DAWN

The Traditional Artisan

Before the 1960s, the Chinese immigrants who arrived in Muar due to the Kangchu system primarily engaged in agriculture for their livelihood. Industrialization was not widespread during that time, and limited agricultural land restricted job opportunities in the farming sector. As a result, many young people sought employment in larger cities like Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

Due to the lack of career opportunities in Muar, Tan Chuan Choon also left for Singapore in pursuit of a prominent future. Tan Chuan Choon moved back to Muar in 1976 after spending 14 years working in Singapore’s construction sector. Most of his brothers were already working in the furniture industry, so Tan Chuan Choon entered the field after them.

In its early days, the furniture industry resembled traditional craftsmanship, where skilled carpenters possessed refined skills but faced unstable incomes. Furniture purchases were mainly made during the festive seasons, creating a seasonal demand. Consumers had two options to acquire furniture: buying from furniture stores or commissioning custom-made furniture from carpenters. “Early furniture manufacturers were passive and could only produce according to orders placed by furniture stores,” Tan Chuan Choon recalls. The design, variety, quantity, and price of furniture were all in favour of the influential furniture stores preference.

Early furniture was made as a single object and could not be disassembled. As a result, moving furniture required the use of a trishaw, which presented transportation issues. Only one piece of larger furniture could move at a time, so one or two staff members had to push it to the furniture store. Furniture will be painted according to market demands upon reaching the store to prevent surface damage during transportation.

After travelling to numerous locations, Tan Chuan Choon came up with the idea of assembling the furniture, manufacturing and transporting it separately, and installing it upon sale. The advent of “assembled furniture” resulted in much higher sales, time and space savings during transit, and effectively reduced defects caused by packaging issues. However, before becoming successful, this concept suffered from several failures. Sales have increased since using the “component assembly” production approach, inspiring many business owners in the sector to imitate it. The Muar furniture industry seized a golden opportunity.