Industry Analysis & Industry Trends
This industry sells sheet metal furniture used in offices and other business premises (filing cabinets and storage lockers); for complex storage systems (industrial compactus units); for specialist institutional applications (e.g. in hospitals, prisons, schools); and to a lesser extent for domestic purposes (e.g. outdoor furniture).
Industry revenue currently totals $840 million, down by 0.6% on 2011-12, and representing a decline by an annualised 2.8% over the five years through 2012-13. The domestic demand for sheet metal furniture is expected to decline by an annualised 1.8% over the five years, reflecting the declining trend in the downstream non-residential building market (3.0%) and particularly the slump in the value of commercial and industrial building construction... purchase to read more
Industry Report - Industry Analysis Chapter
The industry surged to a record cyclical peak in the mid-to-late 2000s as record business investment into buildings and capital equipment supported strong sales of sheet metal furniture products. However, the industry's performance has since deteriorated sharply due to unfavourable local demand conditions and the increased penetration of low cost imports. The onset of the global financial crisis and slower economic growth resulted in sharp declines of investment into the commercial and industrial building markets (key sources of demand for steel filing cabinets, storage units and desks), and subdued trends in the household market... purchase to read more