The Challenges Facing Office Furniture Suppliers in the Global Market

In the global market, office furniture suppliers are confronting a series of complex and intertwined operational challenges. The overall industry environment remains severe. For instance, in the first half of 2025, the total profits of China's furniture enterprises above designated size declined by 23.1% year-on-year, reflecting the immense market pressure these companies are enduring.

Behind this profit decline lies, first and foremost, the relentless pressure of rising costs. Production expenses, including raw materials and labor, have surged across the board, with some raw material prices increasing by over 50%. This has severely squeezed the profit margins of office desk suppliers. Simultaneously, the structure of market demand is undergoing profound changes. As remote work becomes widespread and hybrid work models emerge, the proportion of remote workers has surpassed 30%, weakening demand for traditional furniture like centralized office chairs.

Challenges in international trade are particularly pronounced. On one hand, major export markets like the EU and the US are implementing stricter environmental and technical regulations, such as the EU's Timber Regulation and the US's new formaldehyde standards. These “green barriers” increase compliance costs and difficulties for exports. On the other hand, uncertainties surrounding international trade friction and tariff policies directly impact the stability of export orders. Some suppliers report significantly longer order cycles from European clients, who have become more cautious in placing orders.

Furthermore, environmental and sustainability requirements have evolved from external pressures into internalized industry standards. China implemented stricter national environmental standards for furniture in 2025, while global supply chains now demand clear carbon footprint management. Meeting these standards often requires additional investments, posing a severe survival challenge for many small and medium-sized office furniture manufacturers.

Fierce market competition further amplifies these challenges. The office furniture market itself is already highly competitive, with pronounced product homogenization. Meanwhile, the industry's overall service capabilities remain inadequate. Surveys indicate that fewer than 30% of companies achieve high customer satisfaction, and only a minority can provide on-site repair services within 24 hours. Concurrently, the secondhand office furniture market is rapidly emerging, reaching a scale of hundreds of billions of yuan, directly diverting demand from the new product market.

To navigate these difficulties, many office furniture suppliers are actively pursuing transformation. Examples include shifting from pure contract manufacturing to emphasizing design and brand building, or moving away from reliance on a single market toward a more diversified global footprint to mitigate risks. Some office furniture factories are also exploring transitions into integrated solution providers offering “products + services.”