HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. -- The National Kitchen & Bath Association and John Burns Real Estate Consulting released the 2019 second-quarter Kitchen and Bath Market Index (KBMI) report, an important gauge of kitchen and bath industry conditions.

With a KBMI of 65.7 and scores above 50 indicating growth, the industry remains strong, indicating an optimistic view of sales, which are expected to grow by 4.7 percent in 2019. The report reveals that increases in consumer spending are being driven primarily by rising material and labor costs, as opposed to customer discretion.

“As the leading trade association and advocate for the kitchen and bath industry, one of NKBA’s goals is to arm our members with market insights, as well as to raise awareness about impactful industry challenges,” said Bill Darcy, NKBA CEO. “Although NKBA members are still optimistic about current and future kitchen and bath business conditions, there are signs of changes in the marketplace that we are monitoring closely.”

Key point from KBMI’s second-quarter report include: 

Future outlook remains positive. The industry is more optimistic about future conditions (69 index reading) than about current conditions (63 index reading). This is similar to the first quarter, which saw a 76 index for future business conditions and 68 for current.

Next quarter sales expected to increase. More than half (53 percent) of industry experts expect sales growth in Q3, while one-third (36 percent) predict sales will remain flat year-over-year. Manufacturers are the most optimistic among respondents, with 63 percent expecting growth and less than 10 percent anticipating a decline.

Industry health remains steady. The kitchen and bath industry rates current industry health at a 6.6 out of 10, comparable to Q1’s 6.8. Building and construction firms rate the industry as healthiest, at a 7 out of 10, while manufacturers estimate 6.7 and retail sales and designers come in at 6.6.

Gradual growth. The kitchen and bath industry is still expanding with an index score of 65.7, but not at the rate seen in first quarter, when the KBMI hit 71.

Conducted quarterly, the index gauges the economic pulse of the industry by examining current demand and future expectations in addition to monitoring sentiment among designers, manufacturers, retailers and building/construction firms. The availability of skilled professionals, cost of materials and trade issues top the list of overall challenges for the second consecutive quarter.

Lack of skilled workers is the chief concern among building and construction firms, while designers point to a slowing luxury market and shift to lower price points as the biggest barriers to growth. Still, the report shows 57 percent of customers have increased total spending since 2018. See http://nkba.org.

WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Department of Commerce has made its preliminary countervailing duty determination on Chinese imports of wooden cabinets and vanities. This is one of the largest trade cases in history filed against China at the International Trade Commission (ITC) and Dept.  of Commerce.

Dept. of Commerce preliminarily calculated the following subsidy rates: 10.97 percent for Ancientree Cabinet Co., Ltd., 16.49 percent for Dalian Meisen Woodworking Co. Ltd., 21.78 percent for Rizhao Foremost Woodwork Manufacturing Co. Ltd.; 16.41 percent for Chinese producers not selected for individual review; and 229.24 percent for Chinese producers that failed to cooperate with the investigation. Most Chinese producers who cooperated with the investigation will receive the 16.41 “all others” rate.

The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance (AKCA), which initiated the petition accusing China of unfair trade practices, commended the action, calling it an important step to address subsidized cabinet imports.

“Today’s determination gives the American kitchen cabinet industry the hope it needs in our fight against China’s unfair trade practices,” said Stephen Wellborn, director of product and research development, Wellborn Cabinet and an AKCA member. “Americans deserve to know that we are on their side, fighting for their right to a job that has spanned generations with a true American tradition of ‘Made in the USA’ cabinetry. With over 250,000 American jobs on the line, this is an overall positive determination for the American people, and I thank the Commerce Department for their decision.”

“At the core of Marsh is a commitment to positively impact the lives of the extended Marsh family – our employees, builder and dealer partners, suppliers, homeowners and the communities in which we work and live,” said Edwin Underwood, president and COO of Marsh Furniture Co. “Today’s determination allows us to reaffirm with confidence the commitment we made to our employees and business network when Marsh first opened its doors over 110 years ago.  I applaud the Department of Commerce for today’s verdict.”

“The decision delivered today at the Department of Commerce is an important step,” said Mark Trexler, president and CEO at Master WoodCraft Cabinetry. “Illegally subsidized Chinese imports of kitchen cabinet and bath vanities into the United States have injured this important multi-billion-dollar American industry. We welcome this preliminary determination from the Commerce Department and ask the agency to continue its thorough investigation into Chinese subsidies for the final determination.”

Calling the DOC's affirmative preliminary determination harmful to cabinet distributors, particularly those serving the RTA industry, the American Coalition of Cabinet Distributors (ACCD), a group of U.S. distributors, dealers, contractors, installers and importers, issued the following statement:
 
“Yesterday, the Commerce Department made a preliminary finding of countervailable subsidies in the trade case involving Wooden Cabinets and Vanities from China. While we have not yet had a chance to study the written decision in detail, it is important to understand that, even if calculated legitimately, a finding that the Chinese industry received subsidies from the Chinese Government does not prove that imports of wooden cabinets and vanities from China caused injury to the petitioner—which the facts clearly show they did not.

“This is only one step in a long process. The ACCD will continue to vigorously oppose this trade petition.  Even if Commerce calculates both countervailing duty and anti-dumping duty rates, no duties will be collected if the U.S. International Trade Commission finds no material injury caused by these imports.  We fully expect that the ITC will reach such a decision given the facts of this case.

“The trade petition is an attempt by a handful of cabinet companies to take advantage of U.S.-China trade tensions and convince the U.S. government to eliminate competition in the cabinet market.  Many of the companies who filed this case import products from China themselves and won’t bring back jobs to the U.S. if duties are imposed on imports, but will instead shift more of their production to already established supply chains in countries like Vietnam and Mexico. The American Coalition of Cabinet Distributors will ensure that the facts are brought forward in this trade case and we are confident that the government will determine that the petitioners are not being injured by imports of RTA cabinets from China.”

The Commerce Department is currently expected to issue its final determination in this investigation by early 2020. While the preliminary margins indicate the level of subsidies likely to be found in the final determination, the duty rate to which the Chinese cabinet and vanity imports will be subject will not be finalized until the agency makes its final determination. 

On March 6, 2019, the AKCA initiated one of the largest trade cases ever filed against Chinese imports at the International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce, claiming China’s "manipulation and unfair trade practices" in the wooden cabinet and vanity production industry have led to a more than 75 percent rise in Chinese imports of kitchen and bath cabinetry in the last few years. In 2018, imports of wooden cabinets and vanities from China were valued at approximately $4.4 billion, almost half of the estimated $9.6 billion American market.

The AKCA is comprised of 50 companies based across the United States. The group said it looks forward to the next steps at the Commerce Department to continue its efforts to push back on unfairly traded Chinese imports and ensure a level playing field for American workers. AKCA is represented by Tim Brightbill, Wiley Rein LLP.  For information visit kitchencabinetfairtrade.com.

The ACCD is composed of distributors, dealers, contractors, installers and importers of ready-to-assemble cabinets.  The group said it is dedicated to fighting the trade case filed with the ITC and U.S. DOC against imports of RTA cabinets from China. For information visit americancabinetdistributors.org.

The Department of Commerce (DOC) has released their decision on whether China should be subject to new countervailing duties. There’s been a lot of talk about trade these days, especially way up at the top between leaders. I want to make sure that we can still hear the voice of the people that many of these policies affect. I want to make sure we put American workers first.

Recently, Senator Mike Rounds and I came together to discuss how China is being unfair in their trade practices and how that is a real threat to more than 250,000 American jobs in my industry – the American kitchen cabinet industry. China is threatening our jobs and our way of life – and it needs to be addressed.

Every time I meet someone in the kitchen cabinet industry, they tell me about their family. This business, like many other small-town businesses, often employs generations of workers. It’s not just the mom supporting her five kids on a steady middle-class income, but that woman’s brother and cousin and uncle and more who end up working in the same industry, proud to take home a good paycheck that supports their own family.

I’m from Ashland, Alabama, where my family has been making cabinets for nearly 60 years. My father, Paul, founded Wellborn Cabinet in 1961 in this town and we are still here today, still supporting our local community and still supporting generations of workers at our facility.

I have been fortunate to see this business grow from a 3,200 square foot facility to a 2,000,000 square foot facility but lose none of its priorities or its hometown warmth. I have been fortunate to have my father, mother, wife, son, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, and other extended family work in this industry. To me, this has always been personal. It’s why we provide daily hot meals for our staff. It’s why we have on-site daycare to support our employees’ families.

It can feel like a perfect place, when you’re there. Everyone working hard, families together sharing work, new friends and old friends catching up over lunch. That’s why I fiercely want to protect this way of life. I have seen other industries like mine disappear in America. I have seen the furniture industry and the garment industry evaporate, likely never to return. I know that this is because of unfair trading practices that countries like China are participating in.  And I also know that this is happening to my own industry, threatening a world and a way of life I dearly love.

Chinese kitchen cabinets are undercutting our pricing, often charging anything from 20 to 60 percent less for the same product. They can take a loss on their products because they are being subsidized by their government and the unfairness of that sticks in my throat. I see how much good a solid company like Wellborn Cabinets does for a town like Ashland. I have seen it in towns across the country and at other facilities like mine. We support local schools, churches, and charities. We support tens of thousands of indirect jobs in the community. When we are being squeezed by the unfair pricing of a foreign country like China, our community is going to suffer along with us.

We have gone from producing 16,000 cabinets a week to producing 10,000 cabinets a week. That means we have had to also go from 2,200 employees to 1,300 employees. That saddens me and it frightens me. Every employee feels like a member of our larger family and losing any is a loss felt by all. That’s why I support this landmark trade case against China being adjudicated by the International Trade Commission (ITC) and Department of Commerce right now. We have to take a stand for our people. We have to be their voice on the world stage, because it can be really hard for someone in Ashland, Alabama, to have their voice heard in a trade dispute between nations. But it is their voice we have to be listening to. All of these kitchen cabinet jobs are in America’s heartland and if these more than 250,000 jobs go away, it will destroy my local community and communities across the nation.

We are all for free trade, but it must be fair. What China is doing to our industry is not fair and we need action now. Make the game fair and we can compete with the best of them. Don’t let these proud American workers’ voices be lost in the din. The judgement on countervailing duties/anti-dumping tariffs can determine the jobs of more than 250,000 American jobs. So, we must listen to what they have to say, and let’s level the playing for American kitchen cabinet workers and their families.

Stephen Wellborn is director of product and research development for Wellborn Cabinet

GREENSBORO, N.C.– In late July American soybean growers gathered alongside Salina, Kansas, cabinetry workers at Crestwood Inc. to celebrate the use of U.S. soy inside 100 million panels of Columbia Forest Products’ PureBond hardwood plywood.
 
Through the soybean checkoff, the United Soybean Board has supported soy research on the technology as well as partnered with Columbia Forest Products to educate architects and other customers about its value.
 
“U.S. soybean growers appreciate the increased demand for soy that Columbia Forest Products and its customers have created for our crop that is grown by approximately 515,000 farmers across the nation,” said United Soybean board director Lance Rezac, who grows soybeans near Onaga, Kansas.
 
The PureBond story starts with the science of biomimicry, which studies nature and then imitates its designs. Oregon State researcher Kaichang Li found a breakthrough on the coast of the Pacific Ocean for developing a practical, scalable and cost-effective way to convert totally away from formaldehyde-based resin systems in the hardwood plywood industry. Inspiration came from observing the way mussels secrete proteins to defy the pounding of waves, yet continue to cling to shoreline rocks.
 
Li’s research path led to protein-rich soy flour as the essential ingredient to make plywood without any added formaldehyde in the bonding resin system. The soy flour product delivered terrific adhesion while improving the panel’s water resistance.
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency honored the researchers who developed this soy-based panel assembly approach with the 2007 Presidential Green Chemistry Award.  According to the EPA, the technology represented the “first cost-competitive, environmentally-friendly adhesive that replaced the toxic urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin.”
 
North Carolina-headquartered Columbia Forest Products first offered the product to customers in 2005. Importantly, PureBond provides performance benefits, yet is cost-competitive with traditional panels made using UF construction. 
 
“Columbia’s environmental commitment has always been strong, and our market position is about being honest and transparent with the materials we use and deliver,” said Todd Vogelsinger, Columbia Forest Products’ director of marketing. “Our customers want to know what they’re buying, how it was made, what it was made with and where it’s from, so we’re proud to say we shrank our environmental footprint with U.S. soy,” he continued. See http://cfpwood.com.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Adornus Cabinetry LLC has announced plans for a manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters in Lancaster County, South Carolina.  The $10 million investment by the kitchen and bath cabinetry manufacturer and distributor is expected to create 210 jobs.

Adornus provides high-end cabinetry which it sells through a network of authorized dealers, including retail showrooms, builders and kitchen cabinet professionals. The company has distribution facilities in Florida and New Jersey.

"Adornus Cabinetry, LLC is excited to be Lancaster County's newest corporate citizen. South Carolina provided the perfect location and business environment for our high-quality cabinetry operations," said Adornus Cabinetry CEO Jorge C. Mejias.

The company said it expects the 349,000-square-foot plant to be online in November. It has posted job opportunities at adornus.com/lancaster.  The facility is the site of the former Duracell building.

"Adornus Cabinetry, LLC will bring modern manufacturing techniques and processes together with old school values of fair pay for hard work. We look forward to collaborating with Adornus Cabinetry, LLC to bring jobs and vitality to the city of Lancaster," said City of Lancaster Mayor T. Alston DeVenny.

"Today's announcement is another win for our state," added Gov. Henry McMaster. "We celebrate Adornus Cabinetry, LLC's decision to locate its new facility in Lancaster County and bring these 210 new jobs to the area. By continuing to strengthen our business-friendly climate, we can look forward to more announcements like this one."

LIVONIA, Mich. - ACPI cabinetry's parent American Industrial Partners is among the bidders for Masco Corp.'s cabinet business, which includes the KraftMaid, Merillat, QualityCabinets, and Cardell Cabinetry brands, according to news sources. Other bidders making it to the second round of a possible $1.2 billion sale include Bain Capital, Clearlake Capital Group LP and W.W. Grainger.

In addition to acpi, whose four divisions include the wholly-owned subsidiary Master WoodCraft Cabinetry, Smart Cabinetry, Cabinets 2000, and acpi, which markets its products under the Advanta Cabinets, Echelon Cabinetry and Serenade Cabinetry brands, AIP's portfolio includes flooring manufacturer AHFP, which markets under the brand names of Armstrong, Bruce, Capella, Homerwood, Robbins, and T. Morton.

Masco Corp. confirmed in June its intent to sell its cabinetry and window business units. In July, Masco reported a 6 percent decrease in net sales for its Cabinetry products in the second quarter, due to lower volume, partially offset by pricing. For the six months (ending June 30) cabinetry sales were at $488 million, up 1 percent compared to the same period a year ago.

For the year, 2018 net sales of its Cabinetry Products segment were reported at $950 million, with an operating profit of $86 million.

Masco ranked #3 among top North American cabinetry producers, and #15 overall, among the FDMC 300 list of top North American wood products producers. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Masco Cabinetry manufactures and sells semi-custom, stock and value-priced assembled cabinetry for kitchen, bath, storage, home office and home entertainment applications in a range of styles and price points. Masco Cabinetry’s KraftMaid and Cardell products are sold primarily to dealers and home center retailers, and its Merillat and Quality Cabinets products are sold primarily to dealers and homebuilders for both home improvement and new home construction.

The bidders' identities were reported in Crain's Detroit Business and Bloomberg.

Masco Corp. is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, and is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. In addition to the cabinetry product brands, its portfolio includes: Behr paint; Delta and Hansgrohe faucets, bath and shower fixtures; Milgard windows and doors; Kichler decorative and outdoor lighting; and HotSpring spas.

KBIS 2019 hits record attendance

RED DEER, Alberta– Westridge Cabinets Ltd., a manufacturer of kitchen cabinets in Alberta, has reportedly closed. In a notice posted on its front door, the company said it had encountered significant financial difficulty and filed a Notice of Intention to Make a Proposal under the Bankruptcy Act of Canada.

The company said it was a victim of the difficult economic conditions experienced in Alberta, including a prolonged economic recession that has lasted since 2014. The company statement said that new housing starts in Alberta have fallen and the company’s revenues have also declined.

According to Westridge’s website, the company made recessed panel, raised panel and slab doors and kitchens in classic, transitional, modern and contemporary styles.

In October, cabinet firms Westridge and Classic kitchens merged.

Westridge Cabinets was founded in 1983 and expanded from a distribution center in Red Deer. With more than 30 years of experience and recent investments in its infrastructure, Westridge said it was able to serve customers in Alberta, Western Canada, and the United States.

Founded in 1985, Classic Kitchens & Cabinets supplied cabinets for both new homes and renovation projects. Classic has longstanding relationships with many single and multi-family residential builders in both Calgary and Edmonton.

The new, combined company was reported to be the largest cabinet manufacturer in Alberta with retail locations in Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton. All manufacturing for the combined company was centralized in Red Deer, with 125,000 square feet of automated manufacturing space.

According to the recent statement, Westridge Cabinets shareholders invested their own capital during this period to reduce operating costs and cover losses. Westridge said that it explored discussions with competitors and customers about a possible sale or joint venture, and sought support from local and provincial governments. A reported 75 people lost jobs as a result of the closing.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Columbia Forest Products has announced plans to cease production of cabinetry components at its Salem, Oregon, location, which started up 24 months ago.

Orders for components manufactured at this location are moving to the company’s original production center in Kentucky.

"The decision to close the Salem operation was especially difficult, given the skills and commitment of the employees at this site." said Greg Pray, president and CEO of Columbia Forest Products.  “As employee-owners, we consider them family.”

Pray noted that, despite aggressive sales efforts and excellent product and customer service quality, the financial returns of the operation did not meet expectations and upset market conditions were preventing longer-term improvement.

“This is another case of an otherwise healthy American business having to close down due to the continued proliferation of subsidized Chinese cabinets,” said Pray. 

“They have systematically attacked the pricing structure of the American cabinetry market by dumping look-alikes at less than the cost of production.  These Chinese cabinet plants are targeting 250,000 American cabinet making jobs through improper trade practices.”

See http://www.cfpwood.com.

You won’t find Waterworths Woodshop Inc. by accident. It has to be your destination, after following gravel roads in rural Marshall County, Minnesota

But if you are looking for custom cabinets, Marcus Waterworth is hoping that it will be worth the trip. He wants Waterworths Woodshop to be a destination for customers looking for affordable custom cabinets.

Being out in the country keeps costs down. Property taxes and overhead are much lower here. They started in an old barn, and have expanded in stages, now using five buildings.

“Being out in the country like this has definitely helped us with that,” Marcus Waterworth said. “We decided to put the showroom out here rather than in town to provide a unique perspective. We have tried to market this as a destination to come to.”

Marcus’s father, Tim, founded the company in 1991, and remains active in the business. Marcus is president of the company, which employs 23 and did $2 million in business last year.

“I started helping him out at the age of seven and worked there throughout my school career,” Marcus said. “When I was in college I decided I wanted to do this full time and he agreed to let me buy into the company as long as I finished up a degree of some sort. Once I started working full time we saw that we would be able to find the demand for our work and started advertising and bringing on employees.”

Tim was working full time at another cabinet shop, and Waterworths took on enough work for him to transition to working full time at their own operation. 

Waterworth said that at this point they started shopping around for showroom locations in town, but soon decided to build a showroom back in the woods along the historic Pembina Trail. They marketed their location as a cool destination rather than just a long drive, so they would not only stand out from other shops, but would be able to keep their prices much lower due to lack of overhead.

The Pembina Trail was originally an ox cart path that ran from Minneapolis through northwestern Minnesota and Pembina, North Dakota. Today, Waterworths is located more than 15 miles from the nearest town, Viking, with a population of 123.

In the Minnesota shop, they have an SCMI panel saw, Brandt edgebander, Rojek sliding table saw, and Lynx CNC router for MDF doors.

Pricing in the country

“A lot of our customer base is people who always wanted custom cabinets, but felt they couldn’t afford them,” Marcus said.

“By the time they’ve invested the time to drive out here, they have become a part of the process,” Tim Waterworth said. “People who make the trip can get a quality cabinet, and a short drive on gravel could save them $1000 or more on a kitchen.”

Keeping prices lower while delivering a quality kitchen is the goal. Prices may be going up, but Marcus wants their prices to be close to the higher-end cabinets from big box stores -- not a goal for most custom shops.

“The only way to grow is to keep your prices a little bit lower,” he said. “We try to save people as much as we can. We’re very price-conscious, and that helps us.

“Our guys, they take a lot of pride in the fact that they have our work in the customer’s home. We want to have a good reputation for quality cabinets that people can afford.”

Waterworths uses walnut, cherry, knotty alder and knotty oak in cabinets. Paint is still in strong demand, especially grays and teals. They are getting more requests for ash, along with more diversity in species and colors. “What we’re seeing is there is not one type of wood overtaking everything else,” Marcus said. “People buying custom are taking advantage of using many different colors.”

Cabinets have ¾ sides with fully enclosed tops. They don’t cut costs on materials. They make everything here, including doors. The company also makes built-in furniture, stairways and commercial cabinets, wood urns, caskets, and has even made a bong holder. The company is looking at making doors for other shops also.

“We’ve had extremely happy customers, and that has been our biggest asset to growing. When one customer is pleased they tell others, so our advertising expense has been low,” Marcus said.

Employees can set their own schedule and make as much money and have as much of a career as they aspire to. Benefits are scaled to coincide with hours worked. By doing this Marcus Waterworth said they have found a great core of employees who feel privileged to be able to make their living as professional craftsmen and women.

Contractor customers

The company sells through lumber yards, contractors and direct to homeowners. About 70 percent of business is residential, 30 percent commercial.

“We have built up a base of more than 20 contractors who use our cabinetry and services for all of their work,” Marcus said. “We offer them reduced rates and make them a time priority for all of our projects. We also have lumber yards who sell our products and services along with multiple interior design studios. We offer a discount to places willing to retail our cabinets, but we also sell direct.”

Waterworths market area includes northern Minnesota, Minnesota’s lake country and into North Dakota, with some customers coming from as far as Minneapolis.

Advertising is limited, and they rely on word of mouth for new customers. “If we can get into an area, typically we’ll see a large volume of work from that area,” Marcus said. So they have a lot of work from some towns and lakes, but not in others.

Waterworths has a core group of people, but Marcus Waterworth said they are often spread thin. The challenge is turning the newer people into quality craftsmen and long-term employees.

The company has a 90-day probationary period. Once people get by that the company has a very high retention rate. “We get much more out of people who want to do well, and we get less from people just looking for a job,” Marcus said.

The shop rate is $40. Employees can work anytime in the 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. period after their 90-day trial.

“We also only mandate that our full-time employees work 30 hours a week but offer unlimited overtime to all employees. This way they can set their own schedule and make as much money and have as much of a career as they aspire to. We scale all benefits to coincide with hours that they work as well to accommodate this. By doing this we have found a great core of employees who feel privileged to be able to make their living as professional craftsmen and women.”

Finishing is done in the shop with Sherwin-Williams for clearcoat and M.L. Campbell for pigmented lacquer.

Shop equipment

Marcus Waterworth said they have been automating since the company started, but keep their overhead in check by mostly buying used equipment and paying contractors to maintain and update equipment as needed. The company buys used equipment from Machinery Max, often at a much lower cost, but they do need support for that equipment.

In the Minnesota shop, they have an SCMI panel saw, Brandt edgebander, Rojek sliding table saw, and Lynx CNC router for MDF doors. Also here is a Ritter door clamp and Unique door machine, Grizzly sander, and Grizzly dado machine. They are using mostly Mozaik software for all design. Cabinet Planner is used for one type of cabinet.

Marcus said they are working with Renneberg Hardwoods, Inc. in Menahga, Minnesota, and have had a long relationship with them. Renneberg often works with smaller shops.

Assembly is done in a separate building, one of the five on site. They are also working with Holdahl for finishes and HDL for hardware and other supplies. Finishes are from Sherwin-Williams for clearcoat and M.L. Campbell for pigmented lacquer. They’ve tried water-based finishes in the past, but haven’t made that move.

The solid surface segment of the countertop market has done well for them, offering better quality than laminate, not as expensive as stone. They are buying solid surface from Domain Industries, which makes Affinity Surfaces, and QuarryStone Solid Surface. Again, they like to do everything in house where they control the process.

Waterworth wants a customer base that seeks a quality product, but one that is also accessible and affordable.

“The custom cabinet shops are not competing against each other, what you are competing against is the majority of people who are deciding between going custom and going to a big box store,” Marcus said. “That’s where the competition is, in my opinion. We’re all competing against Medallion.”

In short, they are going after people who want custom but may think they can’t afford it.

“I want to make custom cabinets accessible to your average home buyer, your average home builder. I want to make custom an option.”

Marcus would put the quality of his own cabinets against other companies who are charging a third or half again as much as what they are charging.

“We can’t compete with the entry-level imports, but larger manufacturers are offering a quality cabinet that is not custom,” he said. “If we can compete with the higher quality level at big box stores, then our potential is endless.

“We feel that we have grown by figuring out who we are as a company and doubling down on it. As at most great shops, we truly care about our customers, employees, and our product.

“We have to pay attention to the bottom line, but are more interested in putting out a top product and offering great service at a price were everyone who aspires to have our work can afford it. Due to minimal overhead we can offer this.”

They are interested in putting out a top product and offering great service at a price were everyone who aspires to have their work can afford it.

At a glance

Waterworths Woodshop Inc.

Viking, Minnesota

Commercial and residential cabinets

Employees: 23

Plant size: Five buildings

Website: www.waterworthswoodshop.com

Tim Waterworth, left, founded the company in 1991, and remains active in the business. Marcus, right, is president of the company.

Waterworth named to 40-under-40 in 2017

In 2017, Marcus Waterworth was named one of the wood industry 40-under-40, which celebrates the next generation of industry professionals who are making an impact on wood products manufacturing in North America.

https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/events-contests/woodworking-industry-40-under-40/profiles-wood-industry-40-under-40-class-2017

Over the last few years Waterworths Woodshop has grown from a part-time operation to over 20 full time employees and is still expanding. Waterworth said that they truly feel that they are a custom wood shop and their business is to design and create what people are after. Some of the ways that they have had this success have required some ingenuity, but are things that every other small shop out there can do.

As for being named to the 40-under-40, Waterworth said, “I got to meet a lot of people. It really motivated me to see what some of these people had created. I met a man who was making cabinets for yachts. It was great to meet people that are doing something similar to me, something they love.

“A lot of people similar to me have had completely different experiences. (I got) a feel for what they are about and learned from them and learn as much as you can. I feel fortunate to be able to do this for a living. To be recognized for that was very cool.”

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Nations Cabinetry announced its new DreamCraft line, a contemporary new product that offers custom and semi-custom frameless cabinets for construction and design flexibility.

“With the introduction of our new Euro line, DreamCraft, we continue to add value and options for our dealers.” said J.W. Coady, CEO of Nations Cabinetry. “I believe the melamine and acrylics we offer paired with our 19 standard paint colors give designers a wide choice. I’m proud of the work our San Antonio team has done to bring this new brand forward. We continue to invest and innovate.”

The company’s team has designed this new line to offer more accessibility, ease of design, and a contemporary appearance for modern styled kitchens.

Nations Cabinetry offers two lines that are manufactured in San Antonio, Texas. BJ Tidwell Cabinets which is a standard, semi-custom framed line, and DreamCraft which is a European frameless cabinet line. See www.nationscabinetry.com.

Tranquil Dawn has been unveiled as AkzoNobel’s Color of the Year for 2020. The culmination of extensive trend research, it’s designed to capture the essence of what makes us human, as the dawn of a new decade arrives.

A delicate, fluid shade somewhere between green, blue and grey, Tranquil Dawn features in all four of the accompanying color palettes. They are used throughout the company’s paints and coatings businesses to inspire customers and make the task of choosing color easier.

Color experts from the company’s Wood Coatings business were heavily involved and worked closely with AkzoNobel’s global color and design team in order to develop on-trend selections for customers in various paints and coatings markets.

One of the main areas of focus was translating the four related color palettes for wood customers to use with specific products. The four Wood Coatings palettes are called Upcycle, Hybrid, Classical and Evolve.

“A unified color and trend development process across AkzoNobel definitely helps us to successfully launch and leverage our own stories of trending color in the markets we serve,” explains Rob Haley, color trends manager for the company’s Wood Coatings business. “We are able to use the Color of the Year and the accompanying palettes across all the wood segments of furniture, flooring, cabinetry and building products.”

Working with colors for wooden furniture, cabinets and flooring is an art which requires careful attention. Because unlike a wall paint, which usually involves applying color to a white surface to get a 100 percent match, a wood coating can also be applied to play and blend with its substrate. So the Wood Coatings business took the Color of the Year and its four accompanying palettes and carefully crafted different finishes for different products.

“The latest generation of new homeowners and designers are looking for dynamic new trends, such as mixing old objects with non-traditional colors, or mixing different styles,” said Haley. “We want to empower them to express their personality and help transform their living spaces and working environments.”

For more information about the 2020 Color of the Year, see https://www.akzonobel.com/en/colourfutures

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The MiLL and Concepts in Millwork, a Colorado Springs commercial casework company, have a long-standing relationship. Concepts in Millwork is a founding partner of The MiLL and has supported students and the vision of The MiLL from the beginning.

Founded in 1980, Concepts in Millwork is a family-owned business and is AWI premium-grade certified and works on many LEED projects. The shop is equipped with a Bargstedt IntelliStore, Weeke Vantech CNC and Holzma CNC panel saw in the machining area. Solid wood, panel products, solid surface material and even metal are fabricated in the shop.

The company sponsors summer internships in their manufacturing area for local students. Students from Peyton Woods and The MiLL have been participants in the summer internship for the past four years.

The internship program started in a 2016 brainstorming session with Scott Robinson, owner of Concepts in Millwork, HR manager Rhynel Evans, Troy Tropp, shop foreman, and Dean Mattson, founder of The MiLL.

Mattson wanted to give advanced students real world experience in a local cabinet shop. Robinson and Evans agreed to come in and speak to the class about careers in the cabinet making industry. From that initial talk, Evans and Robinson identified three young men who showed the passion and desire to work in the industry and agreed to hire them as interns in the summer of 2016.

Chase Miller.

Those first three students, Colton Pring, Nick Clark and Austin Burke, learned a great deal about the industry in the different sections of the shop. Concepts in Millwork staff learned a great deal about working with 18-19 year olds as well.

“We have learned from past summers and we now have the internship dialed in pretty good.” says shop foreman Troy Tropp. Since 2016, Colton and Austin have moved on to other opportunities. Nick Clark is still on staff at Concepts working as a leader in the casework area. He loves working with his hands and having something tangible he can show for his work at the end of the day.

Chase Miller.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2019. Four MiLL students applied for the three summer internships that were available. Potential interns have to fill out an application and go to Concepts for an interview. At the end of the process, Concepts decided to expand the internship to all four individuals, they felt all candidates were qualified and would fit in well.

In addition, Peyton Woods/MiLL student Chase Miller, who was already working part-time at Concepts, was added to the internship program for the summer. Tatianna Latorre, Chandon Harris, Tim Blair and Marilie Hill started at Concepts the week after school got out in May. The interns spent three weeks in each of the four areas on the shop floor, casework, solid surface/countertops, machining and millwork. Each area had an adult mentor and an experienced employee on the floor. At the end of each three-week period; interns, mentors, Troy and Rhynel would meet and evaluate progress. Additionally the adult mentors would meet with Troy, Rhynel and Scott Robinson to discuss the value of the program and the progress of interns.

Tim Blair.

“Being able to work in production was the best experience. I appreciated being able to step into the work field and see how the big guys do it,” said intern Tatianna Latorre.

At the end of the summer, two interns were offered full-time positions at Concepts in Millwork. Chase Miller was hired full time and realized that he really liked working in with solid surfaces. Chandon Harris began working fulltime in the machining area continuing to work on the Stiles machines that he learned to use at The MiLL. Marilie used the experience but realized that commercial casework was not what she wanted to do. Tim and Tatianna are finishing their senior year of high school and are welcome back when they have finished their studies.

Chandon Harris.

“What really impressed me was how fast we could crank products out while still looking good. We learned how to problem solve and lay out our parts in a real world working environment,” said intern Tim Blair.

Tatianna Latorre, while finishing high school this year, has been asked to come in during her school breaks to learn engineering, sales and other parts of the industry. Rhynel Evans is going to take her to recruiting events later in the spring, showing her the HR side of the shop. “I would absolutely tell other students to do this. Of course, of course, of course!” said Latorre.

Tatiana Latorre.

Tim Blair.

GRASS VALLEY, Calif. -- Walcraft Cabinetry's new immersive virtual renovation experience means that homeowners won't have to leave their house to see or feel how a new kitchen will fit into their home.

"We use the Oculus virtual reality headset to transport you into your future kitchen without ever leaving your house," said Walcraft CEO Sean Walsh.

After sliding on the headset, the user will see exactly how the tile they picked works with the lighting fixtures. The virtual experience will let homeowners thinking of adding an island feel what it's like walking around the altered space.

During his years in the construction business, Walsh noticed customers struggled to visualize their complete designs. Homeowners bogged down in the small details, like tile and wood samples. They often struggled to envision the big picture of how everything would come together in their space.

"Even with drawings and computer renderings, some people had a hard time," he said. "Some companies have attempted to incorporate virtual reality solutions, but you have to travel to their offices to try them and the resolution is so low that it's not especially useful."

Walcraft's virtual kitchen experiences solve that problem by providing the quality CGI rendered in 8k resolution. Walcraft provides this service for homeowners throughout the United States. The process starts with a consultation in which the Walcraft team helps the customer put together their dream kitchen design. They'll send free door samples and work with the customer to create personalized CGI renderings so they can get a general idea of the look they will end up with.

Once the customer works out the details, Walcraft will load the design into a pair of Oculus goggles and send them to the customer’s home so they can experience their kitchen in virtual reality.

"This interactive approach gives you the highest possible level of realism. You will see exactly how every element you selected works together,” Walsh said. “There's nothing else like this."

"This service helps homeowners save time and money because contractors appreciate working with people who are well prepared. In all reality they charge less when the client has everything ready to go," said Walsh.

Walcraft Cabinetry provides jobs and opportunities for people coming out of crime, addiction and abuse. Walcraft offers nearly 200 cabinet options with styles, colors, shapes and sizes to suite every homeowner. See https://walcraftcabinetry.com.

WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced an affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation of imports of wooden cabinets, vanities, and components from China, finding that exporters from China have dumped wooden cabinets in the United States at margins ranging from 4.49 to 262.18 percent.

As a result of the October 3 decision, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of wooden cabinets from China based on these preliminary rates.

In 2018, imports of wooden cabinets from China were valued at an estimated $4.4 billion.

The petitioner is the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance.

Commerce assigned a preliminary dumping rate of 4.49 percent, 262.18 percent, and 80.96 percent to mandatory respondents The Ancientree Cabinet Co., Ltd., Dalian Meisen Woodworking Co., Ltd., and Rizhao Foremost Woodwork Manufacturing Company Ltd., respectively.

Commerce established a preliminary dumping margin of 39.25 percent for the non-selected respondents eligible for a separate rate, and a preliminary dumping margin of 262.18 percent for all other producers/exporters in China that are part of the China-wide entity, based on adverse facts available.

The strict enforcement of U.S. trade law is a primary focus of the Trump Administration. Since the beginning of the current administration, Commerce has initiated 182 new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. That’s a 231 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.

Antidumping and countervailing duty laws provide American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of the unfair pricing of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 496 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.

Commerce is scheduled to announce the final determination on or about February 17, 2020.

If Commerce’s final determination is affirmative, the U.S. International Trade Commission will be scheduled to make its final injury determination on or about March 30, 2020.

If Commerce makes an affirmative final determination of dumping, and the ITC makes an affirmative final injury determination, Commerce will issue an AD order. If Commerce makes a negative final determination of dumping, or the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade law and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international law and is based on factual evidence provided on the record.

Foreign companies that price their products in the U.S. market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to antidumping duties. Companies that receive unfair subsidies from their governments, such as grants, loans, equity infusions, tax breaks, or production inputs, are subject to countervailing duties aimed at directly countering those subsidies.

FALZÉ DI PIAVE, Italy --  The Euromobil Group is the first in Italy to offer kitchens coated in Respet, a film made of recycled PET from ordinary plastic bottles. This choice has led to a production process that does not involve the use of fossil fuels and reportedly allows a 60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions.

This innovation reflects the company's eco-friendly focus and meets the demands of consumers who are increasingly aware of the origin of materials and their life cycle.

Every year, 100 billion bottles made of this material are used and only 14 percent are recycled. The rest are dispersed, to the extent that it is calculated that 120,600 bottles per minute end up in the sea and at dumps, taking as long as 1,000 years to biodegrade. 

Available in three colours, Respet is a patent belonging to the company 3B, which has been a partner of Euromobil for 15 years. Respet is the outcome of a special production process that transforms bottles into granules, which are then extruded and laminated to create a film that can be applied to panels used for the doors of Euromobil's kitchens, already FSC certified. See www.gruppoeuromobil.com.

JASPER, Ind. -- Diamond Cabinets introduced the first standard drawer with an installed self-locking mechanism on the inside to keep everything from prescriptions to passports safe. The Secured Drawer features proven advanced sensor biometric technology from Master Lock Co. and the appearance of Diamond Cabinets.

Diamond’s Secured Drawer is said to be the first in the industry to include sensor technology to see past contaminants and imperfections and assure fast, accurate scans that grant or restrict access with the touch of a finger. With no code required, the fingerprint reader can store up to 100 unique fingerprints, ensuring every household member can have access to the drawer.

To access the cabinet, the user pulls the drawer. The cabinet will open slightly, revealing only the fingerprint sensor and battery. Once the fingerprint is used to grant access, the drawer will open fully. The drawer comes with a manual key lock as a backup method of entry.

Diamond Cabinets Secured Drawer featuring Master Lock Biometric Technology is available in 18-inch, 21-inch and 24-inch-wide base drawer cabinets measuring 24 inches deep at Diamond Cabinetry dealers across North America. See www.diamondcabinets.com, and http://www.masterlock.com.