The 7th Fifth Council of the China Furniture Association was successfully held in Hangzhou.

Development is the eternal theme of human society, where change and opportunity intersect, and competition and cooperation coexist. At this important moment of era change and pattern evolution, the 5th meeting of the 7th Council of the China Furniture Association was successfully held in Hangzhou on December 6, summarizing the past and planning for the future, uniting the majority of members to work together for mutual progress and win-win results. The meeting was attended by Xu Xiangnan, President of the China Furniture Association, Vice Presidents Zhang Bingbing, Tu Qi, and Ren Yuping, as well as government leaders from across the country, vice presidents, executive directors, directors, representatives from provincial and municipal associations, and representatives from industrial clusters.

President Xu Xiangnan delivered the "Work Report of the 5th Meeting of the 7th Council of the China Furniture Association." He pointed out that this year, in the face of a complex and changing political and economic environment both domestically and internationally, all furniture people have bravely shouldered responsibilities, broken through challenges, deeply explored demands, and empowered the industry, achieving steady progress in development, with the role of a "ballast stone" continuously consolidated. He introduced the achievements of the council over the past year in government services, cluster construction, exhibition cooperation, brand development, quality standards, and international exchanges from four dimensions: serving the national overall situation, leading industry development, gathering industry resources, and enhancing international exchanges, encouraging everyone to strengthen confidence, persevere, unite, and strive for better industry development. He stated that the current changes in the world, era, and history are unfolding in unprecedented ways, and the furniture industry still faces many difficulties and challenges, requiring everyone to further unite their efforts, focusing on continuously improving service capabilities, supporting brand building, stimulating effective consumer demand, and optimizing international layout, to lead and serve with heart, gather strength with confidence, and write a new chapter with practical actions, contributing greater strength to promote the modernization of China and achieve the goal of a strong furniture nation.
Vice President and Secretary-General Tu Qi presided over the meeting and read the review documents. The conference passed documents including the "2024 Annual Membership Fee Income and Expenditure Report of the China Furniture Association," the "List of the Leading Group for the Restructuring of the China Furniture Association," the "Proposal for the Adjustment of Branch Institutions of the China Furniture Association," and the "Proposal for Supplementing Members of the 7th Council of the China Furniture Association."
The China Furniture Association is committed to building a broad platform for industry communication and win-win cooperation. This conference invited industry experts and corporate representatives to analyze the current situation, share experiences, and clarify difficulties from multiple dimensions including international, design, market, standards, and brands, to jointly promote the recovery and prosperity of the industry.
IKEA, as an international home furnishing enterprise, has achieved significant results in global layout and supply chain construction, with product strength, service capability, and brand influence leading the world. Qiao Hua, President of IKEA Trading (China) Co., Ltd., introduced IKEA's process of responding to global economic weakness through global procurement strategies with the theme "Affordable, Accessible, Sustainable—The Chinese Practice of IKEA's Supply Chain Strategy." She emphasized that IKEA actively undertakes corporate social responsibility by developing environmentally friendly products using renewable and recyclable materials, reducing transportation costs and carbon emissions, and vigorously promoting sustainable development of the supply chain.

Design innovation is the core engine leading the transformation and upgrading of the industry. Professor Peng Liang from the School of Innovative Design at the University of Macau analyzed the global process and current development tasks of China's home furnishing design and manufacturing with the theme "Research on Innovative Design Models in the Chinese Furniture Industry." He pointed out that China's home furnishing industry needs to continuously innovate in product design and enhance its international competitiveness through brand building and technological research and development, showcasing the cultural confidence and global influence of the Chinese furniture industry.
Currently, industry enterprises are facing a common dilemma of internal competition and need to start from the sales link, creating a cultural atmosphere, enhancing services, and building an ultimate consumer experience to promote industry cooperation and win-win results. Wang Dawei, Chairman of Klas International Furniture Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote speech on "Thoughts on Breaking the Excessive Internal Competition in the Furniture Industry," discussing the phenomenon of "involution" in the furniture industry, its impacts, and coping strategies. He believes that the industry needs to improve efficiency through strengthening original design, protecting intellectual property rights, promoting technological innovation, enhancing brand building, and utilizing big data and artificial intelligence, while also reducing ineffective marketing and competition, valuing the dealer group, strengthening industry self-discipline, and smoothing all links to jointly provide better service experiences for consumers.
Standards are a hard support for high-quality development. In recent years, the furniture industry has made significant progress in improving the standard system and participating in international standardization work. Luo Jufen, Secretary-General of the National Furniture Standardization Technical Committee, delivered a keynote speech on "Serving the 'Two New Plans' to Build a New Furniture Standard System," emphasizing the need to enhance domestic production standards, strengthen green and intelligent standards in line with international standards, and better adapt to global market demands. She stated that in the face of the customization trend in the furniture industry, it is necessary to promote standardized production lines and the application of new technologies in the future, continuously improving production efficiency and product quality.
The Chinese furniture industry has developed for over 40 years, possessing world-leading production capacity advantages and innovation potential, facing a new stage of international competition, and needing to evolve and upgrade in branding and marketing. Zhao Long, Chairman of Beijing Guofu Zongheng Cultural Technology Consulting Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote speech titled "Evolutionary Power and Competitiveness." He emphasized that enterprises need to upgrade in management efficiency, differentiation, and focus strategies based on his years of industry experience. In the context of rapid technological development, enterprises should actively evolve, enhancing competitiveness through research and development, design, talent cultivation, and the application of new technologies. He called for the entire industry to jointly promote the establishment of a healthy market environment, enhancing industry reputation and consumer trust.
President Xu Xiangnan awarded bronze medals to the "Top Ten Furniture Brands in China for 2024."
President Xu Xiangnan, Vice President Zhang Bingbing, Vice President and Secretary-General Tu Qi, and Vice President Ren Yuping awarded certificates and bronze medals to the newly supplemented council members and new members.
During the meeting, attendees visited the Shengao Innovation Park to investigate and exchange ideas on the manufacturing and design trends of office furniture.
Shengao is a leading provider of office commercial furniture in China. The total construction area of Shengao Innovation Park is approximately 261,300 square meters, integrating functions such as "innovation research and development, intelligent manufacturing, scenario experience, furniture testing, woodworking experience, industry information exchange, and talent education and training," dedicated to creating the industry's first health office "Silicon Valley."
The successful holding of the 5th meeting of the 7th Council of the China Furniture Association has widely gathered industry strength and stimulated corporate innovation vitality. In the future, the association will work hand in hand with a large number of member enterprises to face opportunities and challenges, embrace change and development, with the mission of building a better life, working together and supporting each other.