NKBA member companies boldly expanded with new divisions, facilities, partnerships and more. Here are some highlights in NKBA’s Year in Review series, sponsored by Samsung.
By Dianne M. Pogoda
GE INVESTS IN GA.: GE Appliances revealed plans to invest $118 million in its Roper Corp. plant in LaFayette, Ga., to upgrade, expand and add jobs in the Walker County facility. This investment, on top of an additional $130 million in funds earmarked for expansion in 2019, will increase capacity at Roper by 50 percent.
NEW DIVISION, FACILITY FOR KOHLER: Kohler Co. opened a 546,000 square-foot warehouse in Huntsville, Ala., in June to support increased demand for its Sterling Vikrell bath and shower fixtures and help ease stresses on the supply chain. Kohler plans to build another Vikrell production facility and distribution center in Casa Grande, Ariz., set to open in August 2023. It also launched a division within its Residential and Power Products business: the Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) team, which provides products and services to support a critical residential need for resilient power and the decreasing reliability of the grid to provide that power.
LOWE’S, AARP PARTNER: Lowe’s entered a multi-year commitment to become the leading retail destination for aging-in-place and life-change solutions through the launch of Lowe’s Livable Home. The program offers expertise, services and affordable products for universal design options, and Lowe’s is partnering on a customer education campaign with AARP, the largest non-profit organization dedicated to serving people over age 50 and their families.
SAMSUNG’S ENVIRONMENTAL PUSH: Samsung Electronics in January revealed several initiatives to speed the development of eco-conscious home appliances, aiming to address environmental issues. The electronics giant said it will increase the amount of recycled plastic it uses in its home appliances to 30 percent by 2024. Samsung also partnered with apparel company Patagonia, well-known for its commitment to minimizing environmental impact, to address the use of microplastics and their effect on the world’s oceans. Additionally, Samsung developed a new type of polypropylene recycled plastic for its washing machine tubs. It also committed to using eco-friendly packaging on more of its products, enabling consumers to repurpose the boxes. The program began in Korea in 2021 and rolled out globally this year.
CAMBRIA ADDS S&D CENTERS: American quartz manufacturer Cambria USA is in expansion mode, opening four sales and distribution centers in the U.S. for a total of 22. Each center will include a showroom that’s open to the public. Centers range between 22,750 and 32,000 square feet and opened in Milford, Mass.; Houston and Duluth, Ga. Another is slated to open in Manassas, Va., in April. Cambria also added 50,000 square feet to its slab manufacturing facility at its Le Sueur, Minn., headquarters — the fifth time in 15 years the company has expanded that facility.
QUEST CABINETS EXPANDS: Quest Engineering, a custom cabinet maker based in Richfield, Wisc., expanded its manufacturing capacity with a new 100,000 square-foot facility consolidating three plants into one. Quest produces custom cabinetry and closet systems under the CABnX, CLOzX, and Euro-LogiX brands, all in the U.S. The move increases capacity from 7,500 kitchens per year to 17,000.
CASA BERTAZZONI OPENS IN SF: The first Casa Bertazzoni experience center in the U.S. opened in San Francisco. Modeled after Casa Bertazzoni in Italy — the company’s global headquarters — the new 2,000 square-foot space in the Golden Gate City serves as a resource for trade and consumers, and was developed in partnership with Purcell Murray, Bertazzoni’s Western U.S. distributor. Bertazzoni celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2022.
BSH EXPANSION: German appliance giant BSH, parent of 11 brands including Bosch, Gaggenau, Thermador, Neff and Siemens, said in April it was expanding production centers in China, Egypt and Mexico, and suspending operations in St. Petersburg, Russia, owing to the Ukraine conflict. The company plans to open Experience & Design Centers in Miami’s Design District, Washington, D.C., and Houston in 2023. The company’s other centers are in Irvine, Calif.; New York; Chicago; Montreal and Toronto.
HÄFELE EXPANDS: Häfele America Co. expanded its Archdale, N.C., facility, adding 94,200 square feet for a total of 221,200 square feet and improving its overall storage capacity by 60 percent. The facility’s equipment and processes were also upgraded to improve responsiveness and efficiency, at a total investment of $13 million.
