A delight working for Blum

Well known amongst architects, designers and those in the kitchen trade, Moira Smith from Blum NZ recently retired after some thirty years in the job. Bob Nordgren from JOINERS Magazine spoke with Moira about her time with Blum.

Moira joined Stu and Mel Sanders at Sanco NZ Ltd back in 1991 as they had the agency for Blum in those days. “I started out working in the office at their Rosebank Road address not far from where Blum is today”, Moira recalls. “Part of the job was to record all sales, which had to be done manually in a docket book. How times have changed!” In 1998 they decided they needed a dedicated rep calling on all the architects and designers. “I piped up, let me do it, and they agreed, so off I went in the company car with the expense account to visit architects and designers all around the North Island. It was the start of a love affair with the job.” She was Blum’s sole architect and designer rep until approximately three years ago when she started working very closely with her friend and colleague Kate Ward, who is to be Moira’s replacement.

In what is no doubt a competitive world, how did you survive?

I think the main thing was a passion for the product. This was helped by the short range of Blum product - hinges, drawers and lift systems – which enabled me to specialise and focus when I saw the architect or designer. I quickly came to realise how to interface with who I needed to see. For example, architects like you to be timely, and knowledgeable while designers want you to be informative and kept up to date with new products and literature. Rather than just presenting a brochure, I have always taken working models around with me, be it a hinge or a drawer or whatever, heavy work, but worth it. It helped to demonstrate the use and quality of the Blum product. Above all, I never cold-called; I always made an appointment and called when I had something new or interesting to talk about.

Around 2010 Mel and Stu at Sanco decided to move on, and Blum in Austria decided to set up shop on their own here in NZ. What did that mean for you?

Blum have always been a great employer to work for. It’s a family-owned operation, and they made you feel like you were part of their ‘family’ even though New Zealand was many thousands of miles away from their base in Austria. It was no different when they established their own operation in 2010 just down the road from Sanco’s old site in Rosebank Road. They bought in Mike Hawkins as their Managing Director, who had also worked for Sanco when they had the SCM agency. No jobs were lost, and we all felt much reassured. For me, it was business as usual but with the confidence of the direct backing of Blum.”

Thirty years is a long time. What were for you in terms of product the most significant developments in that time?

The big change was undoubtedly the emergence of the full extension soft close drawer systems. It transformed storage in the kitchen. Of course,

Moira Smith

that is not to say the evolution of the humble hinge, with integrated soft close and the exciting electrically driven SERVO-DRIVE for both drawers and lifts, have also had a significant effect as well.

Blum is an internationally based and highly regarded company. What opportunities did that provide?

I had the opportunity to travel to some of the famous trade shows such as Interzum, Eurocucina and AWISA, which really opened my eyes. Some were a bit daunting for the first time, size wise and in some ways, some of the designs were not always practical but spectacular, especially Milan, which is considered to be the design capital of the world. The best part was the Blum Factory tours, which took place prior to the Eurocucina fair. So many of our Cabinetmakers and Designers have made the commitment to travel to the other side of the world to see our production facilities in Austria. Locally, of course, there was the NKBA and Master Joiners Conferences over the years which kept me in touch with local industry developments. For me, it was the people I met that helped shape the way I thought.

How would you sum it all up?

It has been a delight to work for Blum. Every part of the process, from the joiners/cabinetmakers through to the designer, the architect and of course, all those at Blum, has been important to me. Blum offered me the opportunity to meet a great diversity of people, and being able to work through to the age of 65 has been a privilege, I think. Being involved in the kitchen industry and making sure people were looked after wherever it may be has been a big part of my life, let alone my job. I’m now really excited about the next chapter in my life.