Breaking News Hotwire

As part of its plan to separate its three businesses, American Standard Cos. said it intends to sell its bath and kitchen business by early fall of this year. The sales process was expected to begin in February.

People On The Move

Companies Making News

March 6, 2007, begins this year's ISH Trade Fair in Frankfurt, Germany — the world's largest plumbing-heating exposition. The event spans five days, 20 separate exhibit halls as well as outdoor displays, 2,300 exhibitors from all over the world and upwards of 225,000 visitors. Nobody who has ever attended this event has come back less than awe-inspired. To register for ISH 2007, visit www.usa.messefrankfurt.com. There is high demand for hotel accommodations in Frankfurt during ISH, so don't delay. For special hotel rates, check out Messe Frankfurt's hotel guide at http://www.hotelguide-rheinmain.de/index_en.html. For other travel arrangements, contact International Corporate Travel, 800-783-0883, e-mail: info@ict-global.com.

InPro Corp., a manufacturer of interior and exterior architectural products, acquired cast Lippert Corp., based in Menomonee Falls, WI, a manufacturer of polymer bathroom fixtures and PRISM® solid surface products, including countertops, vanity tops, basins, bar sinks and shower enclosures used in commercial and residential kitchens and baths. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Lippert has 50 employees and projects its 2006 sales at about $5.6 million. InPro has 325 employees and will book sales of more than $56 million for 2006.

The purchase of Jacuzzi Brands by private equity firm Apollo Management L.P. could lead to the separation of Jacuzzi’s bath business and Zurn, according to published reports in industry media. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2007.  Following its close, the Zurn business may be transferred to an Apollo portfolio company, Rexnord Corp., while the bath business becomes an independent portfolio company of Apollo. Certain members of Jacuzzi Brands' management, including Alex Marini, are expected to remain with the businesses after the closing.

KWC America said it has achieved sales increases for three consecutive years, from 2004 to 2007, following a repositioning of the company four years ago.

Also, the company has won various design and innovation awards for several of its products, including the Eve, Motion, Murano, the Waterstation, the Systema, Canyon and Profi.

Moen said it donated kitchen and bath products worth more than $1.3 million to World Vision for distribution through The Storehouse of World Vision, which provides building materials and other goods to churches, community organizations and low-income families throughout the U.S.

Hydro Systems, a manufacturer of whirlpools, bathtubs and shower systems, named ARD Distributors its representative for the state of Florida. For the past eight years, ARD has been both the exclusive Florida distributor for Franke sinks and faucets and the Kindred manufacturers’ representative for the state. ARD also represents Santec Faucets and Decolav.

New Showrooms

Ferguson (Newport News, VA) opened a 6,500-sq.-ft. showroom offering plumbing, lighting and appliances in Fargo, ND, at 1602 45th Street North, in December. Trent Lee is general manager for the Fargo location.

Ferguson also opened a showroom in Hailey, ID, in November. The 2,000-sq.-ft. showroom includes a gallery with fully functional displays. Pamela Countryman is manager for that location.

Supply New England , Attleboro, MA, now offers decorative tile for kitchens and baths in its Kitchen & Bath Gallery at 361 Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick, RI. This makes it the only Rhode Island consumer showplace with major emphasis on full kitchen, bath and tile products, the company said. Tile is displayed in kitchen and bath vignettes, and experienced tile professionals are available, as well as a brochure the company has produced to help customers select tile: “5 Steps To Picture Perfect Tile.”

Maumee Supply Co., Perrysburg, OH, plans to open its Waterh₂ouse bath & kitchen studio showroom this week. The former Kohler Bath House showroom, which has been undergoing major renovation and expansion since last May, has been converted into a 7,000-sq.-ft. interactive showroom.

This 'n That

First, the good news: There is a faucet that complies with California’s new legal lockdown on the amount of lead contained in faucets sold for sale in the state.

Now, the bad news: The faucet, stainless steel inside and out, wholesales in Europe for $670. The worse news: The pricey product is made-to-order and was never meant to be mass-produced. The worst news: American plumbing manufacturers say they won’t have anything that comes close to meeting the law when it goes into effect in 2010.

According to Barbara C. Higgens, executive director of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute, there are no viable faucets currently on the market, nor will there be a viable alloy by 2010 that will comply with the new law. There is not enough time to develop a new alloy and current alloy alternatives can’t work given the mechanical demands of a faucet, she said.

Some have suggested bismuth as an alternative, but according to the American Foundry Society, there may not be enough bismuth mined around the world to replace the amount of brass used for the U.S. faucet market. Also, it is not economical to mine as a primary product. The society also said that most manufacturers using bismuth discovered cracks had developed in the product after just a year or two.

AB 1953 does not clearly address how the law should be enforced or make provisions for existing inventory, PMI said. Faucet manufacturers will have to start selling an alternative by 2009 to meet the bill’s deadline. Higgens said she hopes for an extension to beyond 2010. —Steve Smith and Pat Lenius

Kitchen design: Color Is Back

The biggest trend in the kitchen is the use of under counter sinks in color, according to CorStone Industries, a manufacturer of cast acrylic sinks. Consumers are adding color by painting cabinets and installing colorful counter tops with designer undermount sinks, the company said.

Product Development

NEOPERL offers Careguard® hygienic features for faucet attachments. It includes built-in AgION™ anti-microbial protection, laminar stream (non-aerated) and screenless construction (no wire-mesh screen prone to lime build-up). It also conserves water (1.5 gpm max), is available in regular and tamper-proof housings, and is certified to ANSI/NSF61 and ASME A112.18.1M.

•  Lifelike 3D virtual product tests.
•  Understanding purchasing intent.
•  Ad concept testing.
•  Customer satisfaction.

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.