Malaysian official urges better design, pledges govt. support efforts
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, April 2, 2006
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — The deputy prime minister of Malaysia called upon his country's furniture producers to enhance their designs to help boost their already-strong export business.
"Malaysian furniture manufacturers should strive to develop their own designs and become designers in their area of furniture production," Dato' Sri Najib Tun Abdul Razak told officials attending the opening-day ceremony of the Malaysian International Furniture Fair here.
"With this in mind, Malaysian designed furniture can be sold internationally under a Malaysian identity that can achieve a higher premium for Malaysian export prices," he said.
Such activity, he said, can help boost Malaysia's furniture exports from 7.5 billion ringgits (US$2 billion) in 2005 to 10 billion ringgits (US$2.7 billion) in 2010.
Such growth, he said, also will depend on the industry's receptiveness to change.
"In spite of our achievements in this industry throughout the years, we should not stop at improving our performance in enhancing the furniture industry," he said.
"We must be aware that this industry is constantly changing and there is a growing and intense competition from regional and international players," he continued.
Without revealing specifics, he also said the government will support the industry in its attempts at such growth.
"The government will take the necessary steps to facilitate the development of the Malaysian furniture industry and to ensure that the players in this industry will benefit from a well-supported and well-planned platform, with the aim of making Malaysia a global player in the international furniture arena," he said.
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