Precisely in the age of eat-it-all China, in which many factories (including Italian ones) choose Beijing and its surroundings to lower production costs and open up new markets, the Swedish Ikea reverses course.
Retracing Marco Polo's route in reverse, the furniture group has in fact decided to abandon many production centers in China and Malaysia and to focus more and more on Italy.
This was announced by the top management of Ikea themselves by presenting the report "Environment, social, human resources", referring to 2011 but with ample prospects relating to the 2012 financial year: "Currently Italy is the third country in order of importance for our production and represents an important part for our development", declared managing director Lars Petersson.
More and more products will therefore be made in Italy, in particular in the province of Verbania, where the taps will be produced (until now made in Chinese plants) and in the province of Novara, where the manufacture of some toys has been transferred from Malaysia.
For the made in Italy of the furniture giant it is a real trend reversal: in the 90s it produced only 4% of its articles, now instead 8% of the Ikea catalog will come from Italy.
