In the North East, that is, -10.7% trend for Friuli Venezia Giulia (519 million euros) and -5.6% for Veneto (935 million euros), according to Istat data published on the occasion of the annual meeting of FederlegnoArredi in Roncade. The Friulian figure is particularly significant, considering that the sector is worth 12% of regional exports, i.e. more than double that in Lombardy (3%) and Veneto (5%).
The only large foreign market that is growing for Friulian furniture is the USA (+24.8%), while there have been notable declines in France (-14.4%), Germany (-17%) and the United Kingdom (-25.9%). And even for the entire wood-furniture supply chain the numbers are not better.
«Alarming data – comments Edi Snaidero, president of the FVG Wood Furnishing and Home System Cluster – which requires reactions and determination, also because the slowdown has been underway for over a year. Businesses are very worried. The FVG Cluster will try to do its part in supporting companies in the sector, especially to support international development. There will be a need for everyone’s contribution and especially from the institutions, also considering the importance of the sector for our region. In fact, we need to act as a system to strengthen the tools for internationalisation, in particular market intelligence and participation in trade fairs to open up new opportunities for market diversification for the many small companies in the sector which often have sales concentrated in a few countries. It’s time for strong actions – Snaidero remarks -, the dialogue with the Region is active and continuous and we therefore expect a vigorous intervention for a sector which, let us remember, employs 25 thousand people and represents a pillar of the regional economy”.
The international geopolitical context, the difficult European position in international dynamics, the increase in raw material costs and interest rates weigh heavily.
«We are in a perfect storm that can only be addressed by encouraging investments abroad for companies and a stronger presence on the markets», observes the director of the FVG Cluster, Carlo Piemonte, who however underlines the good data in contrast with the American market and the development potential of the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa. Also for FederlegnoArredo, internationalization will be crucial for the development of Italian wood furniture in the coming years, to be accompanied with innovation in terms of sustainability and the reduction of production costs.
«The external factors that affect the competitiveness of companies – commented President Claudio Feltrin at the national assembly on 27 June – are multiple, complex and in some cases go beyond our scope of action. I am thinking of inflation, the difficulty in accessing credit, the burden in economic terms and human resources that companies must bear to achieve energy efficiency which can no longer be ignored. In this scenario, we continue to be focused on sustainability which in its broadest sense constitutes an effective response to at least some of these factors.” —
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