De
Dietrich Celebrates 25 Years in the UK
De
Dietrich, the kitchen appliance brand, celebrates its 25th anniversary
in the UK and Ireland during 2005. To start the celebrations, it is launching
a new expanded range of products, which were showcased at an all day event
in London, on 28th January. The company also offered new promotions and
offers to dealers on the day.
The company, originally established over 300 years ago, in France set
up a subsidiary here and in Germany in 1980, having seen the growth of
built -in kitchen appliances in its own market. Since then, De Dietrich
has become a household name in the UK, and renowned for pioneering technologies
such as induction cooking, steam cooking and pyrolytic ovens.
‘The new range features all of these technologies and is expanded
to offer more mainstream products, however every appliance has features
that would normally only be found in top of the range products so that
dealers can be safe in the knowledge that when they are selling any De
Dietrich product, they are selling the best. With De Dietrich all its
range is top of the range.’ says the company.
De Dietrich is also highlighting new concepts which will be available
later this year, including the new MATRICS 'zoneless' induction hob, which
will be able to accommodate up to 5 pans of varying sizes, such as a fish
kettle throughout its surface. The hob has a multitude of small inductors
which detect and assess the position and the shape of pans and will adapt
the location, power and cooking time of each area as programmed by the
MATRICS LCD control panel. It will even 'follow' the pan if it is moved.
De Dietrich will be launching a trade and consumer advertising campaign
to coincide with the launch and will continue a wide ranging plan of marketing
activity to support its dealers throughout the year.
De Dietrich sales order processing (trade only): 01256 308 067 or e-mail:
mailto:builtinsales@elcobrandt.com
Web: http://www.dedietrich.co.uk
Maytag
Reports Loss for 2004 After Restructure
Maytag
Corporation reported on January 28th fourth quarter consolidated sales
of $1.16 billion, down 8.4 percent from sales of $1.27 billion in the
same period last year. Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2004 was $14.1
million or 18 cents per share, compared to net income of $23.9 million
or 30 cents per share a year ago. The fourth quarter of 2004 included
13 weeks, versus 14 weeks in the fourth quarter a year ago.
The fourth quarter included restructuring and related charges of 13 cents
per share for the Galesburg closure and 'One Company' reorganisation,
as well as 13 cents per share for reserves related to the early generation
front-load washer litigation.
Unfavourable fourth quarter and year-over-year comparisons were caused
primarily by lower Hoover floor care sales and margins and lower sales
of vending equipment in Commercial Products, along with higher steel and
energy-related costs.
For the full year 2004, Maytag's sales were $4.72 billion, down 1.5 percent
from $4.79 billion in 2003. Operating income was $40.3 million for 2004
versus $228.3 million for the prior year. Net loss for 2004 was $9 million
or 11 cents per share, versus net income of $120.1 million, or $1.53 per
share in 2003.
Commenting on the fourth quarter and full year, Maytag Chairman and CEO
Ralph Hake stated, 'Higher raw material and energy costs significantly
impacted our operating results for the quarter and the year. We have addressed
our challenges head on, and have taken decisive steps to improve Maytag's
performance going forward. This includes completing our 'One Company'
restructuring, which is expected to realise $150 million in annual savings.
'We had a cadence of new products in 2004 that continued our leadership
in innovation with a 24-inch compact washer and dryer, the successful
French door bottom-freezer refrigerator, the dual-fuel, double-oven free-standing
range, the Maytag® Neptune® Drying Center and Maytag® Neptune®
Top-Load high- efficiency washer, to name just a few. We expect to see
the benefit of this 2004 product line-up, along with those planned for
2005, during this coming year.'
Maytag Services and Maytag International experienced double-digit revenue
growth during 2004, with both becoming increasingly important to the overall
business. Weakness in the vending industry produced a sales decline in
Commercial Products, partially offset by improved performance in the Jade
commercial cooking business.
Hake noted that the company experienced sequential volume growth in the
floor care business in the fourth quarter, particularly with extractors
and hard floor cleaners. 'While more progress needs to be made, we are
seeing some positive results from implementation of our floor care strategy,
which includes cost reduction efforts and new product launches in uprights,
extractors and bare floor cleaners,' Hake said.
Fourth quarter cash flow was favourably impacted by improvements in working
capital levels, a result of lower inventories and higher accounts payable.
Strong, positive cash flow enabled the company to increase cash and cash
equivalents by approximately $107 million from the end of third quarter
and approximately $158 million from the end of 2003.
Commenting on earnings expectations for 2005, Hake said the company is
lowering its earnings guidance for 2005 as a result of lower revenue generation
in the fourth quarter 2004 and recent distribution announcements that
occurred in January. The company expects reported earnings per share in
2005 of $1.10 to $1.30, including about 5 cents in restructuring charges.
Previously, the company noted that 2005 guidance for reported earnings
per share were expected to be in the range of $1.50 to $1.60, including
about 5 cents in restructuring charges.
'It's not business as usual for Maytag,' Hake said. 'We're a leaner organisation
that's becoming more responsive on all levels. We expect to benefit in
the coming year from our 'One Company' cost reductions and our stream
of innovative products, including the new Maytag 27-inch washer and dryer,
Jenn-Air suite of reflective glass appliances, the FloorMate™ hard
floor cleaner, and a premium upright introduction, among others. As we
work through the first quarter, we also expect to benefit from favourable
pricing initiatives, which were announced late last year.'
Maytag Corporation is a leading producer of home and commercial appliances.
Its products are sold to customers throughout North America and in international
markets. The corporation's principal brands include Maytag®, Hoover®,
Jenn-Air®, Amana®, Dixie-Narco® and Jade®.
Maytag
UK Announces New Marketing Director
Maytag
UK, the premier American appliance manufacturer has announced the appointment
of a new Marketing Director, Mat Morrison-Clarke. Mat has been working
as a consultant to Maytag on various business development projects and
brings a high calibre of marketing and sales experience and expertise
to the team from blue chip companies including United Biscuits, Glaxo
SmithKline and Dyson. Mat says, ‘Maytag UK has the clear potential
to become a category leading premium brand in the UK white goods market
place. Joining the team during this dynamic growth phase is going to provide
me with plenty of new and exciting challenges and opportunities for the
years to come.’
‘Mat has already made his mark both within the company and much of
our customer base. He brings with him exceptional skills which I know
will build additional successes and contribute to our growth and strengthen
our team and order books for the future,’ remarks Richard Thompson,
Managing Director, Maytag UK.
‘Soon we shall be announcing the launch date of the new Maytag and
Amana refrigeration ranges where the sales and marketing team will be
presenting to the trade at a very exciting venue,’ comments Mat.
He continues, ‘We are looking forward to welcoming our customers
to the event and celebrating the launch of the newest and most technically
advanced American engineered and designed refrigeration available today,
and at the same time having an extremely good day out!’
Holly Burrow, former Senior Marketing Manager, recently announced her
departure from Maytag UK. Richard Thompson comments, ‘It is disappointing
to see Holly go after contributing so much to the marketing of the Maytag
brands. We wish her well in her pursuit of new opportunities.’
Radio
Interview Signals Growing Interest in Food Waste Disposers
Food
waste disposer manufacturer, In-Sink-Erator, made its radio debut last
week when BBC Essex invited sales and marketing director, Ashley Munden,
on to the Dave Monk Show to talk food waste.
The regional radio station picked up an In-Sink-Erator story from The
Telegraph, which revealed that, despite our best intentions, we’re
buying healthy food and then throwing most of it away.
Ashley Munden commented: 'We commissioned some research to find out what
people are doing with the leftover food and it turned out that fifty seven
per cent of us throw away fruit that hasn’t even been touched.
'Radio Essex was really interested in the story and the interview resulted
in a lively debate about the use of food waste disposers as a method of
dealing with leftovers.
'And the consensus was generally positive. The majority of callers liked
the fact that their smelly food scraps were being dealt with in an easy
and yet responsible way.'
For further information about food waste disposers, contact In-Sink-Erator
on 0800 389 3715.
Saint-Gobain Acquires W.A.W – A-Keramika, Leading Distributor of Tiles and Sanitary-Ware in Slovakia
Saint-Gobain's
Building Distribution Division has announced the acquisition of the W.A.W
- A-Keramika Group, the leading distributor of tiles and sanitary-ware
in Slovakia and number 2 in the Czech Republic, with 23 branches (15 in
Slovakia and 8 in the Czech Republic) and more than 400 employees. The
Group's sales for 2004 are estimated to come in at €37 million.
The acquisition of W.A.W – A-Keramika is a further step in the drive
to develop the Building Distribution Division's specialised structures
alongside its general retailer network. Building on its existing presence
in the Czech Republic through Raab Karcher Staviva, the Division's expansion
into Slovakia will allow it to strengthen its foothold on Eastern Europe.
The completion of the transaction is subject to the approval of the relevant
competition authorities.
Estimated sales in 2004 for Saint-Gobain's Building Distribution Division
should reach 13.7 billion Euro. The Division has over 58 000 employees,
with a network of over 3,300 sales outlets located in 19 countries. Today,
it is the number One distributor of building materials in Europe and worldwide
leader in distributing tiles. Its main corporate brand names are Point.P,
Jewson, Raab Karcher, Dahl, Lapeyre, and La Plateforme du Bâtiment.
Groupe
SEB Plans to Reorganise Manufacturing Operations in Germany
Groupe
SEB has informed employee representatives of a plan to reorganise the
Rowenta Werke iron production facility in Erbach, Germany.
For several years, Rowenta Werke’s entry-level irons have been losing
competitiveness in a difficult business environment shaped by growing
competition from low-price Chinese products.
To turn the situation around, it is essential to reorganise manufacturing
operations in Germany. As a result, the Group intends to refocus the Erbach
site on mid-range and high-end irons and carry out investments to improve
the plant’s productivity. This reorganisation will involve the loss
of almost half the jobs at the site.
Negotiations with labour representatives will begin in the next few days.
Faithful to its social policy, Groupe SEB will study all follow-up measures
towards employees.
Utopia
Introduces New Consumer Enquiry Procedure
With
calls to the Brochure Hotline running at an all time high, Utopia has
invested heavily in improving the information given to callers and also
the way in which this is presented.
In 2004, Utopia’s biggest ever advertising campaign and the launch
of its first ever consumer magazine – All About Bathrooms –
resulted in a huge increase in calls to the brochure line. Now, a new
consumer enquiry procedure will ensure that every caller is given the
prompt and professional treatment that’s so important in converting
an enquiry into a positive sales lead.
After the caller has been greeted, their address will be input. The sophisticated
new software will then print out a list of displaying retailers within
a 10 mile radius or wider if necessary. The information on each retailer
will be detailed, including how many displays they have, whether they
stock/display sanitaryware and/or brassware and whether they offer a 3D
design service.
The caller will then receive a follow-up letter within 24 hours containing
all the above information, complete with the relevant addresses and approximate
travelling distances.
As Liz Green, Utopia’s Sales & Marketing Director, explains ‘Our
investment in the latest computer technology and in staff training has
been significant but we’re confident that the resulting service will
be second to none.’
For further information, contact your local Utopia Sales Agent or the
sales team on the Hotline Number – 01902 406400.
Water-Efficiency
Report: Schools Make Savings with ES4
A
recent report published by Southern Water, East Sussex County Council
and The Environment Agency demonstrates the benefits of achieving water-efficiency
through the installation of low-flush WCs. Toilet flushing accounts for
up to a third of total domestic water consumption, so the use of low-flush
WCs can offer significant water and cost savings. The project report,
outlines the details of a trial funded by the EU, in which low-flush ES4
WCs were used in a primary school, to verify their water saving potential
and performance.
The ES4 4.5 litre WC was used to replace seven 9 litre toilets in St Leonards
primary school in Hastings, and water usage was carefully monitored over
several months. Measurements indicated an overall reduction of approximately
38% in the volume of water used for flushing in those units replaced during
the trial. The performance standard of the new WCs was also much higher
and bad smells and blockages disappeared, despite the vastly reduced flushing
volumes. Previously, the school had also had to spend an average of £150
per month on unblocking drains and the high performance of the new toilets
has allowed them to save this needless expense. The premises manager at
St Leonards primary school reported that the new toilets were virtually
maintenance-free, due to their robust design.
The results from the study indicate that ES4 toilets could contribute
to significant reductions in water use if installed on a wider scale.
Magda Styles, Southern Water's Water Efficiency Manager said: 'The project
with St Leonards School has been a great success and we are delighted
with the results. The toilet uses approximately a third less water than
other models available on the market and can halve the volume if used
to replace older models. This is 'the' water efficient toilet and we will
be encouraging our customers to consider it when replacing their bathrooms.'
For more information on Green Building Store's range of water-efficient
sanitaryware, or to request a copy of the report on ES4 WCs, please email
mailto:esmay@greenbuildingstore.co.uk,
or phone the Green Building Store on 01484 854898.
Web: http://www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk
Cannon
Range Cooker Makes its TV Debut
Cannon's
Professional 1000 range cooker is making a regular appearance on Channel
Four's TV series 'Return of the Chef'. Following the life of renowned
chef John Burton Race, the new series sees John setting up his new restaurant,
The New Angel, and moving into a new family home in Dartmouth - in which
he has installed his Cannon Professional 1000.
Designed to give budding chefs a taste of true professional cooking at
home the Cannon Professional 1000 range cooker is presented in stainless
steel, creating a serious statement in any kitchen setting.
The Professional Range Cooker 1000 measures a metre wide with a fan oven,
conventional oven, separate twin grill and a food/plate warming compartment,
ample capacity for the turkey and all the trimmings. With 6 gas burners
including 2 rotating oval burners for fish kettles or large rectangular
pans, a 2 speed wok burner and a cast iron griddle plate and wok stand
- this cooker offers all the flexible cooking features any chef in the
home could possibly need to impress their dinner guests in style.
Commenting on the cooker John Burton Race said, ‘The Cannon Professional
1000 was the first choice for our home. I wanted a cooker that had the
features which allowed me to cook my family any style of dish at home.
The Cannon Professional 1000 offers people the tools to be really successful
cooks, thanks to true professional features, as well as its styling that
makes a real statement in the kitchen.’
Tel: 0870 777 6485
Web: http://www.cannoncooking.co.uk
Homag
U.K. will host its largest ever dedicated exhibition of CNC machining
centres and routers for three days from February 15 - 17 at the company’s
Castle Donington demonstration facility.
The aim of the exhibition is to demonstrate the range and extent of CNC
machines available from Homag Group companies to fit all requirements
and budgets.
Their
will also be an emphasis on a wide range of software systems - all of
which will be involved in a planned number of real-time demonstrations.
In all six machines will form the main exhibition:
The Weeke BHC250 ‘Special Edition’ is a low cost CNC
centre designed for carcase work and general routing and boring. It will
be shown being involved in kitchen and bedroom cabinet production using
WoodDesign and Magicut software.
The Weeke Venture 3 is a high specification CNC machine for general
purpose work. It will be shown producing flush door products and 5-piece
kitchen doors.
The Weeke Venture 5 CNC centre is suitable for the medium joinery
or shopfitting workshop. It will be demonstrated producing various joinery
products including stair components via Alphastair software.
The Weeke BHP 200 is a low cost gantry configured CNC machining
centre perfect for nested component production. It will be shown producing
carcase components using Magicut.
The
MAW ABD 100 is an automatic horizontal drilling and dowel inserting
machine that uses Woodwop software. It will be demonstrated drilling and
dowelling components produced on the Weeke BHP 200.
The Homag Venture 12 is a high specification CNC router and machining
centre for heavy joinery work and will be shown producing solid timber
window and stair components via Woodstair and Woodwindow software.
Homag U.K. will also be showing beam saw technology from Holzma, edging
technology from Brandt and a selection of the very high specification
Martin classical woodworking machines.
Tooling representation will be from Leitz and Leuco and various other
services - including finance - will be available for visitors.
'The Homag U.K. 2005 CNC exhibition - February 15 - 17 - will offer the
most comprehensive range of up to date CNC capabilities for today and
the future. It is a must for businesses of any size.’ says the company.
To secure an invitation or book an appointment fax Sylvia Albe on 01332
856465.
Email: mailto:sales@homag-uk.co.uk
Web: http://www.homag-uk.co.uk
In
addition to a number of important developments recently introduced by
the Instarmac Group plc concerning its range of adhesives and grouts,
the Tamworth based manufacturer has now established a lifetime guarantee
for its entire Ultra range of products.
The new lifetime guarantee means that as from January 2005, all Ultra
materials are guaranteed against any defect for the life span of the material.
‘Customer relationships are incredibly important to us’, commented
John Holcroft, Instarmac's Managing Director. ‘We strive to offer
the finest products, quality, service and care. This latest initiative
will further reassure our customers that when purchasing Ultra products,
they are buying a product guaranteed for its entire life’.
The new initiative is part of the Instarmac's overall policy of continuous
development and supplements a number of developments introduced over the
past few months. These have included the installation and commissioning
of a new £500,000 paste manufacturing plant, the addition of three
new colours to the Ultra Flexible Floor Grout colour range and the re-branding,
re-design and container colour-coding for a number of its Ultra products
to assist customer selection.
In addition, the adhesives and grouts manufacturer has just launched an
unusual product sales promotion for the early part of 2005. As part of
its New Year 'Gold Promotion', the company is giving away a number of
exclusive fleeces, which can be claimed by any person lucky enough to
find a gold disc inside one of the company's UltraProStick HG buckets.
Instarmac's overall objective is to make life a little easier for the
users and distributors of its materials, to make product selection simpler,
to add a little fun to everyday operations and to provide added comfort
when choosing the company's products for tile bonding and grouting.
Tel: 01827 872244
Email: mailto:email@instarmac.co.uk
Indusvent’s
Super-Blower Copes with Browns' Expansion
Browns
2000 of Cramlington near Newcastle is a UK supplier of quality wrapped
doors and components to the kitchen and bedroom sectors.
Built
on a partnership of 20 years standing, Peter Brown then incorporated the
company in the year 2000 and has, since then, embarked on a remarkable
process of expansion and growth.
The company's approach to the market is to be able to supply a quality
product of the customer's choice at a time and place of the customer's
choosing. To achieve this Browns has consistently invested in the latest
and most flexible production technology. The company now occupies two
state-of-the-art, purpose-built production facilities each of 50,000 square
feet. The first built in readiness for the year 2000 incorporation and
the second, a more recent extension as demand for the Browns product grows
on a national basis. Around 45,000 doors alone are being produced each
month.
The Browns factory has a selection of beam panel saws to size the MDF
blanks, a variety of CNC machining centre and routers which perform the
face profiling and shaping and lines of automatic gluing applicators and
vacuum membrane presses. The machines are grouped for optimum movement
of product through the factory and to offer the widest level of flexibility
and product diversity.
Peter Brown selects his technology from a range of manufacturers depending
on what technical advances and advantages they offer at the time.
The growing number of processing machines - particularly the saws and
machining centres/routers, create a potential logistical problem in the
amount of MDF waste they generate. While having originally installed conventional
chain filters to cope with dust extraction, the growing capacity needed
some innovative and lateral thinking in this area - especially as overloaded
filter systems could create serious upstream problems to the machines
in the factory.
Specifically Browns were looking for a new filter to cope with extraction
from two new beam saws, a panel saw, ten CNC machining centres and two
hoggers.
The solution was timely and ideal. Rochdale-based industrial ventilation
engineers Indusvent were starting to install the all-new Super-Blower
negative pressure system with great success at a number of major furniture
and joinery factories.
In consultation with Indusvent, Browns realised that the company was looking
at an ideal solution for both its immediate and long-term future needs.
The highly efficient, compact Super-Blower holds out a variety of tangible
advantages. These include efficiency, reliability, low maintenance, emission
compliance, low energy costs and exceptional space saving.
The Super-Blower incorporates totally new technology with a number of
patented component designs, 24-hour continuous operation system and sophisticated
in-built diagnostics and monitoring.
The negative pressure is central to the technology of the Super-Blower
system. This means that extracted ‘dust laden’ air is injected
directly into the specially designed filter inlet chamber and the main
exhaust fans remain on the ‘clean’ air side of the filter enabling
them to avoid contact with foreign (possible damaging) objects and to
operate at a dramatically reduced noise level with maximum efficiency.
To support this level of power and the other special design features of
the Super-Blower, the units have to be of particularly strong design and
construction. This includes the specification of high-strength 3mm fabricated
steel and a high-durability powder coated finish. The Super-Blower includes
a fully automatic filter cleaning system which is computer activated on
demand from a special pressure sensing system.
This is the PowerPulse system which monitors the differential pressure
across the filter media. When activated a pulse of compressed air is injected
down one filter bag at a time via special nossles mounted on an internal,
maintenance-free track with its own integral compressor which ensures
a constant supply of clean, dry, oil-free compressed air. These blow the
dust off the outside of the bags into the hopper discharge units.
The process has a number of advantages including avoiding surges of dust
discharge and maintaining maximum filter area during the cleaning cycle.
Not only does this ensure continuous, maximum efficienct operation of
the system and therefore the entire extraction operation, it also ensures
that the filter medium is kept under minimum stress from contamination
overload and this extends the usable life of the bags.
The energy savings associated with this concept are significant. The consequent
low comparative running costs offer an attractive return on the initial
outlay along with the many production advantages in the factory. The clean
exhaust air can be either vented to atmosphere (summer) or redirected
into the factory for winter heating automatically, the output speed of
the discharger is controlled by a frequency inverter.
The Super-Blower is designed, in this case, with a screw conveyor discharge
system so there are no chain conveyors to maintain and this is an important
factor in the reliability, maintenance-free and low noise operation.
The numerous safety and protection devices means that the Superblower
has achieved all safety compliance ratings.
New developments and refinements are constantly being added - especially
in the areas of control and monitoring systems. Remote diagnosis of the
operation is possible via mobile phone technology and internet (individual
website) access. Browns took delivery of the very latest Indusvent Super-Blower
control system and panel straight after Woodmex.
With Browns 2000 set for continued growth, success and expansion, the
one area of technology that is ‘sorted’ for now and tomorrow
is the company’s extraction and filtration.
Tel: 0870 758 3280
Email: mailto:mail@indusvent.com
Web: http://www.indusvent.com
Potter
Founds New Company which is ‘All Set to Revolutionise the Writing
of Sales Proposals.’
Sales
staff will no longer have to face hours of work preparing sales proposals
– thanks to the launch of a pioneering web-based system.
The ProposalGENie, the first system of its kind, allows sales staff to
produce proposals of consistently high quality in minutes.
ProposalGENie was developed XiS Ltd, and headed by businessman Colin Potter
founder of Uniworld, the fast-growing telecommunications service provider.
Recognising that writing sales proposals was a time consuming process
for sales staff, he developed a system which enables them to access a
web-based database containing all their company’s standard text passages,
product and pricing information and calculation formulas.
Colin
Potter and Jo Hilsden of Proposal Genie
From
this they click on selected text of their choice and print their customised
sales proposal in minutes. ProposalGENie can be used with minimum training.
No special hardware or new software is needed – just an Internet
connection, web browser and word processing package.
Mr Potter said; ‘Each sales proposal is constructed from a series
of customised templates that use predefined content combined with customer
information to select the relevant statements and data components to build
the sales proposal.
‘It takes a sales person just a few minutes to input the data and
answer a series of intuitive questions over the Internet to produce the
proposal.
‘The potential benefits are enormous. ProposalGENie is suitable for
any size company and enables sales staff of varying ability to produce
sales proposals of consistently high quality to win business at all levels.’
Using ProposalGENie led to increased sales at Uniworld, which has grown
in four years to a turnover of £24 million.
Mr Potter said: ‘Our sales agents loved the system as it saved them
hours of repetitive work and increased their sales penetration. Customers
commented regularly on the quality of proposals and, more importantly,
increased their rate of signing up for the company’s products.’
Uniworld Operations manager Jane Mclaren said: ‘ProposalGENie saves
us considerable amounts of time and ensures I am confident that the content
of proposals is correct and presents Uniworld in the best possible light.
This allows our sales people to do what they do best – sell.’
Mr Potter has now sold Uniworld to concentrate on XiS, which is based
at Portsmouth Technopole.
For more information or to produce a sample ProposalGENie document see
http://www.document-genie.com