Canadian Wood presents a webinar on WOODINNOVATIONS – Best Practices in Furniture Manufacturing

·         Session focused on selection, sorting and handling of wood

·         Information shared on Designing, Machining and Joinery

·         Information shared on skills development and ecosystem in India

·         Highlighted integration of Canadian Wood species in different furniture applications

Mumbai: Canadian Wood, the crown agency of the government of British Columbia (B.C.), hosted another informative webinar on ‘Best Practices in Furniture Manufacturing’. The webinar focused on building with wood, was a part of Canadian Wood’s successfully running ‘WOODINNOVATIONS’ series.

It is a known fact that India’s furniture market is poised for take-off. As per reports based on studies and research conducted in the last few months, the Indian furniture market is expected to cross USD $27 billion by the end of the year 2025, making the furniture market in India a billion-dollar opportunity. Factors contributing to the growth of India’s furniture market include the middle-class population, rising disposable income, and an increasing number of urban households.

Up until now, small unorganized local players used to mainly dominate the furniture market. But over the last decade, the Indian furniture market is witnessing an increase in contribution from organized players. Especially with the recent entry of global players like IKEA in India, this growing market share along with the changing scenario has standardized the furniture industry. Additionally, the market adapted best practices over its entire range of activities, right from sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and skilled resources.

Industry experts, namely, Mr. Jimmy Thomas, Business Development Manager, Canadian Wood, Mr. Rahul Mehta, CEO, Furniture and Fittings Skill Council (FFSC) and Mr. Danish Khan, Head – Operations, I.EVO, shared their expertise on the best practices in furniture manufacturing. The speakers talked about the selection of the right wood species (Moisture Content/defects/end-use, etc.), sorting and handling of wood, difference between hardwood and softwood, types of wood joinery, while highlighting the world’s oldest wooden architecture. 

Apart from that, the session also focused on the Skill India Ecosystem, eliminated the stereotypes associated with carpentry, and highlighted how the woodworking industry has become gender-neutral. It emphasized on female talent that is coming forward and participating in wooden crafts and workshops, further strengthening the industry with larger prospects. The webinar deep dived into how one can acquire the right woodworking skills, how to become a joiner/cabinet maker/carpenter and highlighted woodworking beyond just carpentry. The webinar was moderated by Mr. Rambeer Singh Yadav, Business Development Manager, Canadian Wood.

Speaking about the wood and Indian furniture market, Pranesh Chhibber, Country Director, Canadian Wood, said; “India is known to have used wood traditionally to manufacture wooden products such as furniture. Wood is extremely easy to work with and therefore it is prized for applications such as joinery and carpentry, decorative panelling, furniture, mouldings and cabinetwork. Due to its longevity, Canadian Wood species are extensively used for shingles, posts, poles, marine pilings, small boat hulls, oars and paddles, water and chemical tanks, window boxes, and exterior doors.”

 “Currently the furniture market is fragmented and is captured by local players, however with global furniture giants like IKEA entering India, new opportunities have opened up. We see immense possibilities of building with wood, and hence we look forward to hosting more such enlightening webinars on WOODINNOVATIONS, which ultimately educate the industry and help our woodworking professional achieve new milestones.” he added.

Canadian Wood has been conducting a series of webinars on various topics of interest and relevance to the Indian woodworking industry. Through these webinars, Canadian Wood along with its woodworking industry colleagues, have been covering a wide range of topics of significance to the wood industry, thus encouraging the use of certified wood from B.C. Canada.