The 27 manufacturers, who are also members of the Singapore Furniture Industries Council, will go on business missions and attend trade shows under this banner.

The brand will make its overseas debut at Italy's Milan Furniture Fair next month, followed by fairs in Cologne, Germany; and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The council's president, Mr Andrew Ng, said the Singapore manufacturers now needed to sharpen their competitive edge and set themselves apart from their rivals.

The new brand was launched on Sunday by Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang at the opening of an international furniture fair at Singapore Expo.

The council, with Spring Singapore and IE Singapore, worked for over a year to come up with a suitable brand name.

They settled on 'mosaic', which means a picture formed by collaging pieces of coloured stone, tile or glass. The name reflects the diverse designs produced by these manufacturers.

The word mosaic is spelled with a 'Z' for a unique twist.

The brand is meant as a stamp of quality for companies which are reliable and service-oriented, and which have modern design capabilities.

Singapore Mozaic is the latest salvo in a campaign to triple Singapore's share of world furniture exports - from 0.7 per cent in 2006 to two per cent by 2015.

Read the full report in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.