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 High-efficiency bathroom sink faucets.
All interested parties are encouraged to review the new draft specification that establishes the criteria for high-efficiency bathroom sink faucets that can be certified and labeled as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program. Written comments are due by March 23. E-mail comments to:
watersense_faucets@erg.com. All comments become a part of the public record. Also, EPA plans to hold a telephone conference to discuss comments on the draft specification March 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. EST. To register for this, visit
www.epa.gov/watersense/register.htm by Feb. 26.
According to the EPA, faucets account for more than 15% of total indoor water use. This new draft specification follows EPA’s specification for high-efficiency toilets. Most residential indoor water use occurs in the bathroom, the EPA said.
The draft specification states that in addition to all applicable ASME requirements, the flow rate for high-efficiency bathroom sink faucets shall not exceed 1.5 gallons per minute at a pressure of 60 pounds per square inch, and be no less than 1.2 gpm at a pressure of 20 psi.
The EPA WaterSense program label will apply to all types of bathroom sink faucets, bathroom sink faucet accessories specifically designed to control the flow of water and any other lavatory faucet technologies that meet the requirements of the specification, which is expected to go into effect July 1.
Manufacturers, retailers and distributors that produce or sell water-efficient plumbing fixtures are welcome to join the WaterSense program. For more information, contact Stephanie Tanner at 202- 564-2660 or tanner.stephanie@epa.gov. |
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Masco reported a big loss for its fourth quarter and will cut 8,000 U.S. jobs as a result of the steep decline in the nation’s housing market. The company lost $187 million for the quarter compared with a profit of $173 million in the fourth quarter of 2005.
Sales for the fourth-quarter sales fell a bit less than 6%. For the year, sales were up 2%, while earnings decreased by 48%.
Most of the job cuts announced this month had already taken place in the fourth quarter. The layoffs, which amount to 16% of its U.S. workforce, are expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter.
The company blamed the decline on a decrease in housing construction and lower spending on “big ticket” home improvement items. |
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Masco Corp. named Jerry Volas the group president of plumbing and heating products, effective immediately. He succeeds John Wills
, who has resigned but will continue to assist the company in a consulting capacity. Most recently, Volas was a group vice president for the plumbing and heating platform. He joined Masco in 1983 through the acquisition of BrassCraft Manufacturing Co. and over the past 15 years has held various positions, including vice president–finance for BrassCraft, Masco group controller and president of Liberty Hardware, a Masco operating company.
Elkay Manufacturing Co.’s Plumbing Products Division, which manages the company’s residential and commercial sinks, faucets, water coolers and related accessories, announced the hiring of three new channel managers: Marilyn Morgan as retail marketing manager, Mark Hird as marketing manager for the wholesale residential segment, and Rod Magnuson
as commercial marketing manager.
Symmons named Jeff Reilly (pictured) vice president of marketing. He brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing, sales and strategic management to the company. |
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The Geberit Group is partnering with Duravit
to develop the market for concealed installation system technology in the North American single- and multi-unit residential and hospitality markets. The partnership will combine Geberit’s plumbing technology with Duravit’s design.
Timothy Schroeder, president of Duravit USA, said Duravit will use its brand and design expertise to refocus its residential wall-hung toilet effort with this initiative.
William Christensen, president of Geberit North America, said the partnership will take advantage of Geberit’s strength in technology and innovation to focus on further developing its North American product offering.
A joint training program and marketing campaign will be launched in the coming months. Three regional training centers — in Atlanta, Chicago and New York City — will be established in 2007 to educate architects, designers, engineers, plumbers and showroom salespeople. Also, Geberit North America will establish a competence center in Chicago where North American specific solutions will be developed and tested.
The Kohler Co. said it plans to open a retail store in Glenview, IL, this summer. The new location will be at the Abt Design Center, adjacent to Abt Electronics and Appliances. The Kohler Store will share space in this location with Canac®, a Kohler Co. business that offers semi-custom kitchen and bathroom cabinetry.
SFA Saniflo
is launching its first-ever television advertising campaign in the United States, targeting eight key metropolitan markets in the Northeast from Feb. 26 through April 15. Titled “Small Space, Smart Solutions,” the 30-second spot is intended to drive business to Saniflo distributors and installers in those markets by raising consumer awareness of, and demand for, the company’s full line of macerating plumbing products. The commercial will run on various broadcast network affiliates in seven of the eight markets, which extend from Ohio to New England.
Graff, a Milwaukee, WI-based faucet manufacturer, held its annual sales meeting in Orlando, where Ziggy Kulig, president, shared the company’s goal for record-breaking sales in 2007.
The company has added new regional and national sales management positions in Atlanta and Milwaukee and remains committed to advanced sales training and development. Paul Barr is the new director of sales.
Owned by Meridian International Group, an ISO 9001-certified company, Graff employs more than 1,000 people throughout Europe and the U.S. Its faucets, which are constructed of solid brass and use German ceramic valves, carry a lifetime guarantee for their mechanical parts.
Sonia America completed expansion of its U.S. sales and distribution facility in Sunrise, FL. The 75% increase in space will allow for additional inventory to be shipped from Spain and stocked in the U.S.
The company took members from 17 independent sales representative firms along with its own employees on a four-day cruise through the Florida Keys to Cozumel, Mexico, for its 2006 annual sales meeting.
During the trip, Jody Rosenberg, national sales manager, presented an award to Joel Doliner, president of The Doliner Group, a manufacturers rep firm based in Florida, for achieving $1 million in Sonia product sales for his territory. |
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Forte Buying Group
announced that Hansgrohe and Sonia America are its newest preferred vendors. This brings the number of its preferred vendors to 74. Forte Buying Group represents more than 150 independent showrooms throughout North America.
PremierDPH, a decorative plumbing and hardware buying group, will hold its spring conference April 13-14 at the Hilton Washington Dulles Airport in Herndon, VA. Keynote speaker Hank Darlington (pictured), Supply House Times’ monthly showroom columnist, will address the topic of “Showroom Best Practices” based on his 40 years of experience as a business owner, professional manager, industry consultant, author, writer, speaker and teacher.
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Roto-Rooter
has developed a customized, one-of-a-kind toilet — a truly “Pimped out John” — designed to fulfill anyone’s wildest bathroom dreams. One lucky person will win it and Roto-Rooter technicians will install it in his or her home. A Kohler® Cimarron™ toilet has been further enhanced with a Philips™ 20-inch flat panel LCD TV; an Xbox™ 360 gaming system; a Philips™ DVD player with Star Wars DVD; a Gateway® Emachine™ laptop computer with fully articulated robot arm; an iPod™ with stereo docking station equipped with toilet paper dispenser; a Roto-Rooter “emergency” button; a Tivo™
digital video recorder (DVR); an Avanti™ refrigerator with beer tap, stocked with drinks and snacks; a magazine rack; a bike pedal exercise system; and an electric cup warmer/cooler. Register in the “Pimped out John” sweepstakes from Jan. 24 through April 2. The winner will be crowned on National Plumber’s Day, April 25. |
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At this year’s International Builders Show Feb. 7–10 in Orlando, FL, Brizo®
introduced new shower options aimed to please even the most discerning homeowner. All Brizo tub/showers and custom showers now only feature the TempAssure® Thermostatic valve cartridge. With TempAssure thermostatic control, the temperature of the water remains consistent from one shower to the next and can be set much like a household thermostat. Two options are available: the medium-flow Brizo MultiChoice™ Universal valve with TempAssure thermostatics (8.5 gallons per minute or gpms), which is used on all Brizo tub/shower collections, or the high-flow Total Escape® valve with TempAssure thermostatics (13.5 gpms). Also introduced at the show was the
MultiChoice™ Universal valve for Brizo’s medium-flow thermostatic shower systems. For trade professionals, MultiChoice Universal reduces the number of SKUs in inventory, saves valuable shelf space and increases profitability. It also provides effortless shower upgrades from Delta® to Brizo; eliminates the wrong valve from being installed behind the wall, reducing call backs; and enables trade professionals to make functional and stylish trim changes without ever changing the valve in the wall. |
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California Faucets
offers a safety-engineered thermostatic shower system that features “Hot Limit Stop” — a safety mechanism that prevents accidents such as scalding from water temperature spikes. Pictured: The Thermostatic valve and stop valves with Encinitas Series handles crowned with porcelain index buttons; a gooseneck tub spout from the Mendocino Series collection; a Victorian-style shower arm and extra-large rose showerhead in weathered brass finish for a retro look. |
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Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.
’s 811 polypropylene grease interceptor is recommended for removing, then retaining fat, oil, and grease from wastewater in kitchen and restaurant areas where food is prepared. The 811 series is injection molded in engineered thermoplastics; it will not corrode, chip or peel, even under the most severe conditions. The tank is injection molded in one piece, eliminating seams that could be potential areas of leakage. Removable baffles combined with a smooth interior surface make cleaning quick and easy. This polypropylene GI consists of a reinforced cover with securing latches, removable inlet and outlet baffles, a diffuser baffle, a one-piece tank, a no-hub inlet and outlet, and a
PVC flow control assembly with air intake tee and integral cleanout. |
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Elkay Manufacturing says its commercial faucets are built for rigorous use with solid brass construction, chrome finish and quarter-turn ceramic disc cartridge. The company offers more than 400 faucets. |
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AMTC announced that its AEF-801 DUALFLUSH® is now a GreenSpec®-listed automatic flush valve retrofit kit and has been designated a “Green Product.” The auto/manual designed flush valve retrofits onto Sloan® or Zurn® manual Flushometers on urinals and toilets. When specified correctly, it can qualify for multiple LEED® credits. |
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B2B Market Research Service
BNP Media, publishers of Supply House Times and more than 30 other trade magazines, has created its own business-to-business market research service. Clear Seas Research will specialize in capturing information about BNP Media's magazine audiences via panels of industry experts and advanced research methods. Services include:
“Clear Seas Research forms a more solid foundation for us to provide our customers with superior solutions and insight,” says Mitch Henderson, Co-CEO of BNP Media. “Our extensive experience and knowledge in our industries, together with our highly sought-after circulation files, make us a natural fit for advanced market research capabilities.” Clear Seas Research currently serves industries such as architecture and construction, mechanical systems, manufacturing, industrial machinery and safety, security and food. For more information, please visit
www.clearseasresearch.com. |
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THE "COLLEGE OF PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE" RETURNS!
The best-read, most highly acclaimed product training series ever published in the plumbing industry has now been updated!
Supply House Times' "College of Product Knowledge" (CPK) was authored by plumbing product guru Don Arnold, who worked as a product design engineer with several leading plumbing manufacturers. It was originally launched in 1979 and ran for 30 issues, culminating in a 300+ page manual that became the industry's most widely used product education resource.
For the last several years, Don Arnold has authored periodic updates to address changes in various plumbing products since the original series ran. This new College of Product Knowledge has been republished in a CD format and contains no advertising, just 300 pages of solid information. Each product section is accompanied with detailed illustrations, as well as a quiz at the end.
The CD version of "College of Product Knowledge" can be obtained for only $127. To order, contact Candace Roulo at 248-244-1275 or via e-mail at rouloc@bnpmedia.com.
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MNG Designer Hardware offers its “POTATO” collection of knobs and both standard size and oversize pulls for kitchen cabinet doors in a choice of finishes. The knobs are designed to conform to index finger and thumb for a comfortable, natural fit. |
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