Furniture Industry in Pakistan

INTRODUCTION Furniture is the movable articles for use in a home or office (i.e. chairs desks, cabinets, closets, etc.). It may be made of wood, metal, plastics, stone, glass, fabrics, and related materials. It ranges from the simple pine chest or country chair to the elaborate marquetry-work cabinet or gilded console table. It is usually movable, though it can be built-in, as are kitchen cabinets and bookcases. It can either reveal or hide how it was constructed, and it can be highly stylized. The design and building of furniture is related to both architecture and interior design. Throughout history the functional and decorative aspects of furniture have been influenced by economics and fashion. Real wood furniture is the most popular furniture in existence; it's been around for hundreds of years. FURNITURE INDUSTRY OF PAKISTAN Pakistan is a leading furniture manufacturing industry. In developed countries, furniture is being made on modern machineries, but in Pakistan it is usually made through manual methods and by hands. The furniture industry in Pakistan can be divided into two main types; cottages and small-scale industry. These units, which are not mechanized, use out-dated tools and employ manual labour for the production of furniture. There are about 700 registered units in the country. These units are operating on a single shift/300 day’s per annum basis. Wooden furniture is manufactured in Pakistan by a large number of cottage industries, spread over rural areas, small towns and cities. Pakistan's tradition of wood-carving has been considerably enriched by the continuing addition of new furniture designs in vogue overseas. Furniture makers keep themselves well acquainted with the latest design kits. The fast growing furniture industry is aiming at developing a system designed to incorporate its tradition with modern functional demands, coupled with a feeling for the quality of the material and of aesthetic values. Gujrat and Chiniot is the main hub