The domestic furniture industry stands to lose even more ground in the face of severe challenges to its position locally said Mortimer McPherson, president of the Jamaica Wood Products and Furniture Association (JaWFA).

The association has been lobbying to get government’s assistance in seeking to address some of the challenges it faces, some of which its president said has much to do with existing policies which not only reduce the competitive advantage of its local manufacturers but also allow for the intrusion of imported products which further restrict their ability to be viable.

“We imported in 2008-2009 alone US$49 million worth of furniture in this country. That’s a lot” said McPherson, representing the Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSME) Alliance at The Jamaica Observer’s Monday Exchange.

This comes against the weaknesses he identified within the sector including labour and production costs, lack of direction, lack of unity, poor coordination and the absence of an internal management system.

To further trouble the already untenable position, locally-made furniture are not allowed to be branded in many stores, which also sell foreign products, a situation the association can do little to change. This reduces the chances for contraction to do other projects or to develop a loyal support base as consumers are unable to identify the manufacturers of the pieces whereas imported furniture are identifiable and easily accessed ready-made.

He said that the furniture sector was once among the most productive of Jamaica’s industries, producing almost all that was needed to supply local demand. This is no longer the case as the sector has little or no protection, a matter which they have made several attempts to address through engagements with the necessary stakeholders. This however, has been futile thus far.

“The Jamaica Wood Products and Furniture Association is not a confrontational association. We believe in dialogue, we believe in finding solutions and so over time we have worked very very hard, we have made every effort to get government to sit with us and to work…to move the sector forward and to by doing so move the economy forward.”

“The Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce (MIIC) has appointed the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) to develop and implement an action plan to increase the competitiveness of Micro and Small Entrepreneurs (MSEs) involved in the Furniture and Wooden Products Industry” states the JBDC website.

The site reveals concerns of the MIIC, some the same as McPherson’s and shares the basis on which a project was created to tackle these issues.

“The project titled ‘Furniture Jamaica’ will seek to improve the fortunes of furniture and wooden products manufacturers islandwide who have been impacted by relatively inexpensive imports, raw material shortage and unavailability, archaic production processes and other issues. It is hoped that this intervention will increase the supply of locally manufactured furniture to domestic and international markets as well as assist the industry in making a more meaningful and visible contribution to economic development”.

Though important, governmental assistance is but only a step towards regaining competitiveness as the industry faces many difficulties regarding the quality of its products, a consequence that is worsened by what he said is inadequate training received by graduates of some training institutions.

“There is a need to critically assess the woodwork/furniture curriculum offered in our high schools and at the HEART/NTA training facilities. There needs to be greater focus on design, computer aided designing and manufacturing, wood craft techniques such as carving, marquetry, woodturning intarsia, finishing and the chemistry and use of finishes. There is also the need for geometry and trigonometry to be a fundamental part of the curriculum” said McPherson in his paper entitled “The furniture industry in Jamaica-Challenges and Solutions”.

“The objective is to quantify the gap that must be bridged if our industry is to become globally competitive and survive…Non-quantitative factors, such a managerial ability, entrepreneurial spirit, or employing a more appropriate business mode, may become important to becoming globally competitive” said the JaWFA president.

Of the solutions he gave, the establishment and recognition of “centers of excellence” to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly global environment is crucial. These centers would represent a large, interrelated segment of key industries, organizations and institutions, whether public or private, geared at providing support for core industries.

Additionally, the formation of clusters, focusing on MSME’s, to foster cooperation among similar skills and products would serve to improve competitiveness. These two recommendations would be the start of a “strategic renewal”, imperative to revitalizing the much-diminished industry.

While perhaps not being as cheap, McPherson insisted that locally-produced furniture are usually superior in quality and urged Jamaicans to support local industries as this is the only way the industry and by extension, the economy will make worthwhile gains.