The week of June 10, a group of U.S. furniture retailers and Furniture|Today representatives went to the Dalian region of China to visit a trade show and some local furniture factories. The goal was to better understand the region and how production capacity there can benefit furniture companies in the U.S.

Perhaps not so ironically, representatives from Dalian came to North Carolina on June 5 for their own understanding of the U.S. marketplace. The delegation was made up of some 15 individuals, including furniture industry representatives, government officials and officials representing industrial parks house furniture plants. They were greeted by officials from the High Point Chamber of Commerce, the High Point Market Authority and the High Point Economic Development Corp., a local economic developmen...Read More

Anyone doing business with China has no doubt followed news stories about how a number of  U.S. politicians would like to see the country’s currency, the yuan, rise in value against the dollar. Specifically, some who represent states that have lost manufacturing jobs to Chinese competitors would like to see it revalued by at least 25%. If that doesn’t happen they plan to seek to place a 27.5% duty on Chinese-made goods.

On one hand, you could argue this would help the remaining manufacturers here compete on a more level playing field with China by indirectly forcing Chinese-made goods to be sold at prices closer to their U.S.-made counterparts. In that respect, it could save U.S. manufacturing jobs. However, the jobs that are already lost aren’t likely to return anytime soon, no matter how much the yuan rises against the dollar.

B...Read More