Planning,Spatial,and Technological Considerations of Restructuring in the U.S. Woodworking Industry

Abstract

This article examines recent changes in the U.S. woodworking industry (the furniture and wood products sectors) using government, industry, and trade association data as well as primary data collected through surveys. The woodworking industry is geographically concentrated; its location is influenced by the source of its primary inputs as well as by the location of growing economies with high construction activity. The industry tends to follow the business cycle, but its domestic growth opportunities are increasingly infringed upon by rising wood products and furniture imports. How successfully the U.S. woodworking industry holds its market share will increasingly depend on the implementation of advanced woodworking machine tools within its production approach. This article concludes by discussing how successful “growing” of the woodworking industry may be for the regional economies that are seeking to do so.