Tom Russell
I'm Tom Russell and have worked at Furniture/Today since August 2003. Since then, I have had covered the international side of the business from a logistics and sourcing standpoint. Since then, I also have visited several furniture trade shows and manufacturing plants in Asia, which has helped me gain some perspective about the industry in that part of the world. As I continue covering the import side of the business, I look forward to building on that knowledge base through conversations with industry officials and future overseas plant tours overseas. From time to time, I will file news and other industry perspectives on-line and, as always, welcome your response to these Web postings. (to view or add public comments click on "Add your Comment" below each blog post)
Title: Associate Editor
Email: trussel@reedbusiness.com
Sourcing Strategies by Tom RussellLink This | Email This | Comments (0) Atlanta show reveals strengths, opportunities for domestic producersA reader recently called me to ask me for the names of domestic case goods producers in the marketplace. An obvious starting point was the list of petitioners who supported the 2004 antidumping investigation into Chinese made wood bedroom furniture. The conversation also reminded me of a Nov. 30 report I prepared on domestic bedroom producers. That listing included some petitioners and... MoreLink This | Email This | Comments (12) Antidumping debate resurfaces with 2010 Sunset ReviewAs many in the industry recall, 2004 was a year of major controversy for the case goods sector. It was then that the U.S. government began an antidumping investigation into whether Chinese wood bedroom imports caused injury to the domestic producers in the category. This ultimately became one of the most divisive issues in the history of the industry, pitting retailers against many long-time... MoreLink This | Email This | Comments (2) Will the Philippines make a comeback in 2010?The furniture industry in the Philippines has suffered its share of setbacks during this long global recession. For one, its largest customer has scaled back its purchases significantly. According to figures compiled by Furniture/Today’s research department, furniture exports from the Philippines to the United States in the first six months of 2009 fell an alarming 51% to $41 million, a... MoreLink This | Email This | Comments (3) China Labor Shortage Has Long-Term Industry ImplicationsAs we reported in our Oct. 5 edition, China’s furniture industry is having a bit of a labor crunch. Coastal area factories that let go workers due to a slowdown in orders need to rehire some of those workers as those orders pick back up. The problem is that, minus unemployment benefits like we are used to here in the U.S., many of those workers have returned to rural areas where they... MoreLink This | Email This | Comments (3) China labor shortages could pose challenges for industryAs with any story, there are often two sides to report. The case is no different with recent news coming out of China. Officials with furniture shows held in Shanghai and Dongguan earlier this month reported increases in both traffic and order writing activity. They interpret that as a sign that China’s furniture industry is seeing a rebound and are probably correct in... More |
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