January 24, 2005 (Laredo, TX) The City of Delicias, Chihuahua will participate in the Laredo International Sister Cities Festival. Delicias brings a delegation of furniture manufacturers interested in promoting their products at the Annual EXPO scheduled for January 28-30 at the Civic Center.

The state of Chihuahua is known for its furniture logging industry and the city of Delicias is one of its top furniture producers. The city has about 130 factories, each employing between 20 and 50 people, giving the city a rank of No. 3 in Mexico for such manufacturing. The factories together produce 5,000 pieces of furniture each week that are shipped throughout Mexico. Currently, only five of the largest factories ship to the U.S. market. Furniture made in Chihuahua is already in demand in Japan whose markets are considered the richest and most expensive in the world, but also the most demanding.

In August 2004, six furniture manufacturers from Delicias opened a showroom in Albuquerque with hopes of attracting new retail and wholesale customers in New Mexico.

Delicias is interested in expanding their knowledge of the American consumer’s taste and the festival provides an opportunity to network with potential clients and get feedback from the general public.

With China surging as a formidable competitor in several areas of manufacturing including the furniture sector, Mexico’s furniture manufacturers are rising to the challenge and aggressively marketing their products while focusing on the U.S. market. The Laredo International Festival will provide a showcase for the furniture manufacturers of Delicias to display their products during this global event that features exhibitors from China, Taiwan, Spain, Bolivia and Mexico.

EXPO hours at the Civic Center are as follows: Friday, January 28, 10:30am to 8pm, Saturday, January 29, 10:00am to 7pm and Sunday, January 30, 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.