A saleswoman cleans plywood furniture at the Sweety Home showroom in Kamaryut township, Yangon.

ONE of the quickest-growing segments within the furniture industry since the mid-1990s has been in plywood, which many consumers prefer because it is cheaper and lighter than traditional timbers like teak.

U Htay Aung, a regional marketing representative for Sweety Home Industry Co. Ltd, which has been selling plywood furniture since 1995, said his company’s sales of plywood furniture have increased 50 percent annually and now account for 60pc of total sales. He said the use of plywood within the industry has increased by 70pc since the mid-1990s.

Rapid urbanisation and the construction of high-rise buildings are key factors in the increased demand, U Htay Aung said, adding that the popularity of plywood in the international market has also contributed overall.

Daw Khin Than Kyi, owner of Modern Furniture shop, agreed that sales of plywood furniture have steadily expanded since 1996 and said there was a simple reason for this: “Plywood furniture is cheaper, by about half, compared to teak furniture.”

However, there are other advantages to plywood products. Since plywood furniture can be disassembled to its component parts, a damaged segment can be replaced individually rather than scrapping the entire item, Daw Khin Than Kyi said.

U Kyaw Kyaw Win, managing director of Sinma Furnishings Co., which has been selling plywood furniture since 1996, attributed the wider use of plywood furniture to the increasing cost of hardwoods used for making furniture. However, he conceded that plywood also held a number of other commercial advantages.

“Plywood furniture is easy to clean because it usually has a durable plastic outer surface and it’s also easy to install in high-rise buildings because it can be assembled onsite,” he said.

U Htay Aung said several companies began importing plywood furniture in earnest in the 1990s and, despite some initial problems, sales have
steadily picked up ever since.

“When we first started importing plywood furniture we had problems with damaged goods and price volatility,” U Htay Aung said.

U Kyaw Kyaw Win warned that while it is cheap and easy to clean, plywood furniture does have some disadvantages.

“The use of glue in plywood furniture can create problems,” he said.
“Cheap and low-quality glues can be potential health risks and when the glue deteriorates the furniture will fall apart.”

However, businesspeople who spoke to The Myanmar Times said they have an optimistic view of the future of plywood furniture and see good growth potential in this segment of the market.

“With the rise of deforestation resulting from economic development and urbanisation, the market for plywood furniture, which is a substitute for hardwood furniture, will flourish even more,” U Htay Aung said.