June 30, 2007 | Filed under: Press Releases
Furniture Industry Forum Organized by CFIF
The Philippine furniture export industry, initially touted as one of the country's top dollar earners, is in the midst of one of the most challenging times in its history. The continued appreciation of the peso, the softening of the US market, and the emergence of new players in the global market had taken its toll on the industry resulting to several closures, downsizing and business loses.
It's a sink or swim situation and exporters are not taking it sitting down.
As part of its effort to bring together industry players and helping stakeholders find ways to ride the waves, the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF), in cooperation with the University of San Carlos, CIDA Pearl 2 and the German Development Service or DED will hold a forum dubbed "Sink or Swim?: The Furniture Export Industry Riding the Waves" slated on July 10, 2007 at the CAFA Auditorium, University of San Carlos, Talamban campus.
The forum is expected to be the biggest gathering for the year of furniture export industry's top management players and stakeholders together with key partners from the academe, suppliers, other business support organizations and funding agencies.
The forum is expected to showcase best practices and innovative ideas both inside and outside of the furniture industry that would hopefully inspire and teach industry players how to stay on top of theme game.
Speakers for the forum will include players from the industry including renowned international designer Kenneth Cobonpue of the Interior Crafts of the Islands, Charles Streegan of Pacific Traders, Pete Delantar of Nature's Legacy, and Laurie Boquiren of Castilex Industrial Corp.
Giving inputs from outside of the industry are Dr. Rene Paquibut, HR Director of the University of San Carlos and Matthias Niggel, consultant for Public-Private Partnership of DED.
Topics will include the following: The State of the Furniture Sector and the New Global Realities; Branding and Alternative Marketing Strategies; The Pursuit of Excellence in Material Technology and Product Research; Strategic Human Resource; and Creative Approaches to CSR to Strengthen a Business Enterprise.
The CFIF is the primary business support organization of the Philippine furniture export industry and is composed of 162furniture manufacturers and exporters as members. It is the official organizer of the Cebu International Furniture and Furnishing Exhibition or Cebu X.
You may download copies of the presentation at the downloads(miscellaneous) section of the website. Look for the following: Forum(071107)-State of the sector report, Forum (071107) - Financial Strategies, Forum (071107) - Call for action, Forum (071107)-research & development, and Forum (071107) - CSR
