If you want to eradicate something, you have to ensure it's really dead. The dodo, for example is really extinct. Hunted for food, the flightless bird was wiped from the face of the earth within a century of first contact with humans. Oh, for wrings that could fly.
And if you don't manage to eradicate something entirely, there's always a chance that it can make a comeback—the way whooping cough is in America right now.
Or wood furniture and wood component manufacturing.
Not that the Asian markets set out to destroy their North American competitors when they were allowed to flood the market with cheap imports. But that's what happened.
Or nearly did.
But wood furniture and wood component manufacturing has bounced back and is flourishing in America right now, and there are three major reasons for this.
Technology
The wood component manufacturers that survived the downturn in this industry invested in state of the art machinery, so they could compete with the Asian markets in a different way. Rather than trying to compete for the large, bulk orders of single components (impossible), North American manufacturers began to go after the smaller runs of components—either technical or simple. Traditionally, one of the problems with smaller orders was the downtime of machines during set up. But the advent of CNC machining solved this problem, enabling machines to be set up for new orders in seconds.
Service
It doesn't matter what anyone says, you can't beat the service offered by companies here at home. Locality has a big part to play in this—it's just easier dealing with American companies than ones that are overseas. And language is also a key factor, especially when it comes to new or custom projects that may require a lot of discussion during production.
Price
While the Asian markets may still hold a competitive edge over us in bulk orders, that competitive advantage has been gradually diminishing over the past decade, and it is now only a fraction of what it was. Meanwhile, for custom pieces or more complex projects, there is no gap, so you are much better off shopping at home.
Newport Furniture Parts has been producing superior quality wood furniture components and finished pieces since 1963. To discuss your company’s wood furniture component requirements, contact Newport Furniture today.
