Corporate News
Aligning Business and People Strategies
Business leaders spend considerable time and energy developing business strategies and seek to align all business activities to ensure optimisation of effort, business growth and sustainability. This should always include the people within a business. For example,...
Sure you can buy direct from China!
This is an article from Graham Smith CEO Innova Group that he wrote in a LinkedIn forum we thought we would share with you - Keeping costs low and profits high have always been fundamental in business. One source of low-cost furniture items is buying from China....
Unfair Contract Terms Under Scrutiny
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has a number of in-depth investigations underway across a range of industries following the introduction of the new business-to-business (B2B) unfair contract terms laws in November 2016. In November 2016, the ACCC...
HOW DOES A GENIUS BILLIONAIRE ENTREPRENEUR HANDLE PRICING STRATEGY?
...and what you can do to improve your pricing strategy This week we received a great thought provoking piece from Ron Wood, Founder and Managing Director of Pricing Insight. He highlighted the email shared with the world for a very specific and clever reason by...
What’s the Number One thing you can do really quickly that will help keep you, your family or your business safe?
You can register for product safety recall alerts If you sell products – it pays to be aware of how products fare in your market sector. If a product similar to one that you sell gets recalled it can impact your business. It is illegal to sell recalled products. Most...
Late Payments are crippling Industry
An inquiry investigating payment times and practices in Australia is in full swing with preliminary findings confirming that big businesses and some governments are taking longer than ever to pay small businesses. So far 60 percent of small businesses are reporting an...
The Lady of the House’
Understanding the purchasing decision process of your customers is imperative in today’s competitive market. Customer profiling has been used in the fashion industry for over 3 decades and has been a driving tool in establishing market share. Knowing and determining...
A Handy Reference Guide to the 20 Greenest Materials
Have you ever wondered what the greenest materials are...we found this handy go-to list of the friendliest materials that have our planet covered. http://ecosalon.com/a-handy-reference-guide-to-the-20-greenest-materials/
Pantones colour of the year – Greenery!
In keeping with a green theme have you incorporated Pantones colour of the year into any of your designs? If so we would love to see them...in the interim here are some thought starters from our friends at dezeen...
Green Interior Awards Open for submissions
Thank you to the green Interior Awards for their contribution to todays enewlsetter. The AFA is proud to be associated with the Green Interior Awards, which are now open http://us11.campaign-archive1.com/?u=bd04e0d033c6be47b454e3519&id=4109cb82f0
CEO News November 2017
I am excited to lead a delegation of Industry Leaders, Designers, Educators and Buyers to Malaysia for the EFE and MIFF 2017 events. Whilst my role will be to present on the importance of complying with Australian standards, testing, certification and legislation, the...
Exclusive buyers program for the Export Furniture Exhibition and Malaysian International Furniture Fair Events in March
The Australian Furniture Association is calling all Furnishing Industry Leaders and Buyers who wish to participate in the Business Delegation to attend the Export Furniture Exhibition and Malaysian International Furniture Fair Events, in Malaysia from the 8-11 of...
Grey Fleet
Many businesses operate a vehicle fleet and will, no doubt, have well-developed policies and procedures that apply to the operation of that fleet. These policies are designed to deal with safety and well being responsibilities of both the business and employees. To...
ISO guidance on product safety
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) publishes standards on a wide range of topics, including consumer product safety. Members may be aware, for example, of the ISO standard for high chairs – ISO 9221. But ISO also publishes a range of standards and guides...
Looking to attend an International Furnishing and Design Fair this year?
Is it time to plan your next business trip and tag on a holiday? Check out the full list of furnishing and design related trade shows around the world on the link below. For information about the AFA’s travel partner discounts and special offers, contact the AFA at...
Australia’s Inclusion in International Design Collaboration to be discussed at upcoming International forum
The AFA is currently negotiating the with international partners for Australia to be included in an International Design program. The program has been established for a number of years now and Australia is only the third country to be invited to this prestigious...
Did you know that the supply of Australian Hardwoods to Australian Furniture Manufacturers is at risk?
Thanks to those who completed the AFA’s recent survey about use of Timber in the production of Furniture. It appears that not everyone is in the know. Want to have your say and go into the DRAW to win an Australian Furniture Association (AFA) Individual Membership...
AFA Members Call on Victoria’s Premier to Secure the Industry’s Hardwood Supplies for the Future
The AFA is committed to helping Australian businesses with a focus on building competitive and sustainable business models and to promote the profitable growth, competitiveness, innovation, and the export readiness of its Members. This week we wrote to the Victorian...
Top Tips To Protect Your Furniture Designs Under Australian Law
This article provides basic tips for protecting your furniture or homeware designs under Australian law. We’ll begin with a case study. Imagine you have just developed a new design for a lamp. It features an unusual shaped base and a distinctive holder for the...
Australia’s ‘five pillar economy’ – manufacturing
Manufacturing has changed the world and is itself changing, more fundamentally than at any time since the industrial revolution. Does this spell the end of manufacturing in Australia, or a new beginning? Our immediate challenge is that the resources boom has ‘hollowed...
Advantages of buying “Upcycled” furniture
Have you noticed a rise in people being interested in upcycling? Have you heard the word more often than usual? It’s a thing! So what is all the fuss about upcycling? And what is it all about? Upcycle Magazine says “Upcycling is taking an item that is no longer needed...
Chinese Move to Certification of Wood Products
The Chinese government is moving to sustainable forest certification of wood products, both harvested at home and imported from other countries, officials told a conference on illegal logging in Beijing recently. That includes a crackdown on countries that don't have...
Exporters can now ship 7000 products with less tariffs to preferential partners.
Further tariff cuts on more than 7000 Australian products have come into effect, creating more business opportunities for Australian exporters.These wide-ranging tariff cuts – agreed as part of Australia’s Free Trade Agreements with China and Korea – came into...
Axolotl Art Project
AFA Member and AFA partners, Axolotl, are also involved with art installations. As "Axolotl Art Projects" they were recently commissioned to produce this intricate glass artwork, drawn by eminent Chinese pop artist Jacky Tsai. The piece is on its way to be installed...
Dezeens favourite chairs from 2016
Dezeens favourite chairs from 2016 Designers are always reinventing the chair, and 2016 was no different. Deputy Editor Rima Sabina Aouf from Dezeen shares her favourites, including seats inspired by comics, a granite throne and a chair with its own micro-climate. To...
It’s a car wreck
Studio Job, led by designers Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel, is known for its fantastical and often autobiographical pieces.They have expanded on their autobiographical Train Crash table with a coffee table version depicting a burning car. The Car Crash coffee table was...
Vale – Wolfgang Schubert (Jan 2017) and Sonja Schubert (Nov 2016)
On behalf of the AFA Board, Management and Members, we observe the sad passings of Wolfgang Schubert, founder of Burgtec Australasia Pty Ltd, who passed way on 9 January, and of Sonja, his beloved wife of 62 years, 9 weeks earlier, on 6 November. Wolfgang and...
Business confidence surges to highest level in past six years
Business confidence among SMEs is now sitting at its highest level since March 2010, following an eight point rise to +46 on a net basis, according to the latest Sensis Business Index (SBI)* survey.Sensis Chief Executive Officer, John Allan said, “Businesses closed...
Jobs for young people in a world of automation
As technology advances and changes our economy, young job seekers will be significantly affected by changes in the labour market. With the increasing automation of jobs traditionally occupied by young workers and professionals, a whole generation could face a...
AFA Members Invest in Your Future Business Leaders
Applications are now open for this industry-leading program for professionals in the built environment. Highly regarded across the industry, Consult Australia’s FutureNet Business Leaders Course is now in its tenth year, with its alumni sought-after by employers and...