Paul Wray, Managing Director of Modern Outlook Furniture, reveals a new project in the outdoor furniture sector, as well as a look ahead to the CIFF Furniture Fair.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM CHINA
Welcoming the dawn of 2025, I’m excited to announce the commencement of a new and improved construction of an outdoor garden furniture factory that I’m honoured to be part of in China. Spanning an impressive 30,000 square meters, this state-of-the-art facility is scheduled for completion by August this year. Once operational, it will have the capacity to manufacture approximately 3000 containers annually, aligning perfectly with the anticipated global surge in demand for outdoor furniture.
China businesses are fortunate to have a lot of support from their government especially in the northern regions where it’s less developed. The north of China has a more advantageous operating costs compared to the south making products at lower prices.
The accompanying image depicts the staff living quarters, designed to provide a comfortable and convenient environment. Equipped with a restaurant on the lower level, all meals including breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be catered for.
Having built up a relationship with the factory over the years working closely together on quality control systems and design, we are now honoured to be made official partners with shares in the factory. There are a lot of advantages of working with a factory with a British influence in them, the main one being we understand the high quality and legal standards needed for the UK market. My team being here on the ground overseeing the development and production stage is imperative to delivering a high quality product with full traceability from start to finish.
QC is for me one of the most important stages in the production of goods. A lot of freelance QC companies in China tend to visit the factory prior to the finished goods being loaded and usually only 5-10% of products actually checked and not having the full understanding of the UKFR legal requirements, in most cases this is not even tested, leaving it at risk to the end user but also to heavy fines and loss of product if stopped and tested at port of UK entry. A lot of foreign buyers can be put off working with factories that have western partners assuming the prices will be much higher. I can assure you the prices work out much lower when there are less production issues through having a QC team on the ground in the factory full time.
If you are considering a visit to China as a potential outdoor furniture buyer, we invite you to schedule a visit to our China showroom. Alternatively, for those located in the UK, please contact Ben Womack who has an extensive sample range available for viewing. Kindly register on www.bwomack.co.uk for further details.
Import Prices, UK Stock
UK retailers and wholesalers are in luck because they don’t have far to travel to view the great choice of garden furniture products because they were recently on show at the January Furniture Show with B Womack Furniture Ltd. The UK showroom will be opening this month and will be located in Doncaster.
As the Chinese New Year commences (28th of January), it is important to note that factories went into closure from mid-January and will be for almost a month. Following this period, production may experience delays as staff return to work from long distances. Therefore, we advise taking this into consideration when placing orders. The year 2025 in the Chinese zodiac is symbolized by the snake, representing wisdom, intuition, elegance, resilience, and mystery.
Looking ahead to March 2025, the CIFF Furniture Fair is scheduled from the 18th to the 21st, featuring Home Furniture, Home Decor, Home Textiles, and Outdoor Furniture. Subsequently, from the 28th to the 31st of March, the fair will include Office and Commercial Space exhibits. For any assistance during the event, please reach out to us at Modern Outlook Furniture (contact details provided below). On behalf of myself and the team, we extend our warm wishes for a Happy Chinese New Year, accompanied by blessings of good health, happiness, and prosperity for all.
Modern Outlook Furniture stands ready to support businesses of all sizes in their procurement endeavors from China, offering comprehensive Quality Control services to ensure successful project outcomes. Should you wish to explore how we can assist you in avoiding potential challenges and setbacks, please do not hesitate to contact us.
paulw@modernoutlook.cn
