Furniture Film Manufacturers Not Back to Pre-Crisis Levels in 2011 Either

Unlike most other sectors supplying the furniture industry,European manufacturers are finding that demand for thermoplastic,malleable furniture films remains well below the level recorded in 2008 prior to the global economic crisis despite showing signs of recovering last year.Central European furniture film deliveries had already been falling sharply in the years before the global economic crisis as 3D applications lost market share to other front materials.Most companies found that growth in Eastern Europe and Asia was not enough to offset downturns in Western and Central Europe.European manufacturers have also long been facing strong pressure on prices for simple grades,primarily as a result of Asian suppliers.These companies have thus largely withdrawn from the low-price sector.High-gloss films were long the exception,although two Japanese suppliers were the main beneficiaries.