Since China, Vietnam and to some extent India have started mass producing rattan furniture it has become a regular feature in British gardens and conservatories. “We have seen an explosion in the sale of rattan patio furniture in recent years,” said Phil Malone of Select Furnishings. Despite the unpredictable British weather so far this year it is believed that 2012 will be a record year for rattan garden furniture retail industry.

“I’m not sure why but people are definitely starting to make use of their gardens in the summer, perhaps it’s because we travel abroad a lot more these days. Our most popular types of rattan garden furniture are dining tables, rattan sun loungers and rattan sofas.” continues Phil.

Greener Lines products include sun loungers, rattan cube, dustbins and other rattan furniture. They are made of a substance called Plasewood, which is used as a protective cover on farm machinery.

At the moment, landfills are the only legal places to dispose of the substance.

Greener Lines rattan furniture is intended for domestic use as well as places like pubs and even hotels.
Director of marketing Shaun Lewis remarked: "As a green business we are dedicated to designing and making rattan garden furniture that does not harm the environment.

"The problem with Plasewood is that it has a decay span that a lot longer than wood, about four times, however it is not necessary to coat or treat it with substances before it gets made into rattan and then into rattan furniture."

Rattan Garden Furniture makers, especially small and medium ones that make up 79-82% of the industry, should develop more unique Rattan Furniture products.

"SMEs have limited amounts of funds, yjerefore they should aaim at the high end of the rattan garden furniture market," Vai said.

He explained that the rattan furniture industry, which peaked at IDR7.3 billion in exports in 2011, has been affected by the global financial crisis. "That’s why I believe we should go for the high-end, high-value rattan garden furniture market. There is no way way we can compete with China and India on labour costs. The solution is to supply a superior product.” Vai said.

Earnshaw, whi is 44, followed one of his clients advice and opened Restored Rattan Garden Furniture in Moortown.

"Business is booming," Earnshaw said. "I’ve a number of customers from the past who’s rattan garden furniture I’d restored who come into the shop."

He started by buying second hand rattan garden furniture from shops selling used goods, restored them and sold them on for a profit.

He decided to open Rattan Garden Furniture on the cheap by designing his own website, and uploading some of his refurbished rattan garden furniture on the site.

His website shows before and after shots of his restored rattan garden furniture.

The only problem now was finding the right Rattan Garden Furniture for the right price.

"I scoured the stores for rattan garden furniture and was amazed at the choice now available," said Ms Schicho.

"My search ended in a specialist Rattan Garden Furniture shop in the centre of Berlin," she continued.

Ms Schicho said she eventually bought a Rattan Dining set with 6 chairs.

After a drop in exports of rattan garden furniture, because of natural disasters, exports rose again in first half of 2010, and are expected again this year. Rattan Furniture has always been popular in South East Asia.

A study commissioned by ACC in January showed that production costs of wood processing companies rose by 12 per cent, interest expenses surged by 7 per cent, while the selling price of their rattan garden furniture only grew 4.5 per cent.

According to Phil Malone, a proprietor Select Furnishings, it has a lot to do with maintenance free nature of modern Rattan Outdoor Furniture.

"The Rattan Cube products we sell these day are so well made they can be left outdoors all year round," continued Phil.

The furniture is called Rattan Cube because of the way it can be compactly stored – in the shape of a cube.

Cinakki spokesman said his company would help the country achieve the objective by 2015, adding that other rattan furniture manufacturers needed to manufacture good value products and sell them for a realistic price.

Opening of the Jakarta Rattan Furniture Industry Development Roundtable, he urged the countries rattan garden furniture manufacturers to accept change and embrace new technology.

Although the rattan furniture market had a good future, the country’s furniture industry faced competition from countries like Japan, Malaysia and China.

"We’d only just bought the Rattan Sun Loungers and were really looking forward to using them during the summer," said Mrs Murray.

The thieves are believed to have climbed over their rear fence to in order to steal the Rattan Garden Furniture.

"We’ll claim on our housing insurance and purchase a couple more Rattan Sun Loungers but it’s very annoying," continued Mrs Murray.

However the Ohio company shut its doors at the end of 2012.

Mills decided to start a new rattan furniture manufacturing business a few weeks before the Rattan Furniture Factory closed.

"The Rattan Furniture Factory was primarily a a manufacturer of Rattan Outdoor Furniture – Rattan Sun Loungers, Rattan Cube and other Rattan Patio Furniture. However they also did manufacture other Garden Furniture.

Mills’ company now manufactures and retails stylish, practical and inexpensive Rattan Furniture from its factory in eastern Ohio.

Some of the company’s Rattan Sun Loungers come with scatter cushions, unlike the Rattan Cube, but the majority do not.

When Mills started the company, he advertised the garden furniture to mainly in rattan garden furniture magazines.