Local manufacturing of office furniture - why the future looks bright

Furniture is an integral part of our daily lives - and that includes the workplace.

South Africa is doing its best to recover from COVID-19. With a revitalized economy, thousands of businesses across the country will be purchasing new office furniture that is specifically designed to ensure employee safety while maintaining social distance in the workplace - and we believe that locally produced pieces are always better.

Here’s an update on the status of the South African furniture manufacturing industry and why it’s so important to buy local when furnishing your office.

Buying from a local furniture manufacturer is a great way to support job creation

Next time you buy office furniture, buy local. Here’s why your decision could help create jobs and boost SA’s economic recovery.

• The manufacturing sector is a major employer of unskilled and semi skilled workers, and these two groups include millions of South Africans who are in need of work.
• The furniture manufacturing industry is an especially good creator of jobs because the process of making office chairs, tables, and other equipment is relatively labor-intensive.
• As well as requiring a large number of workers, furniture manufacturing is less capital intensive and most heavy industries.

In practical terms this means that a furniture factory can set up shop without a huge initial outlay of funds and spend more on hiring local talent. This is the perfect combination of business factors to create jobs across South Africa without requiring billions of Rand in capital investment.

The local furniture manufacturing industry needs support to catch up with international competitors 

With many countries in the world moving towards local manufacturing in the wake of COVID-19, now could be the ideal moment to reduce our reliance on imported furniture from the East and other regions of the world. 
Recently, the South African government has begun to recognize the importance of local furniture manufacturers and is taking steps to support the industry.
We are hopeful that this will encourage investment in local manufacturing capacity to produce office furniture of the highest quality for our domestic market and kick start furniture exports. ​

 FIMP: Support for local furniture manufacturers 

Industry insiders have always believed in the potential of furniture manufacturing to create jobs and provide local customers with chairs discs office fittings and other items that are perfectly suited to the needs and tastes of South African customers.

As of this year the government is getting behind our industry with a new initiative known as the Furniture Industry Master Plan.

• The programme, which was launched by Trade minister Ebrahim Patel in March, aims to re-position the local furniture manufacturing industry. 
• Its final goal is to create  a high-end sector focusing on innovative designs, customized furniture and high-quality that will differentiate it from the products being imported from China and other countries.

 
Government plans to support local industry through a variety of measures which will be announced soon. Preferential procurement by government departments could also help to kickstart the furniture sector’s expansion through bulk orders. 

The future of SA furniture manufacturing looks better than ever  

With the government and other industry players recognizing the importance of furniture manufacturing as a source of value and job creation, the future prospects for our sector look brighter than they have in years.
 
Office Concepts looks forward to serving both local and overseas with our excellent range of high-quality office furniture, today and in the future.
 
If you’re in the process of buying furniture and other items for your premises we’d like to invite you to browse our range of office furniture today.