Indonesia’s furniture and craft industry is a major contributor to the economy, ranking among the top 5 fastest-growing industries in the non-oil and gas processing sector in 2021 with a GDP growth rate of 8.16%. This outpaced the non-oil and gas processing industry’s 3.67% growth. Additionally, the industry’s exports have shown impressive growth, increasing by 78% in the past 5 years and reaching a record high of $3.5 billion in 2021.
“The nation’s economic indicators are showing positive performance, including the furniture and craft industry. This is a good sign for us to maintain the positive economic trends and increase our production and promotion. In this case, IFEX plays a major role in supporting the performance of the furniture and craft industry,” said the Chairman of the Indonesian Furniture and Craft Industry Association (HIMKI), Abdul Sobur.
As the largest B2B furniture exhibition in Indonesia, the Indonesia International Furniture Expo (IFEX) 2023, has always been a magnet for international buyers looking for unique and innovative furniture and craft products with fine workmanship techniques. Rohaan Sulaiman, an international buyer from India, said that visiting IFEX is always fantastic. “The quality is excellent and the designs get better every year,” said Rohaan.
A similar experience was conveyed by Jaulim Shek Rahmuth, an international buyer from Mauritius. “The quality, I can see, has improved compared to before. The finishing, the touches, the quality is good as always,” uttered Jaulim.
The number of international buyers attending IFEX is also growing since this year’s event is part of the Asian furniture exhibition cycle. Lili Herlina & José Maria Almuzara, one of the exhibitors under the Agora brand, said, “The buyers this year, for us, are really good, compared to last year. We are really surprised with the number of buyers. A lot of potential buyers came.”
Based on the committee’s record, IFEX March 2023 has attracted 12118 visitors and buyers from 115 countries. The top 10 countries with the most buyers/visitors are Australia, India, the U.S., France, China, the Netherlands, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, and Spain.
In terms of the transaction, IFEX 2023 managed to book an on-the-spot transaction of US$250 million.
“We are optimistic that we can see a follow-up transaction of US$700 million to realize the targeted transaction value that we mention at the beginning of this event,” said Abdul Sobur.
He further stated that for next year’s event, HIMKI is ready to bring in more participants and more quality products. “We still have many patterns and variations from our traditional roots that is yet to be explored and presented by the participants. We hope that next year we can see more unique products from our craftsmen and woodcarvers. This is our leverage that other countries cannot compete with,” he said.
Responding to the plan of IFEX 2024, President Director of Dyandra Promosindo, Daswar Marpaung, said Dyandra is always ready to support HIMKI. “Together with HIMKI, we are always ready to support the growth of the Indonesian furniture and craft industry. We received numerous inputs regarding the organizing of this year’s event, and we will ensure to take note for next year’s improvements,” said Daswar.
“With the support from Dyandra Promosido, and HIMKI’s regional administrators, we will continue to push IFEX as the flagship event to boost our furniture and craft industry,” concluded Abdul Sobur.
For more information, please visit the official website, or the official Instagram account: @ifex_id.
