Wegmans Furniture operating at full capacity

KUALA LUMPUR: Home furniture maker, Wegmans Furniture Industries Sdn Bhd, is now operating at full capacity after the government ban on rubberwood exports last year.

Executive director Collin Law Kok Lim said more than 50% of the company's furniture was made from rubberwood and it experienced a severe raw material shortage before the ban.

“This resulted in a delay in products delivery where the standard industry waiting time was within two to three months.

“However, things are getting back to normal with the stable raw materials supply with the ban in place,” he told Bernama at the Malaysia International Furniture Fair (MIFF) 2018 here yesterday.

Law said the company produced 190,000 chairs and and 480,000 tables annually.

Yesterday, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Mah Siew Keong, reassured furniture industry players that the government would continue the rubberwood export ban to ensure an adequate raw materials supply.

On the furniture industry's outlook, Law remained positive as issues such as the supply of rubberwood and foreign labour has been resolved.

“Government policies, such as an allowance for increased exports and income exemption for increased exports, will certainly support the industry,” he said.

Established in 1999, Wegmans Furniture is also a wholly-owned unit of Wegmans Holdings Bhd which recently debuted on Bursa Malaysia's Ace Market.

Meanwhile, Law saw MIFF as a stepping stone to further elevate the company's business performance, with revenue having grown substantially since it first participated in the annual event back in 2014.

“We recorded RM 86.2 mil revenue in 2017, a big jump against the RM 39.4 mil in 2014, while top-line growth surged to RM 66.2 mil and RM 85.6 mil in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

“Compared with other furniture exhibitions that we joined, MIFF is the platform where we received the best response from buyers, especially for follow-up orders,” he said.

MIFF founder and chairman Datuk Dr Tan Chin Huat said the MIFF is the largest in South-East Asia.

“It attracted 622 exhibitors from 13 countries, and buyers from 135 countries this year,” he added.