The Furniture Sector in Pakistan: Export performance and ... - TRTA i

Function also continues to influence design at market as LCD/plasma TVs are incorporated
into home entertainment and bedroom pieces. Taller dressers offer better viewing of the TV
from the bed. Home entertainment centres are made with taller TV carts to raise the unit to a
better viewing height and allow more storage underneath.
Finishing and lacquering
Finishing tends to be a common bottleneck for furniture coming from developing countries.
The quality of final polishing of carvings needs to be improved, as well as the consecutive
painting and lacquering. It should be understood that these work processes are none less
important than the actual carving. On the contrary, a bad finish can lower the value of the
product, and downgrade unnecessarily the carver’s skilled input. Too much variation in
blending the colours, paints and solvents is routinely observed. These should follow controlled
standard procedures for uniform quality.
Matte finishes are currently well accepted in decorative small furniture items (so-called
occasional furniture). But in larger household furniture items the situation is more mixed.
Antiquated or natural (visible grain patterns) surfaces have been in fashion in the recent years,
and this trend has certainly not been marked by all producers. The shiny or satin lacquered
surfaces are still the common norm in many producer countries, but pretty much out-dated in
the overseas markets.
Closely linked with the former observation is the technical inadequacy of some key equipment.
For instance, if the compressors used for spraying the lacquer is too weak, no proper finishing
quality can be achieved. Brush-painting consumes more lacquer and should be avoided.
Human health is a growing concern in wood lacquers, and it should be taken seriously into
account by exporters to Europe, for example.
Access to market information
Broadly speaking, Pakistani furniture firms suffer from a poor access to up-to-date market
information. Non-systematic gathering of such info leads easily into inability to assess its
reliability and put it into proper use. Therefore, the importance of a continuous flow of market
information flow cannot be emphasized too much. Its collection and dissemination is an
activity of its own, which requires external resources and dedicated staff to be beneficial for
the industry.
4.2.3 Solutions for each obstacle and shortcoming with explanations
Solutions needed from policy-makers
The following checklist contains action elements for policy-makers who are supposed to
convey government support to furniture sector. The recommended policy initiatives need to be
designed to strengthen exports of the furniture industry by improving the trade environment,
lowering costs and improving efficiency. To be effective, these initiatives need to be viewed as
an integral part of the country’s overall economic policies and structural reforms.
The government policy framework should ideally ensure the following:
82 International Trade Centre