In the central Java district of Jepara small-scale furniture workshops are a mainstay of the local economy. In recent years, however, furniture makers have been looking at fierce competition on two fronts. Manufacturers in China are underpricing them and other furniture makers in Java are producing similar but higher quality items. Almost a third of furniture workshop start-ups in Jepara have failed in the past three years. Now a new initiative, the Furniture Value Chain project (FVC), is supporting small-scale manufacturers to improve their situation. more