INDUSTRY NEWS UPDATE MARCH 12, 2019

Check out what's been happening lately in the cabinet industry:

 KCMA at KBIS 2019

KCMA members were represented well last week at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), held in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Our booth featured some great images from KCMA's branding effort and a professional booth designer even stopped by to compliment us on the booth design.

We spoke with dozens of attendees about KCMA membership benefits, as well as quality (KCMA/ANSI) and environmental stewardship (KCMA ESP) certifications. We were very proud to see KCMA’s updated branding, certification seals, and new point-of-sale materials displayed in several KCMA member exhibits. We are excited to exhibit again at KBIS 2020 slated for January 21-23 in Las Vegas. 

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 President Trump Delays Chinese Tariff Increase

A few weeks ago the Trump Administration announced it would delay the increasing tariffs on Chinese exports past the March 1 deadline.

As you will recall, in early December the US and China agreed to a 90-day freeze on tariffs that were set to increase from 10 to 25% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.

Now that President Trump has delayed the tariff increase again, an agreement is expected to be reached at an upcoming summit in Palm Beach, Florida planned for the end of March.

 National Safety Council Calls Attention to Employee Fatigue

According to recent research from the National Safety Council, 90% of America's employers have been negatively impacted by tired employees. This is especially dangerous in the manufacturing industry where heavy machinery becomes involved.

The Council is bringing attention to this issue via an event hosted in Seattle this week and a recent white paper. “In our 24/7 world, too many employees are running on empty,” said Emily Whitcomb, senior program manager for fatigue initiatives at the Council. “Employees are an organization’s greatest asset, and addressing fatigue in workplaces will help eliminate preventable deaths and injuries.”


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Photo courtesy of Manufacturing,net

New Cabinet Looks Seen at KBIS 2019

New products and styles for cabinets and countertops alike were on display at KBIS last week. Houzz outlined a few of the top trends seen at the show and if they seem familiar, it's because they line-up with design predictions from late last year:

Dark cabinet colors emerging:  despite research that shows white shaker cabinets remain the most popular choice for kitchens, many companies are being to see a desire for darker cabinets such as matte black and navy options.

White is still in, but it's different:  Warmer whites are rising in popularity as-is wood cabinetry with a bleached-out rustic look.

Economic Data
  • Softwood lumber prices fell 2.1% in January.
  • 30 year mortgage rate drops to 12-month low of 4.37%.
  • Multifamily starts will begin to level off through 2019, edging 2% lower this year.
  • Overall orders for durable goods rose a seasonally adjusted 1.2% in December.
  • Manufacturers produced $2.35 trillion in value-added output in the third quarter, an all-time high.
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To learn more about KCMA's work for the cabinet industry and how you can become a member today, visit our website.

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