Majap Industry Converges On Chicago For K/BIS

CHICAGO — An expected 60,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors will converge on this city's McCormick Place convention center this week for the annual spring rite that is K/BIS (Kitchen/Bath Industry Show.)

The event also serves as the pre-eminent forum for the major appliance industry, attracting multitudes of white-goods dealers and manufacturers. Glaring exceptions include Whirlpool, the world's largest majap maker, which will have no show floor presence here for the second consecutive year, and Samsung, which will sit out this K/BIS after last year's mega booth presence.

A sampling of some of the new majap lines set to debut this week in the North Hall follows. Complete K/BIS coverage will appear in the April 21 issue of TWICE.

Bosch and Thermador, the BSH Home Appliance brands, will focus on cleaning and cooking at the show. The former has added new feature sets to its Nexxt laundry platform, including a leak-prevention system, a wrinkle-removing mist function and a 14-point stain-removal program, and will also introduce the counter-depth Linea refrigerator and the midprice-point Ascenta dishwasher. Its brand mate, meanwhile, will debut a line of electric cooktops that uses infrared sensor technology to maintain precise cooking temperatures, an industry first, and will unveil a 52,000-Btu gas cooktop featuring five burners and a new, angular design.

Broan-Nu Tone, one of North America's largest producers of residential ventilation products, will launch the new QDE series of Energy Star-qualified range hoods and the Elite XE trash compactor featuring Microban antimicrobial protection and a compaction ratio of six-to-one to help reduce landfill volume.

Fagor America, a subsidiary of Spain's Fagor Electrodomesticos, is adding three new models to its line of ultra-efficient induction cooktops, including a 12-inch induction cooktop with stainless steel trim, and 30-inch and 36-nch induction cooktops with beveled fronts. The 12-inch cooktop features two burners, the 30-inch has four burners, and the 36- inch features five burners, with suggested retails of $1,100, $1,800 and $2,300, respectively. Fagor will also debut a counter-depth, slim-design Black Art refrigerator with reversible doors and a "bio-filter" that captures molds and bacteria. Suggested retail: $2,500.

Perlick will introduce its fully integrated Signature series of undercounter refrigeration products featuring full-height doors, zero-clearance hinging and interior digital displays. The line includes freezers and refrigerators, beverage centers, wine coolers and beer dispensers in 15-, 24-, 48- and 72-inch options.

Offsite, Fulgor USA, a new division of Fulgor Europe, the 60-year-old Italian built-in oven and cooktop manufacturer, will make its U.S. retail market debut after producing more than 250,000 OEM ovens for Bosch, KitchenAid and Monogram for the past 14 years. Fulgor will introduce dealers and distributors to its flagship line of Leonardo Classico ovens and cooktops, along with dishwashers, microwaves, under-counter coolers and outdoor grills.