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Vietnam Drives Out China from the American Wooden Kitchen Furniture Market

furniture

Vietnam Drives Out China from the American Wooden Kitchen Furniture Market

IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘U.S. – Wooden Furniture Of A Kind Used In The Kitchen – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

In 2020, American imports of wooden furniture for kitchens soared by +22% y-o-y to 52M units or $1.9B in value terms. Supplies from Vietnam and Malaysia offset the dramatic drop in imports from China after the tariffs on Chinese products increased. Among other countries, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Mexico saw the highest spikes in wooden kitchen furniture exports to the U.S. The average wooden kitchen furniture import price dropped by -18.1% against the previous year. 

American Imports of Wooden Kitchen Furniture by Country

In 2020, the amount of wooden furniture for kitchens imported into the U.S. surged to 52M units, increasing by 22% compared with 2019. In value terms, wooden kitchen furniture imports totaled $1.9B in 2020 (IndexBox estimates).

In 2020, Vietnam drove out China from the leading position in the American imports and became the largest exporter of wood kitchen furniture to the U.S. Over the last year, the supplies from Vietnam rose from $224M to $487M. Malaysia occupied second place in the list of top suppliers to America, boosting its exports to the U.S. from $148M in 2019 to $415M in 2020. Indonesia recorded the highest spike in kitchen furniture exports to the U.S. In 2020, Indonesia ramped up the supplies from $13M to $103M. Among other countries, Taiwan, Thailand and Mexico featured the most prominent export growths of kitchen furniture to the U.S. The purchases from China fall dramatically from $831M to $132M owing to raising tariffs on Chinese imports.

Vietnam (16M units), Malaysia (11M units) and Canada (6.1M units) were the main suppliers of wooden kitchen furniture imports to the U.S., with a combined 64% share of total imports. China, Indonesia, Mexico, Italy, Taiwan and Thailand lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 27%.

In value terms, the largest wooden kitchen furniture suppliers to the U.S. were Vietnam ($487M), Malaysia ($415M) and Canada ($301M), together comprising 62% of total imports. China, Italy, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Taiwan lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 28%.

The average wooden kitchen furniture import price stood at $37 per unit in 2020, with a decrease of -18.1% against the previous year. Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin; the country with the highest price was Italy, while the price for Taiwan was amongst the lowest.

Source: IndexBox Platform

supply chains

Biden Issues Executive Order to Review Critical Supply Chains

President Biden issued an “Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains” (the “EO”) on February 24, 2021, ordering 100-day and 1-year reviews of certain critical supply chains.

The initial 100-day review aims to assess risks posed to the following critical supply chains:

-Semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging

-High-capacity batteries, including electric vehicle batteries

-Critical minerals, including rare earth elements

-Pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients

The EO also orders supply chain reviews of six (6) sectors with reports due within one year. The sectoral assessments will cover:

-Defense

-Public health and biological preparedness

-Information and communication technology

-Energy

-Transportation

-Agriculture

The EO leaves open the possibility that other industrial bases may be assessed as part of the one-year review and that digital networks, services, assets, and data (“digital products”), goods, services, and materials not otherwise described in the EO that span more than one sector may be assessed.

The EO directs that both the 100-day and 1-year reports shall review “critical goods and materials,” “other essential goods and materials,” manufacturing and production capabilities of such critical or essential goods and materials, supply chains’ resiliency, and all the major risks to the supply chains. The EO imagines the term “risks” broadly. Risks include physical threats such as climate and other natural events, as well as geopolitical dynamics. Risks also comprise digital products’ inclusion in supply chains and the possibility that such digital products could be exploited. Additionally, the EO directs that the risk of human-rights or forced-labor abuses along the supply chains be described.

The EO arrives as shortages or anticipated shortages of semiconductors are widely reported, especially in the automobile industry. A general policy goal of the Biden Administration is to increase domestic manufacturing capability and economic growth, particularly in communities of color and economically distressed areas. The EO could be the first step in a significant reimagining of how the U.S. incorporates civilian and defense supply chains into its national and economic security and foreign policy strategies. At this time, however, the Administration has only ordered reviews. Interested companies should anticipate and consult the relevant Secretaries’ 100-day and 1-year reports for forthcoming policy suggestions.

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Tony Busch is an attorney in Husch Blackwell LLP’s Washington, D.C. office.

Cortney O’Toole Morgan is a Washington D.C.-based partner with the law firm Husch Blackwell LLP. She leads the firm’s International Trade & Supply Chain group.

Camron Greer is an Assistant Trade Analyst in Husch Blackwell LLP’s Washington D.C. office.