بررسی استراتژی و فناوری تولید در صنعت مبلمان چینی

We investigate the manufacturing strategy of 72 Chinese furniture companies based on a nationwide survey conducted in mid-2001, just prior to WTO accession. We provide an overview of the industry and its context before reporting on the operations objectives of the firms — focusing on their relationship to financial performance and technology. We report on the current status of, and future plans for, manufacturing technology implementation and initiatives (such as computer-aided design, safety improvement, new product introduction, and reducing changeover times). We make comparisons with other studies, in particular in the US — where Chinese furniture imports are increasingly viewed as a competitive threat.

With increasing attention focused on the Chinese economy, it is useful to consider the state of manufacturing (which comprises half of China’s GDP), particularly in industries where exports are growing rapidly. This paper presents the results of a survey of the practices and performance of 72 furniture manufacturers located throughout China. The survey, conducted just prior to China’s WTO accession in late 2001, considers both manufacturing strategy (with a particular interest in manufacturing technology) and performance (including financial). There are currently some 30,000 furniture manufacturers in China, employing a total of 3 million people (Volpe, 2002). While the industry constitutes only 1.6 per cent of total Chinese manufacturing and Chinese exports, some of its features render it particularly interesting. For instance, its very rapid growth, in both domestic and export markets, and its relatively low labour productivity are worth noting. The remainder of the paper provides a review of manufacturing strategy in the furniture industry and in China, and characteristics of Chinese furniture manufacturing. Following a discussion of the survey instrument and administration, we present the results of the survey, which focuses on competitive objectives and financial performance, and their relationship to manufacturing, technology, and human resource management practice.

Chinese furniture manufacturing appears to follow general principles of manufacturing strategy. An emphasis on cost is not divorced from the importance of quality, indicating some maturity. A number of manufacturing policies, including those related to hard and soft technology and human resource areas are strongly connected to both competitive objectives and the financial performance of the firm. Value (in particular quality) and Flexibility (in particular modification) are highly related to financial performance, suggesting their importance as order winners in this market. It is apparent that many firms, especially larger ones, are seeking to increase AMT adoption, in particular computer-aided manufacturing. This will likely enhance the ability of Chinese firms to compete, in foreign markets and with foreign-invested firms in China, by lifting the level of performance on a variety of objectives. In terms of the future of the industry, WTO accession appears likely to fuel the continued expansion, and performance, of the industry, and place pressure on other major exporting nations. The Secretary-General of the CNFA predicts that within 20 years Chinese furniture will ‘match foreign producers for variety, quality and technique’ (Zhang, 2003). The response of European and North American manufacturers will be interesting to observe. Perhaps co-operation and alliances will prove the most sustainable path - along the lines of David Mathison’s call for ‘US companies to delve deep in their relationships with countries such as China and to become true partners, not short-term opportunists’ (Engel, 2002). Co-operation in areas such as design and development, manufacturing systems and technology, management training and development, and distribution may be such areas — with or without equity investment. However, the path to improved performance will not be easy — one pundit predicts the future of Chinese furniture manufacturers over the first decade of WTO as ‘one third developing, one-third specializing, and one-third going bankrupt’ (All China Marketing Research, 2001). The results of our survey suggest that manufacturing, technology, and human resource decisions will have a strong bearing on these outcomes. Future research could include extending the study longitudinally to assess the impact of WTO accession.