The government is pouring £1.74m into a major five-year programme to improve the competitiveness of UK furniture manufacturers.
The news follows an industry survey by FIRA which confirms imports are rising rapidly compared with static UK production and many companies have yet to adopt lean or agile manufacturing. Supply chain practices also lag behind other industries and skilled labour is difficult to find.
Backed by the DTI cash, FIRA is establishing the Furniture Industry Forum to deliver its survey recommendations, which will include manufacturing masterclasses, activities to encourage supply chain improvements, management development and a best practice knowledge transfer programme involving visits to UK and foreign companies.
Trade and industry minister Nigel Griffiths said: “By engaging everyone from the shopfloor to the management with the expertise of specialists, we can improve production processes, bring efficiencies and raise quality standards.”
FIRA managing director Hayden Davies said: “If the industry is to survive these turbulent times it needs to be able to tap into world class manufacturing skills to deliver world class manufacturing performance.”
The forum will be launched on January 14 at the DTI conference centre in London.
