Closer co-operation between the wood industries of EU countries could fend off competition from China and other Asian countries according to Francisco Perelló, the new president of Spain’s Maderalia, the international suppliers fair for furniture and the wood industry.
Maderalia is held alongside FIMMA – the international fair of woodworking machinery – at Feria Valencia every two years and Mr Perelló said its options for growth lie in auxiliary industry and subcontracting, and that it must help its customers to gain in competitiveness.
“Although raw materials or salaries might be cheaper in eastern Europe or Asia, an efficient, responsive and flexible auxiliary industry will help furniture and joinery manufacturers to reduce costs and improve production,” he said.
Mr Perelló believes that Maderalia’s goal should be to improve rather than grow. He added: “As a construction material, wood has still a long way to go. Joinery is not just another ingredient of Maderalia and is in fact one of its strategic assets.”
He said the presence of the joinery sector has already attracted a lot of architects and designers who see the fair as a reference to help them specify the products they want for their projects.
The next Maderalia takes place in Valencia in 2005.
