Fittings & Components

Access valuable space with the 300mm Space Tower slim from Blum

We all know that space in at a premium in the kitchen, especially in modern new-build properties. We also know that doors and fixed shelves are a no-no when it comes to making the contents of units accessible and available.

Space Tower comes in many different widths, from 300mm to an enormous 1400mm, ideal for the smallest to the largest of kitchens, but the Space Tower slim provides an ingenious storage solution that requires just a 300mm wide gap, making it available for even the smallest of kitchens. The Space Tower slim is an exceptionally narrow cabinet, which is supplied with four deep drawers. The deep drawers in either Tandembox or Legrabox offer between 30kg and 40kg carrying capacity each, giving a total of between 120kg to 160kg depending on the runners used.

Space Tower is the most ergonomic larder solution on the market, each drawer can be pulled out individually, meaning no void is needed to lift items out, so every inch of the cabinet can be used. In addition, the pull-outs can be accessed from all three sides, and full extension means that even items right at the back are fully accessible. No more scrabbling around at the back of a shelf for that elusive packet of quinoa.

And naturally, Space Tower slim is covered with Blum’s Lifetime Guarantee for peace of mind.

01908 285700 www.blum.com www.spacetower.co.uk/slim

Furnica – an international fittings supplier building on solid foundations

Established in 2016 by father and son team Janusz and Kamil Siedzielnik, Furnica is now a trusted supplier of hinges, drawer slides, fittings and components replete with warehouse and office facilities in the UK, Poland and Germany, backed up by dedicated multi-lingual websites.

Furnica’s main customers are carpenters, joiners, cabinetmakers, woodworkers and KBB manufacturers, and the company currently employs 22 people in total. Its UK facility is centrally located in Rugby, Warwickshire.

Janusz has been associated with the furniture industry since 1995, and for 25 years was a leading manufacturer of custom-made furniture and bespoke kitchens. The experience he gained during this time, and a wide knowledge of the furniture accessories market, enables Janusz to anticipate and satisfy the needs of the furniture and carpentry industry.

Kamil has been closely with the furniture industry for 12 years. Throughout his career he has worked with several well-known European brands of made-to-measure furniture, and furniture accessories manufacturers. Knowing the needs of the carpentry industry, five years ago he created an online platform to deliver furniture accessories to customers in five European countries. During this time, this has created a multi-million-pound turnover enterprise.

According to Jacek Siewiaryn, head of marketing, Furnica’s key strengths, which make the company stand out from its competitors, are: “Unlike many wholesalers, Furnica is a direct importer and producer of most of the products in its offer. Thanks to this, customers can count on the best prices and a direct guarantee – because Furnica takes full responsibility for each product, from hinges and furniture runners to cable grommets and many more besides. To highlight this significant element, Furnica introduced the Furnicore emblem – having this mark guarantees the highest quality of product.

“We are living In crazy world. Covid-19 and Brexit present considerable challenges for small, family-owned business – customers will be looking for stable suppliers of furniture materials and components, and of course the price will be more important than ever.

“The second factor, and probably the most important, is logistics. Due to the very high prices of freight from China, the whole problem is not the price, as much as the actual availability of the products. But, thanks to our three warehouses in Germany, Poland and the UK, Furnica is able to deliver goods to any part of Europe within four working days. We believe these two factors will be extremely important in the next two years.”

Furnica says its last 24 months have been an challenging period, with intensive development for the company. “During this period, sales in five European markets quadrupled,” says Jacek. “The increase in demand resulted in the expansion of the warehouse in Poland and the opening of two new warehouses in Germany and the UK.”

The last 18 months have also been a dynamic time for Furnica: “We were able to launch a number of original products under the Furnica brand over the past year and a half, such as the 3D hinge and the entire line of Push To Open runners. Despite the difficulties of Brexit and Covid-19, for Furnica it has been a time of very intensive development and large sales increases in all markets. In 2020, Furnica established its branch in the USA, and at the moment, work is under way to launch an ecommerce platform for this market,” points out Jacek.

Furnica says that currently, the greatest emphasis is placed on improving its customer service and ensuring the shortest possible delivery times for its customers, adding that it is also focusing on developing the product range manufactured under the Furnica brand. In addition, due to the dynamic growth of the markets in Italy and France, Furnica plans to open another new warehouse in France in 2022 in order to shorten delivery times to these markets.

At the moment, Furnica is focused on introducing its new Push-To-Open drawer runners and a line of extravagant furniture handles. In the meantime, it is looking primarily to the development of its associates – as Jacek says, they are the most important part of the entire company. “We are in the process of introducing a series of training programmes to maintain the knowledge of our employees at the highest level internationally, whilst not forgetting the importance of a healthy atmosphere and team spirit. After all, Furnica is about people – without them we would only be a company selling hinges, and that’s not what we want. We want to form a long-term co-operation with both employees and customers.”

07441 909300 office@furnica.co.uk www.furnica.co.uk

The future of furniture is free

Manufacturers are always on the look-out for innovative fixtures and fittings which give customers more options when it comes to the style and functionality of their spaces. Increasingly, those helping design and install customers’ dream kitchens are being called upon to maximise access to, and room within, cabinetry, to make use of all available space.

To assist, Häfele offers the Free family – a range of hinge-less and hinged flap-type fittings which eliminate the need for large, space-consuming cover caps. Available in a variety of options to suit kitchens of different sizes, heights and depths, the collection has already won several international awards and is becoming a must-have fitting for kitchens where space is a premium.

Designed using Häfele’s extensive knowledge of the furniture manufacturing market, the Free family places user-friendly functionality at the heart of its design, and has undergone extensive testing to ensure high quality and durability. It offers the option to either tilt, lift, fold or swivel cabinet doors into a fixed open position, depending on the available space, ensuring users are able to reach deep into the chassis from all angles.

The fittings are simply clip-mounted to cabinets using a single pre-mounted conventional screw connection on the side walls for quick assembly, and each offer different weight and angle capabilities. They are available in standard colours – white, light grey and anthracite, and in black as a special order product – to match most kitchen cabinet designs.

The Free family, made up of the Space, Fold, Flap, Up, Swing, Maxi and Duo, are available with either a soft-close mechanism or as a touch opening for handle-less panels. Electric options are also available for soft-close and push-to-open versions. Each offers even more space within a kitchen compared to traditional hinges, and presents individual benefits so can be cherry-picked to suit a customer’s specific requirements. Free Flap, for example, is best suited to flap doors at medium or low heights, where there is little space available upwards of the cabinet, and for those with compact dimensions and shallow depths.

Free Up is tailored for kitchens where there is little space available to move a cabinet door outwards – instead, it is suited to chassis with overhead fronts and additional ceiling room height. Free Fold is suitable for cabinets where taller fronts are used to conceal multiple internal shelves, while the Free Swing offers elegant movement, extending the profile backwards by almost 180˚ to make slim spaces above cabinets more functional.

Meanwhile, Free Space has been recognised by world-leading award programmes, which have highlighted the product for its distinctive but functional properties. It achieved a special award with the globally renowned Red Dot Award, and was presented as a ‘world first’ when it achieved the interzum award for ‘High Product Quality’ in 2019. It has since gone on to win the German Design Award and German Innovation Award in 2020.

The Free family has already inspired hundreds of thousands of designers and manufacturers to think differently about hinge work. Manufacturers who want to play a part in transforming the way customers use their kitchens in the future are already benefitting from Free, and Häfele is confident it will continue to lead the way in flap fittings for a long time to come.

www.hafele.co.uk

Things are cooking up for Space-Plug with Byggan, U-scribe and Fixol joining in the mix

Since its launch, Space-Plug has grown into a recognised and professional solution for kitchen and furniture fitting. With an innovation award from FIRA and sales in excess of 5.5 million units, there’s no doubt this ‘handy orange doofer’ as it’s often referred to, has certainly made its mark in the KBB industry.

Inventor and MD, Cliff Petit states: “Wren kitchens have been an incredible partner for us. Our inclusion with their units is a wonderful opportunity to reach volume whilst retail distribution has bolstered growth and provided valuable resources.”

Currently, Amazon hosts Space-Plug’s entire range with further distribution coming from Howdens, Screwfix, Toolstation and Axminster – but in the latest addition to the company’s distribution strategy, Space-Plug is announcing a host of new partnerships and a brand new outlet.

Currently, Space-Plug.com was designed in house: “We’re a family run business and have to turn our hands to many things,” explains Cliff, “my brother, Nige, managed to self-teach some basic WordPress skills and what we’ve had is something hopefully humorous and attractive but simply there to increase awareness of the product and an understanding of it’s potential. But with the scale of the following we now have, a more commercial relaunch is very much in order.”

Space-Plug has teamed up with some big brands and great offers via Byggan.com, an independent tool shop specialist with the ability to add some real value for Space-Plug shoppers. The new site on Space-Plug.com is planned to go live on September 8th and will offer the entire Space-Plug range of products and accessories plus a whole lot more.

“Byggan not only gives us the opportunity to offer a whole host of hand tools, tool kits and consumables but also some cracking big brands such as, Caterpillar, Everbuild and Tracer – all independently sourced and kept at genuine online margins.”

But there’s more than Space-Plug and tools – with Space-Plug being invented by a former fitter, the company is well set to bring in other great fitter-led proprietary products that promise great innovation, simplicity and effectiveness having been created by people, ‘on the tools’.

“The U-Scribe Jig is joining us and their answer to clamping fillets during scribe marking is another brilliant ‘no-brainer’ that helps installers no end to a superfast and super professional finish,” says Cliff. “We’re incredibly delighted to be able to stock this simple and invaluable time-saver.

“In addition to that, Fixol is designed in Belgium offers possibly the finest universal drawer kit on the market. If you want to create drawers around sinks and pipes in kitchens or bathrooms, Fixol is the kit to have.”

Space-Plug offers proprietary products, assessed and valued by people who have done the job. Then adding in some great names, great products and great tools, iced with a suitable dollop of great brands Space-Plug.com is looking like a recipe for success.

www.space-plug.com

Lights, action! (but no wires)

Hettich’s versatile AvanTech You drawer system earned the 2021 Interzum Award in the ‘High Product Quality’ category for outstanding design merit. The new stand-out design features which caught the jury’s eye include integrated lighting.

It is features such as this which reflect the growing megatrend of individualisation, reinforcing customer demand for customisation in addition to design flexibility in kitchen and home furnishings.

This particular award spotlights outstanding design in terms of form and functionality. The slimline drawer side profile of a mere 13mm, with invisibly integrated front-panel adjustment function, permits elegant, flawless design in any combination. It is the ideal setting for this signature lighting feature, which integrates in the profile both elegantly and easily.

Simply clipping into place, a designer profile illuminates open drawers on the inside in an even 4000K LED light, while creating an eyecatching feature on the outside, too. The glass inlays have polished or ground edges to create distinctive lighting effects.

Costly connections

A practical rechargeable battery pack provides the necessary energy, so there is no need for costly electrical connections, leaving high-quality design with signature lighting to steal the show without any added cost. Even at standard line-up level, the AvanTech drawer platform provides a plethora of design combinations in terms of colour, shape and material. Providing the option of giving drawers signature lighting, AvanTech You plays with attractive design features that tick every box when it comes to contemporary taste and style.

Defined by design flexibility

Aside from this new lighting option, design flexibility touches every aspect of the AvanTech You drawer system. There are five drawer heights, numerous widths, three colours for the drawer and its internal organisation (silver, anthracite and white) and two runner system options (Actro or Quadro) on a single drilling pattern with up to 70kg load capacity, to suit different applications and market segments.

Practical benefits include the fact that no routing of the bottom panel is necessary. Manufacturers can choose screw-fitting the bottom panel or using clamps with the no-catch assembly. Rear-panel corner connectors for wooden rear panels are no longer required.

Add the options of Push to open silent, customisable internal drawer front heights and materials, and individual drawer side printing with the facility for a branding clip, and one has near-infinite added-value possibilities.

Hettich was founded in 1888, and today is one of the world’s largest and most successful manufacturers of furniture fittings. Over 6700 members of staff in almost 80 countries work together towards the objective of developing intelligent technology for furniture.

With it, Hettich fascinates people across the globe and is a valuable partner to the furniture industry. The brand stands for consistent values – quality, innovation, reliability and closeness to customers. Despite its size and international significance, Hettich has remained a familyowned business. Being independent of investors means that the company has a free hand in shaping its future with a focus on the human element and sustainability.

0161 872 9552 info@uk.hettich.com www.hettich.com/uk

Unrivalled creativity from Lamello

Pravin Gajparia is a man that knows that he wants and importantly, knows how to get it. Already the owner of a successful, Londonbased construction company and development company, his next move has been to invest £1.2m in a new, 14,000 square foot workshop, to house a new joinery company, Orange Tree Joinery.

“I started Orange Tree Joinery in 2018 and it was the missing piece of the jigsaw in my construction portfolio,” begins Pravin. “My construction business was winning multimillion pound projects for a wealth of celebrities and royalty but, with no manufacturing facilities of my own, I was having to outsource highly bespoke, and often highly intricate work, to local joinery firms. This left me with little control over lead times or quality control. It seemed like a logical step to open a joinery business that could not only service my other businesses but also make a name for itself as a high-end, bespoke joinery firm in its own right.”

With Pravin at the helm, Orange Tree Joinery was never going to be a run-of-the-mill joinery shop. He had a vision: he wanted to offer architects, designer and specifiers complete creative freedom, with zero design limitations. “I’m a firm believer that anything is possible when you have the very best products to hand,” says Pravin. “I only wanted to partner with innovative businesses and only use the very best equipment.”

This resulted in the company investing in a range of machinery from SCM, including two CNC’s – a three-axis N100 and five-axis Morbidelli M100 – which would be teamed with Lamello’s unique CNC joining solution, the Cabineo 12, to create strong, seamless joins without the need for screws or glues.

Drilling and milling tools

“In order for me to make my vision happen, I needed to make my machinery operators and fitters lives easier,” says Pravin. “With new CNC’s ordered and SolidWorks software in place, I needed a connector that could be integrated into my processes easily. It needed to be suitable for surface machining, work efficiently without the need for additional drill holes in the edge and offer innovative solutions to tricky designs. The Cabineo 12 was exactly what I was looking for.”

The one-part connector, which has been designed for dividing panels from 24mm and corner joints from 13mm, offered the design versatility and aesthetics Pravin was looking for. As well as offering precise alignment without additional alignment elements, the Cabineo 12 offers more efficient production, faster installation and a higher clamping force when compared to standard cam and dowel fittings.

“It’s streamlined our production, reduced handling and it’s halved the time our fitters need on site,” says Pravin. “This significant time-saving advantage saves on labour and, because the Cabineo 12 is so simple to connect, mistakes are a thing of the past.”

The introduction of Lamello’s CNC connector

Morbidelli m100

also offer even more design possibilities. Pravin says: “The Cabineo is known to be a brilliant aid for joining carcasses but we’re using it on so much more, including on Hi-Macs and solid quartz. We’re regularly using it on Corian kitchen islands, vanity units and bar fronts, too. It offers exceptional strength and you won’t find a screw in site. It has the ability to help us create anything. So much so, we’ve just won a contract to design two exhibition stands that will be built solely with Lamello’s connectors. We’ll be using five of Lamello’s connectors in total – including the magnet driven Invis Mx2, Tenso P and Divario P – to create a plug and play stand. Lamello was the only option for this.”

Going forward, Pravin is on track to double the number of projects he’s completing in the next 12-months. Pravin adds: “We’re currently buying 40,000 Lamello fixings a year but I can see us doubling this due to a very buoyant market. I set out to be different to everybody else and to offer my customers a service they simply cannot find elsewhere. I’m confident I’m achieving this thanks to a fleet of cutting-edge machinery, strong relationships with my suppliers and the use of premium products like Lamello.

www.lamello.co.uk

The A to X of insert nuts

There are a lot of insert nuts to choose from. The team at JET PRESS is always on hand to give you the best possible advice. In the meantime, here is a quick guide to some of the options available.

A Type or B Type are suitable for lightweight applications. They tap quickly and easily into a pre-drilled hole. External barbs prevent spinning and offer a good level of pull-out resistance, particularly in hard wood and plywood. Type A Inserts are unheaded so they can be embedded in the timber for a flush fit. Type B has a flanged head which prevents pull-through when bolted from the underside.

Screw-in Type D and Type E Insert Nuts offer a greater degree of hold-in and a higher resistance to vibration, thanks to the external, self-tapping thread. The hex head makes fitting quick, accurate and easy using a hexagon driver or Allen key. This makes them well suited for use in soft woods and chipboard. The flange on the D Type ensures that the insert is screwed tightly up to the timber surface whilst the Type E can be fully embedded within the pre-drilled hole

Type I inserts offer a neat finish where the head is visible. Large flanged inserts spread load across a larger surface area on heavy duty assemblies. Type P inserts ensure a high pull-out resistance and expanding brass Type X inserts grip tighter as the bolt is screwed in and serrated.

Expertise is free

There’s a lot to think about when selecting the correct Insert Nut for your job. The thread size and length of insert required are often determined by the fixings being used and the timber thickness. And you have to factor in the forces in play in the joint where the Insert Nut is to be used.

JET PRESS stock a variety of specialist parts which may be suitable for your application and they are always happy to talk about the best solution for your application.

01623 788 400 sales@jetpress.com www.jetpress.com