A K/BIS Recap, From A To Z
By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 6/6/2005
Las Vegas— Last month's Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (K/BIS) served up enough new colors, finishes, line extensions, technologies and vendors to fill two halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center. (The show returns to Chicago's McCormick Place next April.) Here's a compendium of this year's highlights:
Aga: The range resource showed a new cobalt blue variation of its dual-fuel Legacy line and an electric option for its versatile four-oven, three-cooktop plate 4 Oven Aga, available in 15 bold colors.
ASKO: Marketed here by AM Appliance Group, a division of Italy's Merloni, the vendor introduced four new dishwasher models. Among them: the D3122XL, which features a turbo fan drying system, tall tank design and simple push-button controls.
Bosch: The BSH division showed its front-loading, $749-$1,499 suggested retail Axxis laundry line with Logixx computer system that determines RPMs, drum reversing rhythms, rinses, soak time and spin speed for high-efficiency water and energy usage. New models, including the new entry-level Essence washer, ship this month.
Dacor: The 40-year-old super-premium cooking company introduced its first ever refrigeration platform, under the Elite line's Epicure label, in 42-inch and 48-inch widths.
Fulgor: Italy's 55-year-old specialty cooking company showed a stylish collection of wall ovens and cooktops under the FCI Home Appliances moniker.
Haier: The Chinese importer showed a convertible freezer/refrigerator in 5-cubic-foot and 7-cubic-foot sizes, its 24-inch tall tub dishwashers with dual wash and drain motors, and its new Dual Zone Distinction wine cellar series.
Miele: The 106-year-old cooking company's largest product launch ever was led by the new MasterChef Collection of precision-crafted convection, steam and combination convection/microwave ovens and warming drawers. The stainless steel units feature Miele's signature one-touch Navitronic touchpad technology which serves up 17 cooking modes.
Sanyo: The Japanese resource re-entered the majap market with a combination washer/dryer that it showed along with four new microwave ovens.
TMIO: The maker of Internet-controlled appliances introduced ConnectIo, a 30-inch stainless steel Professional Series double wall oven with built-in refrigeration that can be operated remotely via computer or cellphone.
U-Line: The undercounter resource showed its combination refrigerator/ice maker/freezer drawer and wine storage drawer systems.
Zephyr: The hood maker's largest showing ever included the new Elica and Cheng Design lines. The former features Bogart, a sleek chimney of polished-finished stainless steel and tempered glass, while the latter, designed for under-cabinet installation, has a sweeping, slow-cured hood.
