Panels & Furniture Asia March/April 2018

4
Singapore MICA (P) No. 138/05/2017
panelsfurnitureasia.com
Editor | Lee Zhuomin
zhuominlee@pabloasia.com
Assistant Editor | Pang Yanrong
yanrong@pabloasia.com
Assistant Editor | Sarah Si
sarahsi@pabloasia.com
THE
WAY
WE
LIVE
NOW
Lee Zhuomin | Editor
ONCE upon a time, people made—and bought—
furniture purely for practical reasons. A desk to work
at, a bed for rest. Fast forward to 2018 today, it is
clear we have now moved on to buying things that
satisfy some area of psychological or emotional need.
If you live in Singapore, Hong Kong or Tokyo, you
would know how expensive it is to afford a shoebox
in the sky. Most apartments are tiny! Still, being
proud home owners, we want to furnish it with nice
things because it is uplifting, inspiring and makes us
feel, well, at home. Some companies, like Ewins, are
offering multi-purpose, space-saving furniture to help
home owners cope with the urban squeeze (p. 30).
In the past, furniture was mostly the work of a
wood craftsman. In fact, almost everything—from
chicken coops to cabinets—was made of wood,
Malaysian architect Azman Md Nor recalls. He grew
up in a traditional Malay kampong, which informed
and inspired many projects in the later part of his
career (p. 36).
It may also surprise you that a well-known figure in the panels industry spent a good
amount of time in Southeast Asia when he was a boy. Henning Gloede, Managing Director
of Siempelkamp Singapore, grew up in Jakarta. By the time he went back to Europe for
further studies, his Bahasa was perfect. On p. 18, he shares his life’s work and wisdom on
the current and future state of Southeast Asia’s wood-based panel industry.
Trading and manufacturing activity in Southeast Asia continues to climb. Just when you
thought Vietnam’s potential had peaked, the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association
of HCMC announced that the country’s wood products export turnover is expected to
jump 13 per cent to US$9 billion by the end of this year (p. 56).
Vietnam’s demand for American hardwoods rose 18 per cent to 444,862m 3 in 2017,
according to the American Hardwood Export Council (p. 42). It is now the second largest
market after China and the top market in Southeast Asia. Overall, 2017 business was good
for the American hardwood industry.
2018 has just begun, but with these expectations, it looks like it could be another
good year.
LET'S CONNECT!
Contributing Editor (Surface & Design)
Kenn Busch | kenn@kennbusch.com
Deputy Executive Editor
(Chinese Edition) | Wendy Wei
pabloshanghai@163.net
Graphic Designer | Edwin De Souza
edwin@pabloasia.com
Admin & Circulation Manager | Shu Ai Ling
circulation@pabloasia.com
General Manager,
Pablo Beijing & Shanghai | Ellen Gao
pablobeijing@163.com
Associate Publisher | Pamela Buckley
pamela@pabloasia.com
Publisher | William Pang
williampang@pabloasia.com
Panels & Furniture Asia is a member of
3 Ang Mo Kio | Street 62 | #01-23 | Link@AMK
Singapore 569139
Tel: (65) 6266 5512
E-mail: info@pabloasia.com
Company Registration No: 200001473N
All rights reserved. Views of writers do not necessarily refl ect the views of
the Publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form
or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the Publisher
and copyright owner. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy of
the information in this publication, the Publisher accepts no liability for
damages caused by misinterpretation of information, expressed or implied,
within the pages of the magazine. All advertisements are accepted on the
understanding that the Advertiser is authorised to publish the contents of
the advertisements, and in this respect, the Advertiser shall indemnify the
Publisher against all claims or suits for libel, violation of right of privacy and
copyright infringements. Panels & Furniture Asia is a controlled-circulation
bi-monthly magazine. It is mailed free-of-charge to readers who meet a set of
criteria. Paid subscription is available to those who do not fit our terms of control.
Please refer to subscription form provided in the publication for more details.
Printed by Times Printers
@panelsfurnitureasia
Panels & Furniture Asia
is the offi cial publication of
Malaysian MDF Manufacturers Association
March / April 2018 • Issue 2 • PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA