Behind Furniture Brands: China’s Role in Manufacturing and OEM Supply
The Hidden Manufacturing Power Behind Leading Global Furniture Brands: China’s Role in Furniture Production
China is the world’s largest furniture producer, accounting for approximately a quarter of global furniture production value. It’s also one of the top exporters of furniture. However, rising costs in labor, energy, and land in China have led to a rapid surge in the Southeast Asian furniture industry, with countries like Vietnam becoming major players. Many of China’s leading furniture companies, such as Gujia, Meike, and Uechairs, have expanded their operations into Vietnam.
Major Furniture Manufacturing Regions in China
The primary furniture production hubs in China include Guangdong (Foshan, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Shenzhen), Zhejiang (Haining sofas, Anji chairs, Dongyang hardwood), Shandong (Qingdao, Zhucheng, Zibo), Jiangsu (Suzhou, Nantong), Fujian (Xianyou hardwood), Jiangxi (Ganzhou’s Nankang area), Northeast China (Pulangdian cabinets, Yichun solid wood), Guangxi (Liuzhou, Chongzuo), Henan (Pangcun steel furniture), Hebei (Langfang, Bazhou, Baoding), Sichuan (Chongzhou, Xindu), and other emerging regions like Gansu and Heilongjiang.
The Landscape of China’s Furniture Industry
China’s furniture industry is highly fragmented with low entry barriers. The market is characterized by many regional brands, while consumer markets are often unregulated and non-transparent. Many companies focus on OEM (original equipment manufacturing) and ODM (original design manufacturing), working with global brands to produce a wide range of furniture, from sofas to bedroom sets.
Leading companies, such as Mingjin, KUKA, ManWah, and many others, provide OEM services to top global furniture brands. However, due to fierce competition and the rise of e-commerce, many Chinese furniture manufacturers struggle to compete with their own brands. The main challenges they face are a lack of brand recognition and design capability, which limits their ability to command higher prices.
Leading Furniture Manufacturers and Their Global Impact
- Mingjin(beimeizhijia)
- OEM Clients: THE HOME DEPOT, POTTERY BARN, WEST ELM, HARBOR HOUSE, LA-Z-BOY, AMERICAN SIGNATURE, KINGFISHER, DURAVIT, etc.
- Own Brand: North American Home Mingjin is a prominent American-style solid wood furniture manufacturer. Since its founding in 2002, it has become a leading supplier to top European and American markets, including partnerships with THE HOME DEPOT and DURAVIT.
- KUKA
- OEM Clients: Caliaitalia, Haverty, Flexsteel, R&F, MUJI, Costco, Sofamart, Macy’s, etc.
- Own Brand: KUKA Home / KUKA
Based in Hangzhou, KUKA is one of China’s top sofa manufacturers, known for its production of high-quality sofas and a diverse range of soft furniture. Despite its massive domestic presence, its international operations have flourished, especially in Vietnam and other regions.
- ManWah (CHEERS)
- OEM Clients: Roomstogo, American Signature, Macy’s, etc.
- Own Brand: Cheers
ManWah, also known as Manwah, is the parent company of Cheers, a brand synonymous with functional sofas in China. The company operates over twelve production bases globally and is a key player in the global furniture manufacturing market, with an emphasis on innovation.
- hhc-group
- OEM Clients: Ashley, Pridie Mobility, NATUZZI, Bob’s Discount, Badcock
- Own Brands: MotoMotion, MotoSleep, HHC, Yourway
Based in Changzhou,hhc-group is a major ODM manufacturer specializing in electric and smart furniture. The company has established long-term relationships with global furniture brands and expanded its own brands like MotoMotion in recent years.
- sikexin
- OEM Clients: Major European and American brands
- Own Brand: sikexin / SCIHOME
sikexin is a leading fabric sofa manufacturer with a significant presence both in China and internationally. With its strong brand recognition and wide reach in the domestic market, sikexin continues to grow despite facing fierce competition in the global market.
- Carson
OEM Clients: Baker and other mainstream European and American furniture brands/retailers Own Own Brands: Kasen, Kasen Home
Haining, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, is renowned for its leather industry, which has extended to clothing and leather furniture, primarily leather sofas. Kasen originated from the Qingyun Huafeng Leather Factory, established in 1988, initially producing leather for clothing. In 2000, it shifted to producing cowhide furniture leather and exporting cowhide sofa covers overseas, later expanding into leather sofa soft furniture. Additionally, it manufactures leather for automobiles, becoming a supplier for Audi, Mazda, Ford, and other car manufacturers. By 2004, Kasen became China’s largest manufacturer of leather products and soft furniture, and it was listed on the Hong Kong stock market in 2005. - Trayton
OEM Brands: IKEA, caracole, Costco, RCWilley, HAY, etc.
Own Brand: Simon Li / Simon Li
Trayton is a large-scale and well-known manufacturer of genuine leather sofas in China. However, it is technically a foreign-funded enterprise, founded in 1995 in Shanghai by Danish national Simon Lichtenberg, who resides in China. The company has multiple factories in Shanghai and Jiaxing, with its flagship product being genuine leather sofas, manufactured for many international brands, mostly sold in Europe and America. Its own brand is called “Simon Li / Simon Li.” - Huisen
OEM Brands: Walmart, IKEA, Home Nations, etc.
Own Brands: Huisen, Te Hao Jia, etc.
Located in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, Huisen Group is China’s largest exporter of panel furniture and a listed company on the Hong Kong stock market. As mentioned earlier, the furniture industry in Ganzhou has been developing rapidly in recent years, especially in Nankang City, which is known as the city of furniture. Huisen’s main manufacturing bases are located in Nankang and the nearby Longnan County. Ninety percent of Huisen’s products are exported overseas, with Walmart being its largest customer, accounting for about one-fifth of its turnover. Huisen mainly produces mid-to-low-end panel furniture and has its own dedicated artificial board processing factory. Coupled with lower labor costs in Ganzhou compared to coastal areas, Huisen has a significant cost advantage. - Liangmu
OEM Brands: Kiritsu Mokko, MUJI, ercol, Carl Hansen & Søn, Simpson, etc.
Own Brands: Liangmu, Life Watchtower, etc.
Qingdao is the largest furniture export base in northern China, known for its solid wood furniture, with Liangmu being the leading furniture manufacturer in Qingdao. Liangmu originated from the Hongbu Woodware Factory in 1984 and by 1989, it had achieved the industry’s first place in terms of plywood production scale and quality. Initially, it mainly exported to Japan, providing OEM services for Japanese furniture brands, and later expanded to Europe and America. In 2010, it expanded into the Chinese market with its own brand, starting to operate both domestic and international sales. Liangmu mainly produces mid-to-high-end solid wood furniture and has a good reputation among overseas customers, providing OEM services for many century-old furniture brands such as Japan’s Kiritsu Mokko, the UK’s ercol, and the USA’s Simpson, and has been rated as the “World’s Only Best Supplier” by customers for several years in a row. - songyuanwood
OEM Clients: IKEA / IKEA
Own Brand: Mushangyuan
Zhucheng, Weifang, Shandong, is known as the “Hometown of Woodenware,” especially in the Shiqiaozi Township, where at least five IKEA OEM factories are densely distributed, such as songyuanwood, Shunhe Wood Industry, Shunda Wood Industry, Shur Wood Industry (Pengfei Wood Industry), and Xingwang Wood Industry. Zhucheng mainly produces solid wood products, and the local leading enterprise, songyuanwood, is also recognized by the State Forestry Administration as a national key forestry leading enterprise. It has obtained logging rights in the Tomsk and Irkutsk regions of Russia through leasing and has built timber processing plants (processing logs into veneer) at the logging sites to ensure the stability of raw materials. songyuanwood is essentially dependent on IKEA, with most of its products supplied to IKEA, including the Hannes, Tjusig, Bekvam, and Notter series. To reduce over-reliance on IKEA, Songyuan has also launched its own brand “Mushangyuan,” although it has not made a significant impact. - Yotrio
OEM Clients: IKEA, LOWE’S, The Office Depot, etc.
Own Brands: MWH (Man Hao Jia), Yotrio, Royal Garden
Yotrio, a leader in outdoor leisure furniture from Linhai, Taizhou, Zhejiang, is the world’s largest manufacturer of outdoor leisure furniture. Yotrio mainly produces folding chairs, rocking chairs, swings, tents, sun umbrellas, and other outdoor leisure furniture and is the first and only company in the industry listed on the A-shares market. Over ninety percent of Yotrio’s products are exported to developed European and American countries, serving customers including IKEA, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Auchan, Metro, Carrefour, and other major European and American furniture retailers, supermarkets, and outdoor leisure product specialty stores. By the way, some of Starbucks’ outdoor tables and chairs are also made by Yotrio. The proportion of domestic sales for its own brands is small, but it has been developing well in recent years. After all, as a developing country, the popularity of such outdoor leisure furniture products is not very high. - Sleemon
OEM Clients: IKEA, NITORI, Xiaomi 8H, etc.
Own Brand: Sleemon
Sleemon, known as China’s mattress leader and the industry’s first stock, is also the largest mattress supplier for IKEA and the only main supplier in the Asia-Pacific region. Mattresses are a major product for IKEA, with annual sales of one to two billion in the Chinese market alone, capturing a market share that can enter the top five Chinese mattress brands. Such a large volume obviously has significant influence and can support half of Sleemon. Therefore, IKEA is also Sleemon’s largest customer, with most of the mattresses sold by IKEA coming from Sleemon, accounting for 90% at their peak. Of course,Sleemon’s OEM brands are not limited to IKEA; there are also NITORI, known as Japan’s IKEA, and Walmart, which also have traces of Sleemon’s OEM. There are many others, including Xiaomi’s 8H mattress, which is also manufactured by Sleemon.
Sleemon’s business is quite diverse, and its own brand is doing well, even selling furniture other than mattresses, as well as real estate and hotel businesses. In fact, in addition to OEM mattresses, Sleemon is also a hidden leader in soft furniture, also providing IKEA with OEM services for furniture products such as sofas (mainly fabric sofas). Selling only mattresses cannot support so many Sleemon physical stores offline, and it is inevitable to involve soft beds, sofas, and other products. By the way, there is some gossip: a few years ago, Sleemon encountered a financial crisis, and Gujia wanted to bottom fish, so it took over Sleemon’s convertible bonds, which would have made it the largest shareholder of Sleemon. However, it did not happen in the end. Sleemon may have introduced state-owned funds from Shaoxing for the consideration of retaining the controlling position, and this good play of a listed company’s merger with a listed company did not happen. However, Gujia is not at a loss, and the convertible bonds it took over at the beginning have also obtained substantial financial returns. - Uechairs
OEM Clients: IKEA, Staples, NITORI, ITOKI, Okamura, HON, AIS, The Office Depot, etc.
Own Brand: uechairs
Anji, Huzhou, Zhejiang, is known as the hometown of Chinese chair industry and even a world manufacturing stronghold for the chair industry! uechairs, as well as BJTJ and Henlin mentioned below, all come from Anji. As the first company in the industry to go public, uechairs can be considered the leader in Anji’s chair industry! uechairs has strong R&D and manufacturing strength. The company’s Healthy Seating Research Institute has the largest scale and most complete equipment in the industry’s laboratories and testing centers in China. Relying on solid technological innovation and multiple invention patents, it can also charge patent fees from OEM customers.
Uechairs mainly focuses on OEM exports, with more than eighty percent of its products exported to developed countries such as the United States, Japan, and Europe. There are countless OEM brands, including IKEA, Staples, NITORI, ITOKI, HON, AIS, The Office Depot… Even some products of the top ergonomic chair brand Okamura (Okamura, now translated as Okamura) are also manufactured by uechairs. Among them, IKEA is uechairs’s largest customer, with orders from IKEA accounting for thirty percent of its revenue. uechairs even built a production base in Romania, Europe, to cooperate with IKEA. There are also many Chinese customers. For example, the employees of Huawei and Baidu may be sitting on chairs made by uechairs! In addition, the best-selling ergonomic chairs of NetEase are also manufactured by uechairs. uechairs has been used to OEM for decades and only started to layout the Chinese market in 2016. However, with high-quality and low-priced products, the domestic sales business has grown rapidly in recent years. - Henglin
OEM Clients: IKEA, Staples, NITORI, Conforama, Ashley, Argos, The Office Depot, etc.
Own Brands: Henglin, Nouhaus
Henglin Home Furnishing Co., Ltd. is also a chair manufacturing factory comparable to uechairs in Anji and is also a listed company. In terms of revenue, Henglin’s scale is actually larger than uechairs, with office chair exports ranking first in the country for 13 consecutive years (nearly 5 billion yuan in annual sales, with products exported to more than 80 countries and regions worldwide). It has been OEM for IKEA, Conforama (Conforama, the second-largest furniture retail chain in Europe), Office Depot, Staples, NITORI, Ashley, Argos, etc., and is also a supplier of office chairs for Huawei. In 2019, it also acquired the top Swiss high-end office furniture brand “Lista Office”.
However, unlike uechairs’s adherence to seating, Henglin has gradually moved from chairs to large home furnishings, successively acquiring Chu Bo Shi (Chu Bo Shi’s main business is to provide decoration solutions including overall cabinet, bathroom cabinet, whole house customization, and storage furniture, wooden doors, and fire doors, with main partners including Vanke, Country Garden, Poly, Sunshine City, Xuhui, Blue Light, Jinke, etc., and it is the only customized enterprise that has won Vanke’s A-level supplier for seven consecutive years, belonging to excellent decoration engineering enterprises). Yongyu Home Furnishing under Nature Home Furnishing, and Xinnuo in Anhui are also part of Henglin, with the former mainly OEM for IKEA’s panel furniture. - BJTJ
OEM Clients: IKEA, HNI, STEINHOFF, AmalfiHome, etc.
Own Brand: BJTJ
Compared to Uechairs and Henglin, BJTJ is smaller (less than 10 billion), and it was terminated after failing to go public this year. BJTJ’s main business is office chairs, sofas, and leisure chairs, with the vast majority exported to Europe and America. The top five customers are HNI, STEINHOFF, AmalfiHome Furniture LLC, IKEA, and Li & Fung. - ZOY
OEM Clients: BOB’S DISCOUNT, Mazin, COPPEL, American Furniture, COSTCO, Weishang, Oupai, etc.
Own Brand: ZOY
ZOY is still a furniture company listed in Anji, but its main product is not a chair but a sofa. In the early stages of establishment, it mainly made bamboo products and transformed to functional sofas after 2008. It has now become one of China’s main exporters of functional sofas. More than ninety percent of ZOY’s products are exported, with customers all over Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In addition to OEM for international brands and retailers, it also OEM for Chinese furniture companies such as Weishang and Oupai.