Hardware for furniture, upholstery, kitchen, coatings and furnishing systems.

Furnishing Idea is the portal dedicated to the furniture and furnishing industry, designed to bring together different professionals such as architects, designers, carpenters, furniture makers and manufacturers active in the furniture market who represent the reference point in terms of innovation and quality of the product offered. On the other hand, the portal aims to provide a valid information service focused on products, projects, events and fairs and everything that revolves around the world of components, semi-finished products and accessories for the furniture industry.

 

The portal is divided into different sections where you can explore the different products according to different categories, get in touch with manufacturers, download catalogues to keep up with industry trends and watch videos of interviews with the best professionals and manufacturers.

 

In the articles section you can find all the information about the most innovative product technologies, such as furniture materials, furniture accessories and systems, furniture machinery, furniture hardware, manufactured by manufacturers with a solid experience in the field. In the companies section there is an overview of the manufacturers registered on our portal, divided by product category, where you can contact us for any request. Our portal also has a special catalogues section to allow professionals and operators in the sector to view in a practical way all the catalogues relating to the various products (furniture hardware, upholstery materials, furniture paints, etc.). In addition, to allow easy consultation of the products, our portal has reserved a product section, organized by categories, where you can find out about the technical characteristics, materials and functionality of each product. The video section, on the other hand, presents numerous video interviews given by professionals and manufacturers that report news, insights and informative content on the best technologies in the sector.

 

In addition, to keep you constantly informed you can also consult our Journal section which contains all the Furnishing Idea magazines dedicated to the furniture and furnishing industry, such as the edition dedicated to Sicam or Interzum, two of the most important trade fairs in the sector. The magazines can be consulted from the portal or easily downloadable in pdf format.

 

Thanks to the trust placed in us by many manufacturers, our portal is now recognized both nationally and internationally. In fact, there are already many internationally recognized and established companies in the sector, including the AIPEF group (Italian Flexible Expanded Polyurethanes Companies) which promotes scientific information on the use of flexible polyurethane foam in the sectors in which it is used.

FederlegnoArredo forecasts 2023 closing at -3.3% for the wood-furniture supply chain

The wood-furniture sector is facing a changing situation that is bound to continue throughout 2023. This is what emerges from the changes in wood and furniture turnover and production recorded by Istat in the first half of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022: wood turnover and production are at -14.9% and -13.9% respectively, furniture turnover and production are at -0.1% and -5.4%.

An uncertain situation that is also confirmed by the Monitor data processed by the FederlegnoArredo Study Centre, according to which in the first half of 2023, compared to the same period in '22, the wood-furniture supply chain will record an overall contraction of 5.9% with a negative trend for both the Italian market (-6.8%) and exports (-4.5%).

 

More negative data for the wood sector

The comparison between June '22 and June '23 also shows that it is the woodworking sector that has contracted the most in terms of turnover (-17.1%), to which must be added a very negative figure for production, which reached -13.9%. On the other hand, furniture turnover recorded -0.8%, while production was -5.1%. According to Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo: "If the significant drop in wood turnover can be partly ascribed to the slowdown in the growth of raw material and energy costs sustained in 2022 compared to 2021, the furniture production figure is a different matter, which is above all an indication of a slowdown in demand and exports of our products, even overseas. It is obvious that these two factors will in turn also affect the wood sector, which will begin to feel the effects of a reduction in production, once the demands of 2022, a year with above-normal performance, have been met.

 

Wood and furniture macro-system data

The overall trend is mainly affected by the wood macro-system, which declines by -12.6%, (-14% domestic sales and -8.3% exports), although with very different trends in the various sectors: from panels in sharp contraction to wooden roofing, structures and buildings, on the other hand, in growth.

The furnishing macro-system, which accounts for 62% of total sales, in the first six months of 2023 closed more or less in line with the same period in '22 (-1.1%): this was due in particular to lower exports (-3.3%) which cancelled out the moderately positive effect of the domestic market (+1.3%).

 

Forecast with minus sign

The survey indicates a negative year-end for our supply chain at -3.3%, with exports at -2.6% and the domestic market at -3.8%. In this case too, as far as the furniture macro-system is concerned, forecasts speak of a slightly positive total trend (+0.2%) thanks to the greater resilience of the domestic market (+1.3%) compared to exports at -0.7%, while the wood macro-system still sees a negative trend (-8.5% total) without substantial differences between the domestic market (-8.6%) and foreign market (-8.3%).

 

Companies slow down investments

Claudio Feltrin highlights the consequences that this situation will have for the sector. "It is not surprising that, according to our Monitor, 39% of wood-furniture companies are slowing down investments due to the situation of uncertainty compounded by the difficulty in finding financial resources at affordable costs, due to increases in interest rates and the drop in bank credit lines to companies, which is at its lowest level in over 20 years. In the first half of 2023, 85% of companies say they are affected by higher costs, and the proportion of those that have experienced an increase of more than 20% compared to the same period in 2022 rises to 21%, highlighting a trend that is still ongoing and worsening. Businesses (around 22%) are starting to show more difficulties in accessing credit and are trying to seek new credit facilities from other institutions to overcome the liquidity shortage. 25% are considering reducing credit lines and supporting growth with different resources, including those contributed by shareholders. Our companies,' Feltrin concludes, 'are ready to respond to yet another challenge by putting in place strategies not to suffer these consequences passively, but it is crucial to envisage investment support measures to protect the competitiveness of the entire sector.

Interzum Forum Italy: two days of meetings dedicated to furniture subcontracting

Presented at the ADI Museum in Milan the programme of the new exhibition event, organised by Koelnmesse, which will take place in Bergamo on 6 and 7 June
Category: Fairs
Publication date: 18/03/2024
Company: Interzum forum Italy - Koelnmesse GmbH

Cosmob: Inauguration of new headquarters to train technicians of the future

Equipped with testing laboratories, advanced technologies and FabLab, the centre is aimed at responding to the new needs of the furniture product
Category: Economy, News and Fairs
Publication date: 15/03/2024

FederlegnoArredo launches FLA Plus Services, the digital hub for a more sustainable and competitive supply chain

Targeted services for member companies: certification portal, materials library, circularity tool, customs counter and supply chain data
Category: Economy, News and Fairs
Publication date: 10/07/2023

FederlegnoArredo: first negative signals for the wood-furniture sector

The furnishing sector is still holding up in the first quarter, while the wood sector is showing signs of distress
Category: Economy and marketing
Publication date: 26/06/2023

Hettich Group: excellent results in 2022 with a turnover of around one and a half billion euros

The objective of the corporate strategy is to combine economic success with social and ecological responsibility
Category: Furniture hardware
Publication date: 20/02/2023
Company: Hettich Italia

High cost of energy: strong impact also on the companies of the sector

Unionplast, FederlegnoArredo and Confindustria ask for urgent measures to the Government
Category: Economy, News and Fairs
Publication date: 01/02/2022

Maria Porro, elected President of Salone del Mobile.Milano

Our goal is a strong, united, inclusive, sustainable and creative Salone del Mobile.
Category: Industry news
Publication date: 21/07/2021

Italian furnishing industry: 2017 preliminary results

Positive results confirm the recovery of the sector
Category: Economy and marketing
Publication date: 13/02/2018

Category: Industry news
Publication date: 10/01/2018