Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association

Check out what’s been happening in the cabinet industry the last few weeks from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association: Impact of Tax Reform A few weeks ago the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance released a statement on the most significant benefits tax reform has produced in the last year. "Since tax reform was enacted, economic indicators around the country have shown that this legislation is a proven success. Tax reform has driven up consumer confidence, created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, aided in boosting the American economy, and encouraged small business and entrepreneurial growth.” Click here to read more . How the Skilled Labor Shortage Is Impacting Housing While economic growth is always positive, the current unemployment rate (3.7%) risks being too low. Right now in the manufacturing and housing industries, there are more open, unfilled jobs than there are unemployed persons to fill them. Higher costs in construction due to lab...

At the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, we always try to keep an eye on the housing industry. The kitchen is the heart of the home after all, and if housing isn’t doing well, then cabinets aren’t doing well. Here’s an update on how things are looking for housing lately. Annual growth in the national market for home improvement and repair is expected to slow considerably by the end of the year, according to the latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity  (LIRA) report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Gains are expected to shrink from 7.5% in 2018 to 5.1% in 2019. Photo courtesy of Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies According to the 2019 Houzz Kitchen Trend Study , 78% of homeowners surveyed noted that cabinets were the most important feature to upgrade during a remodel. This means that if remodeling activity is expected to slow, it could adversely affect cabinet companies. The report cites slowing house price appreciatio...

Check out what’s been happening in the cabinet industry the last few weeks from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association: Antidumping Duty Rate Increased on Multilayered Wood Flooring from China Late last month the Department of Commerce issued preliminary results of its 2016-2017 administrative review of the antidumping duty order on multilayered wood flooring from China. The Department of Commerce found that imports of multilayered flooring had been unfairly dumped in the US market. The Department of Commerce increased the antidumping duty rate to 48.62% and also increased the China-wide entity rate from 25.62% to 96.51%. Click here to read more. OSHA Drone Inspections Coming to Jobsites According to a recent piece in ConstructionDive, Bloomberg Law recently obtained a memo from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) authorizing investigators to use camera-equipped drones to assist in gathering evidence during inspections in certain wo...

The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association is always looking for ways to support the industry and to connect with important players within the industry. That’s why, for the second year in a row, we are back to exhibit at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). In addition, we are proud to once again support Design & Construction Week, February 19-21, 2019 in Las Vegas. KBIS is North America's largest trade show dedicated to all aspects of kitchen and bath design. With the expansive show floor filled with the freshest designs from over 600 leading brands, it is a one-stop shop providing attendees and exhibitors the ultimate destination to network, exchange ideas and build their businesses. “We look forward to another year of meeting with cabinet manufacturers, suppliers to the industry, designers and architects to discuss the top most issues facing the industry and to talk about how KCMA supports and advocates for the industry. We’re excited to once again ex...

We hope everyone had very happy holidays and a happy New Year.   We’re back with an industry update – read on to see what’s been happening in the cabinet industry. Chinese Factories Cut Prices, Lay Off Workers in Trade War According to a recent piece in Industry Week, 86% of companies affected by US Tariffs reported a decline in orders. While President Trump and President Xi have agreed on a 90-day truce, it is not known when a final agreement will be reached. A report from UBS Group AG predicts that Chinese export growth will slow to 4% in 2019 from 11% this year - good news for American manufacturers. Click here to read more . Proposed Narrower CWA Jurisdiction On December 11, EPA unveiled its proposal to rollback the Obama-era Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction to limit the laws reach of tributaries and wetlands. The new rule, developed jointly with the Army Corps of Engineers, will be much more limited and much simpler in practice than the 2015 jurisdictio...