Latest research from international market analysts
Frost & Sullivan reveals
that in the European furniture
coatings business, the customers for these
products - furniture manufacturers - place more emphasis on technical
performance and supplier responsiveness to changing requirements than on
price in supplier selection criteria. The study interviewed coatings
customers throughout the European furniture industry and discovered how
they choose suppliers and make purchasing decisions, their perceptions of
coatings suppliers and how satisfied they are with the service of the
leading suppliers.
Over half of the customers interviewed use more than one supplier and
review them on a regular basis. Technical performance had the highest
rating of importance for supplier selection, but the ability of coatings
manufacturers to develop new and innovative solutions was currently seen as
a weakness. Brian Balmer, Research Analyst with Frost & Sullivan explains:
"With trends relating to fashion and increasing technology, the onus is on
the suppliers of coatings to keep up with the pace of this change.
Companies who are best at responding to rapidly changing demands from their
clients are most likely to increase their market share, either by
attracting new clients or by helping their current clients to succeed."
The total European market for wooden furniture coatings is valued at $880
million in 2001, representing shipments of 283,000 tonnes. This accounts
for approximately 70 percent of the total industrial wood coatings market.
Although there is almost no growth in this market, there is a considerable
change in the types of product being used. Environmentally friendly
alternatives such as UV curable and waterborne systems are increasing in
popularity, whilst acid-catalysed systems are gradually being replaced by
compliant alternatives with higher solids contents and consequently lower
VOC (volatile organic chemical) content. However it is a consolidating
market (a trend that is increasingly being viewed with caution by
end-users) that is also subject to strong price
pressure. In this buyer's
market it is increasingly important for suppliers to fully understand these
changing customer requirements.
Coatings manufacturers who buy the report will be able to see exactly what
their customers think about them and their competition, and gain an
understanding of the drivers, restraints and challenges in this highly
competitive market.
Sales Contact
Customer Satisfaction Analysis for the European Furniture Coatings Market
(report code 3995-39) published October 2001 is available to purchase from:
Frost & Sullivan, 4100 Chancellor Court, Oxford Business Park, Oxford, OX4
2GX, UK. Sales Contact: Bill Stringer +44 (0) 1865
398651,bill.stringer@fs-europe.com