeast Asia — Vietnam. This month and next, I want to present a brief picture of what is happening there in order to better inform you as you formulate your own strategies for the future. Vietnam Profile However, Vietnam is the fastest growing supplier of wood household furniture with an increase on track to exceed 250 percent this year based on the first six months. This would move it into the top ten sources of U.S. furniture imports this year.
The infrastructure in the country is quite adequate to support the supply chains necessary for industrial growth and Vietnam has ready access to international shipping lines with nine ports and harbors on the Gulf of Tonkin and the South China Sea. This not only facilitates wood products exports but also imports of such materials as lumber, MDF, veneers, machinery and equipment needed to support a healthy and growing furniture and woodworking cluster. The U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement, entered into near the end of 2001, is expected to significantly increase Vietnam’s exports to the United States. The United States is assisting Vietnam in implementing the legal and structural reforms called for in the agreement. The country has experienced a real GDP growth of 6 to 7 percent during the past two years. Other industries such as the ready-to-wear garment and shoe industries have recognized the potential here and have made significant investments. One example is a Nike factory near Ho Chi Minh City that employs more than 20,000 workers.
The Taiwanese Entrepreneur Some of the Taiwanese factory owners and managers have more than 30 years experience making furniture in Taiwan, and some of these have been in Vietnam for five years. During this time the factories have grown from small ones with a few hundred workers to large ones. Indeed, the Vietnamese factories today are not like the small shops that are found in many developing countries but typically have 800 to more than 2,000 workers each. It is obvious there is great confidence and optimism in the potential here and thus huge investments are being made to gain a solid footing in this emerging furniture manufacturing cluster. These new factories are equipped with new machinery and incorporate the latest equipment in some areas — such as finishing. In other areas such as shaping, routing, boring, and cutting tenons, older methods (with new machinery) are used in place of CNC equipment or machine centers. This strategy is understandable since the manual labor to operate these older technology machines is not costly here. In Vietnam the payback would be minimal when calculating savings of $35 per month labor plus meager labor overhead costs. By contrast, in the United States $15 per hour wages and heavy direct overhead costs make automated equipment almost mandatory.
Building a Strong Vietnamese Cluster At the same time some are trying to become more vertically integrated in such areas as veneer and veneered top production in order to have more control over costs and quality. In addition, they are serving as suppliers to smaller furniture manufacturers. A mixture of old and new equipment is found in many plants and is utilized with satisfactory results. High-quality fancy face veneers are produced from a variety of species including red oak, and ash from the United States, as well as mahogany and other tropical species. Veneer logs are brought in and processed with the same care and quality results as anywhere in the world. In many emerging furniture producing clusters around the world, finishing is inferior at best and prevents products from being accepted in the international marketplace. One of the assets that the Taiwanese bring with their many years experience in manufacturing furniture for export is the awareness of the demand for high-quality, high-styled finishes and the expertise to consistently produce the same. Thus, one of the trademarks of Vietnamese furniture is the excellent quality of finish accomplished with good equipment, knowledge, and the use of good finishing materials (in this case, from Malaysia). In addition, excellent quality control measures are being implemented to assure the appearance and durability meet or exceed customer expectations. In addition, most major Vietnamese furniture companies have AutoCAD or other systems to speed product development to meet the demands of their customers. The ability to respond quickly to inquiries for quotations on new designs is correctly recognized as a prerequisite to successful exporting today. Challenges |
Will Vietnam Become a Wood Products Giant? Part 1 - Vietnam Today
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