Kitchen Industry

The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association - U.K.

2007-10-16T18:15:00.000+01:00

The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA) was formed in 1978 by a group of independent retailers to improve professionalism within their industry. The KBSA is now a national trade association boasting more than 370 retail members throughout the UK, along with 120 leading brands and distributors as corporate members.

Using a KBSA member to supply your kitchen, bedroom or bathroom means you have chosen a supplier who works to an approved code of practice. All their members have been carefully vetted prior to their admission to the association, and must:

have been successfully trading for at least two years before they can be considered for membership
have a fully fitted showroom
provide a complete design, supply and installation service
offer either ConsumerCare deposit protection insurance or the extended ConsumerCare Plus

The National Kitchen & Bath Association - USA & Canada

2007-10-16T16:18:00.000+01:00

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) has more than 39,000 members (professionals in the Kitchen Industry and the Bath Industry) in the United States and Canada.

The NKBA offers more than 100 professional development courses across the United States and Canada, helping kitchen and bath professionals develop advanced design and business skills. Online programs are also available.

The premier hallmark for kitchen and bath professionals, NKBA Certification in Kitchen and Bath Design is based on stringent written examinations and extensive industry experience. More than 3,400 individuals are certified by the NKBA.
NKBA Certifications include:
Associate Kitchen & Bath Designer (AKBD)
Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD)
Certified Bathroom Designer (CBD)
Certified Kitchen and Bath Installer (CKBI)
Certified Kitchen Educator (CKE)
Certified Bathroom Educator (CBE)
Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer (CMKBD)

The NKBA has more than 48 colleges and universities across the United States and Canada that teach NKBA Standards and are endorsed by the Association. Written by recognized industry experts and thoroughly reviewed by top technical editors and industry experts, the Professional Resource Library is the most definitive source of information in the kitchen and bath field. The nine-volume set covers all aspects of the kitchen and bath industry and are the basis for the NKBA Certification Exams.

Finally the NKBA is the proud owner of the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS), the world's largest trade show dedicated to the kitchen and bath industry. NKBA members receive discounted registration and exhibit floor fees.

The kitchen and bathroom are the most essential rooms in a home. These spaces should be comfortable and welcoming, while reflecting both the homeowner's personality and a safe and efficient design solution.

The NKBA understands that the remodeling process can be quite overwhelming and confusing. From choosing a designer and selecting a style to establishing and sticking to a budget, kitchen and bath projects can be daunting for any homeowner.

In celebration of National Kitchen & Bath Month, held annually in October, the NKBA offers several tips to help homeowners get started toward their dream kitchen or bath.

Fair: Index Kitchen and Bath - Mumbai (India)

2007-10-14T20:50:00.000+01:00

Index Kitchen and Bath is an annual International Trade Fair on Kitchens and Bathroom Furniture, held in Mumbai (India), in the "BEC". This year it is held from the 18th to the 22nd of October.

Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) is the largest and permanent exhibition centre, in the private sector, in India and was set up in 1991. BEC has hosted several prestigious International trade fairs/exhibitions ever since.

Exhibitor Profile

Kitchen interior and design
Kitchens for residential projects
Kitchens for commercial projects
Component parts for kitchen furniture
Built-in and household kitchen appliances
Interior design and kitchen accessories
Cabinets & Bathroom accessories
Shower units, shower accessories,
Marble & stone products, ceramics
Flooring & work surfaces,
Bathroom and kitchen blinds
Curtains and fabrics, wall coverings
Decorative and ornamental fittings
Saunas, whirlpools, baths and spas

ERP for the Kitchen Industry by eresource Infotech

2007-10-14T20:02:00.000+01:00

eresource erp is an Indian software company which developes an Enterprise Resource Planning solution (ERP) that meets the strategic objectives of clients spanning a range of industries.

ERP for the Kitchen Industry offers a fully automated enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which provides a clear view of data across the entire business, accelerates time-to-market, and boosts the company's reputation as a more flexible, efficient suplier of quality software for Kitchen distributors and manufacturers.

It is a complete automotated Enterprise solution, that creates manufacturing orders based on customers' own sales configuration. For example, if a customer enquires or orders a kitchen with white doors, the solution creates a simple bill of materials needed to produce those cabinets, shutters, carcass and other accessories and appliances. The enquiry/order is automatically created in the Client servicing portal, the client servicing executive can now create the quotation and upon the confirmation, the system automatically handles purchase orders and prompts a confirm from the supplier. ERP for Kitchen industry handles the whole process from the enquiry to delivery and dispatch of material to the customer.

ERP for Kitchen Industry addresses all aspects of the ERP for Kitchen Industry and distribution process. This functionality provides the ability to synchronize and integrate a variety of kitchen manufacturing and distribution techniques all within one fully integrated software system.

The customisation of the software for the kitchen industry, was originally done for Sleek International, a leading manufacturer and distributor of kitchens in India, and it is now available to everyone.

eresource's mission is to make Eresource ERP the No. 1 ERP product in the world by 2010.

So you thought they were all ...different: Kitchen Brands Part 1

2007-10-13T18:24:00.000+01:00

In the kitchen industry, different brands don't necessarily mean different companies, or different products. In fact it looks like most of the times they mean exactly the opposite. The reasons for this are mainly:
1. A second brand name is setup from scratch in order to provide products to a different market level or target group. A more luxurious, or a cheap brand is setup to distinguish the products from those of the main brand.
2.A second brand name is setup from scratch so that the company can get a
larger piece of the market, by giving "exclusivity" to more than one distributors or distribution channels in the same country/area.
3. A second brand name is bought together with a company, in an acquisition.
The brand name may be strong in its field, or its country, and he buying company decides to keep it and either use it along with its own, or use only this one in that particular country.
4. A second brand name is bought on its own, because it has high recognision and can boost sales.
More reasons - as well as variations of the above - exist of course. One thing is sure: brand names are important, and this is why companies choose to spend money to support so many different ones.

As far as products are concerned, it can be that a brand name has its own, when it is used to promote products of a special quality or design, but very often most of the product of the different brands that belong to the same company are virtually the same. In fact some times the only thing that is different is the ...label. Even different products though, usually share common parts, thus reducing the cost for the group.

All this branding thing, is certainly not a bad thing. But it is important that consumers know their facts and do not pay more to buy something better, when they actually only buy a different label.

Electrolux Group

MASTER BRAND
The name Electrolux is found on a large number of products, satisfying a wide range of consumer and professional needs. Sometimes the name appears on its own, and sometimes it is double-branded with one of their strong local brands, such as Rex in Italy, Arthur Martin in France or Chef in Australia. Electrolux as a master brand is also found in combination with Juno, Dishlex, Kelvinator, and AEG.

NATIONAL CONSUMER BRANDS
Due to a history of acquisitions, Electrolux today has a large portfolio of brands that enjoy strong positions in their home markets. These brands are trusted by consumers who look for innovation, design and durability at affordable price levels. These brand names include ElectroHelios, Eureka Vacuum Cleaners, Frigidaire, Gibson, Kelvinator, Marijnen, Progress Stutgart, Rosenlew, Simpson, Tornado, Tricity Bendix, Volta, Voss, Westinghouse, Zanker, Zanussi, Husqvarna, Faure, and Zoppas. Some of them appear on their own, while others appear in combination with the Electrolux brand name, and although sometimes Electrolux tries to promote the fact that the brands are part of a large and powerfull group, there is no thought of abandoning the brands and converting everything to a single one. The different brands are very valuable and offer many opportunities of capturing even more market share.

SPECIAL BRANDS
Electrolux enjoys a leading position with professional users in the industries
they serve around the world, such as professional food-service equipment and commercial laundry systems. Electrolux Professional and Zanussi Professional provide an extensive range of professional-grade products and solutions from their major international brands, but in addition they also have a number of specialist brands (such as Dito and Molteni) serving particular demands of professional users.

Inspired Living: Kitchen products from China

2007-10-12T06:24:00.000+01:00

Well known in the kitchen industry, Haier is the world’s 4th largest whitegoods manufacturer and one of China’s Top 100 IT Companies. Haier has 240 subsidiary companies and 30 design centers, plants and trade companies and more than 50,000 employees throughout the world. Haier specializes in technology research, manufacture industry, trading and financial services, and its 2006 global revenue was RMB107.5 billion (EUR 10.1 billion).
Haier acquired an Italian refrigerator on June 19, 2001. The acquisition marked the successful three-in-one localization in Europe after the United Sates. Now, they - as well as Dell - seem to be looking into buying Founder, China's third PC manufacturer (behind Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard).
Haier has 15 industrial complexes, 8 design centers, and 64 trading companies, with over 50,000 employees worldwide.

CDA... a Customer Driven Activity

2007-10-11T11:52:00.000+01:00

What really stands out in this company is their passion for the customer.They are currently redesigning a large part of their offering to make it better suited to various segments of the market, while at the same time preserving the high level of quality associated with their name.
Backed by a real customer care foundation, CDA are always challenging convention and setting new industry benchmarks.
Their 2007 collection features more than 400 different models.
CDA is based in Nottinghamshire (UK).

"Our goal is to improve the kitchen"

2007-10-10T21:53:00.000+01:00

This was the quotation of the cabinet maker Friedemir Poggenpohl as he founded the company back in 1892; a company which has today become one of the most well-known kitchen brands in the world.
Poggenpohl has finally unveiled its long-awaited Porsche Design kitchen, provocatively referred to as the “kitchen for men.” Two years of development by the design team have resulted in the world's first co-branded kitchen.

The launch took place on 13 September at the Porsche Cayenne factory in Leipzig, Germany, in front of an audience of 300 expectant journalists, Poggenpohl salespeople and dealers from around the globe and other invited guests. Following a drumroll, the new kitchen was revealed to the audience from beneath its cover -- a minimalistic composition of glass, aluminium and a grainy oak with the colour and texture of driftwood. This unusual combination of materials creates an interesting dynamic between man-made and natural materials. Glass painted on the reverse is introduced in fronts, worktops and as a framework for built-in appliances such as a flatscreen TV and coffeemaker. The use of aluminium, which is typical for Porsche Design, enables an entirely new type of framework construction. Even the integrated lighting systems and handleless fronts with an automatic opening and closing system reinforce the purist design."This kitchen and the partnership of learning between Porsche Design and Poggenpohl is a new high-point in our company's history. It shows that in successful cooperation we become bolder and push ourselves beyond our previous limits", says Elmar Duffner, managing director of Poggenpohl.
Even though the kitchen has been headlined as a kitchen for the discerning male, women will no doubt appreciate its functionality, style and attention to detail. The Poggenpohl Porsche Design kitchen will go into production during the spring of 2008 and be made available worldwide during the course of the year.

Minikitchen - A kitchen in a ...box

2007-10-10T10:37:00.001+01:00

Limatek, a Swiss company is specializing in the production of mini- or compact or cupboard kitchens, offering over ...400 different designs and models. One of them should be appropriate for you!
The minikitchens always incorporate a stainless steel sink a tap, and hot plates (electric or ceramic) or gas, and a fridge. Optionally, they can also include a dishwasher, a microwave oven, cupboards, etc.
They are perfect for hotels, cottages, summer residences, student appartments, hospitals etc.
Limatek was founded in 1992, and already sell their products to over 25 countries.

Kitchen & Bath Design & Remodeling Expo Northeast

2007-10-10T06:07:00.000+01:00

Taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA), the the Kitchen & Bath Design & Remodeling Expo Northeast is centrally located in the vibrant heart of the region’s kitchen and bath marketplace. More than 50 exhibitors - including Moen and Haefele America - and 12 cutting-edge seminars designed to address issues facing the kitchen and bath industry will be featured.
http://www.kbdrexpo.com/kbdre/index.po

IKEA Kitchen Planner Tool

2007-10-09T20:46:00.000+01:00

Creating your virtual kitchen is a snap. Drag and drop kitchen units and appliances into layouts, view them in 3-D, save them on your PC. If your area supports it, you can even save your plans to the IKEA server, allowing you to access them from your IKEA store or any other internet-ready PC.

Want to make a quick-start to the kitchen Planner Tool? Now you can open a selection of ‘ready-made’ IKEA kitchens.

You will have complete freedom to fit the kitchen to your own dimensions and of course you can add and remove cabinets, change drawer fronts and handles, replace the worktops and appliances – make it your own!

You will also be able to get a detailed breakdown of the names and prices of every item featured in the plan.

IKEA has made planning your kitchen fun!

ZOW Pordenone 2007

2007-10-08T21:24:00.000+01:00

ZOW is not strictly a kitchen fair, but you can find there all components and accessories required for a kitchen. Kitchen manufacturers frequent this fair, where also other kitchen products (e.g. sinks) can be found.

It started in 1995 in Germany, but now additionally to its original location is also held annually in Pordenone (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Moscow (Russia), Shanghai (China) and Istanbul (Turkey).

After Pordenone (17-20 October), the next one will be held in Moscow (12-16 November).