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subscribe to news Import substitution is one of the main challenges for the furniture industry
The panel discussion held today was dedicated to the import substitution problem in the Russian furniture industry. It was organised by the Association of Furniture and Woodworking Enterprises of Russia and EXPOCENTRE AO as part of the conference programme of the Mebel 2022 International Exhibition.
The panel moderator, Timur Irtuganov, Director General of the Association, paid particular attention to the issue of furniture fittings, which, as he put it, is extremely acute today. According to expert estimates, 95-97% of metal fittings used in furniture production in Russia are imported.
"We provide ourselves in a very narrow range - the simplest things, mostly obsolete. We do not have chrome-nickel plating, which is needed for most parts. According to the results of 2021 we bought furniture accessories for $1.2 bn and continue to pay abroad for technologically advanced products with high added value," stated Timur Irtuganov. According to him, today we speak about necessity to establish our own production. There are enough metallurgical plants in Russia which can produce these parts without any problems. But there are still issues. One of them is the high cost of metal on the Russian market. The Association works closely with the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade to solve these problems.
Natalya Kudenkova, Head of the Consumer Goods Sector of the Aluminium Association, spoke on "A New Vector for the Development of Metal Furniture in the Russian Federation". Anna Novikova, analyst of the Agency for Technological Development, drew colleagues' attention to the programme for stimulating the engineering of critical component parts. Lyudmila Prishchenko, Head of the training centre of the furniture factory Felix, described how import substitution had affected her company, stressing that the lack of supply of fittings from Europe had not affected production and sales volumes. Anna Usova of Treartex dedicated her presentation to furniture fabrics.
Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO