Customer Reviews

The Furniture Wars: How America Lost a 50 Billion Dollar Industry

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Furniture Wars chronicle the last ~50 years in the furniture trade. But this book will have broad appeal to those outside the industry because the analysis and "truths" he tells are universal to every business. Since furniture is so well understood, the lessons are simply clearer. It is part textbook, part biography, and part memoir wrapped into one compelling saga.

Mr. Dugan is a raconteur. He peppers his stories with interesting facts and anecdotes that bring the pioneers, tyrants and impresarios to life. No punches are pulled as he exposes both the genius as well as the warts. He puts what happened into perspective by quoting a broad range of strategists from Carl Von Clausewitz to Michael Porter, and his dry sense of humor will find you chuckling to yourself.

More importantly, he makes sense of history by clearly delineating the lessons learned, replete with advice on how to avoid making the same mistakes. While this tome is meaty, (400+ pages) it is a fast read. With the US entering an era where manufacturing is outsourced, margins are thin and it is increasingly more difficult to differentiate, this book can serve as a compass to navigate the turbulent times ahead.

This book very accurately recounts the history of the main events surrounding the disappearance of the furniture manufacturing segment of our economy. Having lived the retail experience in furniture myself for over 40 years, I can vouch for the firsthand knowledge that Mike Dugan brings to this chronicle. The book clearly endorses the principle that niche businesses can succeed in America if they are just left alone to manage themselves. Outside, ego driven, corporate parental guidance and contol adds absolutely no value. There was a time when I could unequivocally state that the best furniture in the world was made in the U.S.A., at any price level. What a shame, and thanks to Mike for sharing this story.
Ken MacArtney

Like an Irish Bard chronicling the fortunes of his tribe, in Furniture Wars Michael K. Dugan lauds and laments the fate of the industry he fought with and in for more than thirty years. Moving between the macrocosm of the corporate world and the microcosm of manufacturing, his well-told tale is one of heroes and villains, successful strategies and flawed campaigns, inspired decisions and uninformed failures. Before the "Asian Invasion" in the 1990's, it was essentially a civil war. Domestic big business "Outsiders" thought that they had a clear advantage over the more-often-than-not family business "Insiders." As in recent wars, winning the war was much easier than winning the peace, and the "Outsiders" could not win the hearts and minds of the "Insiders" (or consumers) because they did not understand them. In other words, the more heavily armed and mechanized "Outsiders" did not appreciate the fundamental nature of the furniture industry, which was organic, built upon personal relationships in the factory and on the sales floor, and small, but worthy profit margins. It was a perfect clash of cultures, and Furniture Wars captures it in High Definition.

Dugan examines this war as more than historical witness or industry reporter; he writes as a well-informed insider, someone steeped in the daily operations of the furniture world and the canonical works on leadership, business and culture--new and old. Most importantly, Furniture Wars is not only about the history of the furniture industry, but also about the future of manufacturing in a post-industrial, post-Cowboy capitalism America. The future of America, one gleans from Furniture Wars, will depend upon thousands of niche/boutique industries with low profit margins, but highly committed and talented leadership--like those entrepreneurs and artists that built and may rebuild one of America's exemplary industries. Furniture Wars is illuminating, informative and instructive even to those who take furniture for granted and who only know that they like the look and feel of one chair and not another.

My husband, involved in the furniture industry for over three decades, has thoroughly enjoyed this book. He's highlighting and rereading portions - something I haven't seen him do since college days! Michael Dugan has created a wonderfully rich history of the furniture industry from an insider's point of view.

I think Mike Dugan has done a great job at given a view of the furniture business and how different it is than other industries. I think that many in government would benefit from Dugan's description on how China has taken over one of our oldest industries. We have countless unemployeed because of thisIt doesn't read like the typical business book. Comparing the furniture business to the "briar patch"gives great insight into the industry's challenges.This would be a great book for all college business majors & Harvard MBAs. They would have inside knowledge of the lies taught in school.

I found the author's historical examples of insiders / outsiders' role in the furniture industry to be expecially helpful. The "lessons learned" for each example were also instructive to highlight the overall trends within the industry. I found this book to be very valuable.

As a former long time supplier to the furniture industry, Author/Professor Mike Dugan gives the reader an historical account of his view of the Furniture Industry of which he was an integral part from the late 60s through 2009.

Mike recounts his story from a 1st person perspective only with the added touches that comes from an initial outsider who through his career marketed and oversaw furniture operations, both under his direct supervision, and as a competitor brought in initially from outside the good old boy network that spawned the furniture industry's southern roots after World War II..

Mike's acumen and insight tells the story of intrigue within and outside the industry as entrepreneurs. financial holding companies and large conglomerates like General Mills over estimated their abilities to manage and grow the furniture industries individual plants and market niches into larger profit centers...

Primarily, I got the message that there was not much trust within the industry as the changes started in 1970's the original owners either retired or sold off to large conglomerates that did not understand their market niches and became lost in a sea of sameness that allowed China and those off-shore take the opportunity to fill a void from leadership lacking in the US from an industry that was always fragmented.

Mile gives excellent personal and side bar anecdotes to the emotional undercurrents throughout this time, comparing many times to Sun Tzu's The Art of War, coming I think from his historical background in the Liberal Arts field and writes with a flair that reflects history and lessons in business that remained unlearned during the tumultuous time that lead to the Asian Invasion....

There were many factors leading to the demise of the furniture industry in the USA. This book explores the industry and the actions that in many ways paved the way for the attack of the imports. This industry insider has written a very interesting book that offers insight into the industry's actions and resulting problems.

Mike has provided a detailed easy to read review of what happened to this industry that I have been a part of for over 35 years. He nailed the reasons as to why this industry was lost to foreign competition in case studies of several once premier companies and the industry in general. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the furniture industry.

I was lucky enough to read an early draft of Furniture Wars. The final draft does not disappoint. Rich with detail, this book is an enhanced Harvard Business Case of what to do and what not to do both in manufacturing and retail. Chronicling upwards of 50 years of the furniture industry, Dugan clearly, expertly, and poignantly illustrates the fall from grace of this once proud, once mighty U.S. enterprise. Making this book particularly good is its intellectual honesty; no stakeholder is immune from critical analysis: management, labor, local thru national politicians, and private equity groups all receive their fair share of the blame.

Easy to read but incredibly comprehensive, this book deserves a place along other "MUST READ" management books. Lessons learned here in Furniture Wars apply elsewhere. For instance, the automobile and publishing industries could learn much from consulting Furniture Wars.

Very rarely does an Insider write such a refreshing and honest account. Dugan does so here and should be commended for his efforts, his research, and his analysis.