Analysis of furniture logistics activities: A case study of Inegöl

Furniture industry is one of the few sectors that are in the process of rapid development in the last decade and do not have foreign trade deficit. Sector aims to be the tenth largest furniture manufacturer in the world and to have 10 billion $ export revenues. Undoubtedly to achieve these targets will be more possible with improving and developing current supply chain management and logistics management activities. In this study, İnegöl furniture sector logistics activities which perform fifteen percent of Turkey's total furniture exports were analyzed. The aim of this study is to analyze logistics activities of furniture companies which are operating in İnegöl, reveal their functions and identify their logistics business profiles. The objective of the study is to develop new alternatives to the logistics activities of enterprises operating in İnegöl furniture industry and to contribute to the practitioners in the furniture and logistics industry. In this study firstly literature review was conducted about supply chain management and logistics management issues and infrastructure was established about logistics activities which were implemented in furniture industry. Secondly literature, archives and statistical reports were reviewed about issues related to World, Turkey and İnegöl furniture industry. With blending datas which were obtained from these resources next three chapters were established in research. In the last part of the study 62 furniture businesses from İnegöl were interviewed. Datas obtained from the data collection form that included 35 questions were analyzed through SPSS package programme. With these analyses firstly businesses logistics activities' current situation and the functioning of basic logistics activities were revealed. And secondly 9 hypotheses validity that were formed under these data in early stages of this study were tested. Eight of these hypotheses which were shown in the result of study results were found meaningful. Moreover the results that may contribute to the practitioners in the industry were obtained from this study. The most striking results from the study are; inadequacy of logistics companies that are serving in İnegöl and necessity of increasing the quality of the employee working in logistics or furniture companies in İnegöl. Keywords: Logistics, Furniture Logistics, İnegöl, Furniture Trade, Logistics Activities