KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
4th March 2011
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International News
Products Premium Italian cooker hood producer Falmec has introduced Plane On Demand, the new customisable extractor based on its popular Plane model.
Gorenje joins Hollywood star in raising money for charity
Russia warms to steam free mirrors
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Welcome to the
In last week's leader I complained that my daughter, despite having achieved an excellent degree, cannot find a job - and as John and I were unable to attend Ecobuild this year since it clashed with the three-day Cleaning Show in Birmingham (for which we produce the 'Official Daily' on behalf of the organisers) John suggested that Chervana attend Ecobuild on our behalf. When Chervana and I met up again last night to discuss our experiences and argue over whose feet ached the most (she's saying she's never going to wear heels ever again!) I asked whether she'd managed to find her way around easily and she said, "No - and I wasn't the only one!" Long time readers of KBZine might remember my rant after last year's Ecobuild about how the organisers had set the stands diagonally in diamond-shaped groupings, rather than in the easy to follow square grid format used by all the other multitude of shows I've attended over the years. It was so confusing that I didn't get to find some of the stands I'd wanted to visit (and from frustrated discussions with other visitors I wasn't alone!) and the organisers had employed lots of staff to help direct those who were lost to where they wanted to be - although this didn't always work either! I had hoped that with the move to London's ExCel, the more normal grid format would be used, but Chervana tells me that this was not the case. She said that there were booths "all over the place" where lost visitors could seek directions. I suppose it creates jobs though, doesn't it - and with over 50,000 visitors expected over the three days - perhaps the organisers don't feel the need to make things easy for everyone! I could be cheeky and say that perhaps this confusing stand layout is why renowned environmentalist Professor David Bellamy was up at the Cleaning Show rather than at Ecobuild (where he was chatting to me about how proud he is of British innovation) but cleaning and the environment go hand in hand and as David is President of the British Insitute of Cleaning Science his rightful place was at the NEC. Our conversation made me wonder: do any of you who are involved in the design of products for the KBB industry seriously take into account ease of cleaning when it comes to designing new products? I'd really be interested in finding out so do please get in touch. Chervana really enjoyed Ecobuild and said the industry made her very welcome - thank you! Below is her report... Yours,
 Jan Hobbs
This Week's News
by Chervana Hobbs
'From megawatts to negawatts: taking the energy out of buildings'
'Super WC' can reduce flush water by 25%
Here it is, with Roca's Simon Baker and Sarah Holey. Sarah described the W+W as a Super WC and told me that it can reduce water use by up to 25%. Works of art that heat your living space too!
New Bathroom Academy website launched The Bathroom Manufacturer's Association used its stand at Ecobuild to launch its new on-line learning package. "It's taken quite while," said Bathroom Academy Chief Executive Yvonne Orgill. "But we've done it! We have completely rebuilt the Academy website and revised the downloadable bathroom guides. Eco-friendly and a great base for futuristic design!
Wedi building boards have been developed over the last 25 years and are now being used for bathroom architecture and fashioning wellness worlds, having been adapted from their original use in wall and floor construction. A fast and easy way to turn off your water in an emergency
However if there is a water emergency a third of householders don't even know where their stopcock is located! At Methven you could really feel the difference
After experiencing the Satinjet showers myself, I could tell straight away that I have never experienced anything like it before - it really did feel like satin over my skin; it was incredible and I am sure that anyone else who visited the stand would say the same. I am also sure, that like me, many of them wished they could hold their aching feet underneath instead! This technology definitely seems like the future generation of dream showers. Testing ultra thin tiles for strength and cutting ease
The product demonstrated was Kerlite, which comes in sheets up to 3000 x 1000mm and is just 3.5mm thick. The ultra slim format utilises 70% less raw material than traditional tiles, less energy and CO2 emissions to produce, less adhesive to fix and less packaging and transportation compared to thicker, heavier tiles! Several new launches from Dimplex
The new heat pump range includes the LA PMS medium temperature range for domestic installations, the LA MAS which is designed to meet the space and water heating requirements for larger domestic installations and the LA MI range which features an inverter to reduce the load and power requirements. It's not just what's on show that matters...
Geberit was showcasing its range of innovative sanitary and piping solutions with a strong focus on sustainable products for hotel design. Paul Ashby (Technical Sales Manager) posed next to the bathroom design. The KBzine Archive Search We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The KBzine. If you would like to run a search of the The KBzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for. News in Brief How to contact us at The KBzine:
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