One doesn’t often think about the rights (or interests) of a chair. Nor, better yet, of a table. A sideboard has no feelings; a desk, just duty (and perhaps beauty). Their purpose is to serve, to stand, to bear – it’s obvious. What is less obvious is that the development of the furniture industry itself is as much a support for your sitting, leaning and resting as the objects themselves that it manufactures and distributes.
Better infrastructure means better products; better business management means better prices. Imagine you wanted an affordable-yet-rare, Cape Dutch-style repro dresser in your office. Imagine the answer was immediately “ Yes, Sir/Madame, can do; when and where would you like it delivered?” This is the plane that The Western Cape Furniture Initiative (WCFI) operates on.
WCFI is a Section 21 (not for profit) represents the interests of all furniture manufacturers and the value chain, changing the way we produce, distribute and design. It has been building programmes and services since February 2009, carving the way for the furniture industry, helping its members to adapt to changes in the business environment.
WCFI provides a platform for implementation of strategic interventions for growth in the furniture industry in the Western Cape. It is geared towards promoting economic growth, competitiveness, innovation and export opportunities through its main programs of skills Development, Design and Innovation and Enterprise Development.
On the design side the Western Cape Furniture Initiative successfully ran the inaugural Western Cape Furniture Design Competition with the finalists being displayed at the Design Indaba 2009 exhibition at the Cape Town Convention Centre. This was followed up with its second Design competition displayed at Decorex 2010 that showed improvements on the first, since both professionals and students categories participated.
Into 2011, The Western Cape Furniture Design Competition aims to promote design as one of the key tools for a furniture manufacturer to improve its competitive edge and stimulate economic growth, both locally and internationally. Its 2011 theme is SEATING with a “Shack Chic” flavour.
All in all, the Western Cape possesses a rich skills pool, networks and infrastructure that could assist in creatively engaging the challenge of repositioning the Furniture Industry, locally and globally, as a producer of high value adding and quality furniture and solid wood products.
