NEWS | Round-up
VIEWPOINT A step-change
on sustainability CEO Tom Reynolds explains how the BMA is setting out to stimulate research into the industry’s environmental problems
New MD for Ideal Standard
DAVID BARBER (pictured) has been appointed the new UK and Ireland managing director of Ideal Standard. The former finance director joined the company in 2006 and takes over from Stephen Ewer who is leaving the business after just over two years.
The naming of Barber provides some stability to the role following a series of short-term appointments.
THE FOCUS on sustainability in this issue is very welcome from a manufacturer’s standpoint. Last autumn, BMA members set a strategy for the organisation with a twin focus: improving product compliance in the marketplace and stepping up sustainability efforts. Neither are easy issues to tackle, but exploring the nuances is a start. That is what we were hoping to do in our inaugural Sustainability Forum, but Covid-19 had other ideas. We’re going ahead with the forum on July 1 by hook or by crook – probably in an online format. We’ve pulled together experts to cover a broad range of topics – selling sustainability, going carbon neutral and, in partnership with BIM Object, the role of digital models. Anyone that wants to be involved should get in touch. We are also trying to encourage academic
We need a fresh pair of eyes on the toughest issues
researchers to look at some of our industry’s environmental ‘wicked problems’ with a fresh pair of eyes. That’s not because our sector lacks the capability or will to innovate – that would be an unfair accusation. However, companies’ R&D efforts point at immediate demands and bringing new products to market.
Every week BMA members are
proud to showcase new water- saving products, waste-reduction schemes and alike. The structural environmental issues our industry faces need conceptual leaps not
easy to achieve when you are focusing on near-market innovation. That’s where academics come in. Over the past couple of months, we’ve been beavering away at a paper on water efficiency in the bathroom. This will summarise the academic research that already exists and, more importantly, highlight where there are gaps in need of investigation. We hope this will stimulate researchers to tackle the toughest problems we face in creating truly water-efficient bathrooms. We have found that a large amount of the studies on water efficiency in the bathroom focuses on user behaviour. The problem is that researchers have assumed consumers are either ignorant or have a bad attitude towards the environment. Despite the slew of writing on behaviour, little of it has looked at the way we as human beings interact with water fittings. More study on the behavioural ergonomics of the
bathroom could help manufacturers and designers engineer out inefficient bad habits. In coming months, we plan to produce more of these sorts of reports. They’ll identify the research gaps in other bathroom sustainability areas, such as waste reduction, the circular economy, efficient production and transport. It’s by filling in those research gaps, that bathroom manufacturers and the wider KBB industry can innovate. That way, together, we can deliver a step- change on sustainability.
12
HiB receives Queen’s Award for enterprise
BATHROOM SUPPLIER HiB has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the innovation category. The 30-year old bathroom mirror and cabinet specialist – which has a head office in North London and national distribution centre in Tamworth, Staffordshire – is one of only 220 organisations to be recognised nationally with the award this year.
HiB has been identified for its excellence in innovation, which it says is central to the ongoing success of the company. In a statement the company said its dedicated product development teams “are continuously creating new and exciting designs, which challenge traditional perceptions of bathroom mirrors and cabinets.”
Now in its 54th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning companies able to use the Queen’s Awards emblem for the next five years. Her Majesty The Queen selects the awards on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an advisory committee, including representatives of the government, industry and commerce. HiB managing director, Robert Ginsberg (pictured) said: “This is an incredible achievement for HiB and is a fitting testament to the hard work, creativity and vision of all our employees across our 30-year history. “As a company, our vision has always been to be the leading supplier of innovative, creative solutions which make bathrooms beautiful, whilst making a substantial difference to the lives of our people, partners and the world we live in. We thrive on developing new products which present an added ‘wow’ factor, but also feature the very best technology to make their experience all that more exciting.
“It is wonderful that HiB has been recognised as part of the Queens Award for Enterprise and we are looking forward to focusing our energies into developing more innovations in the future.”
· May 2020
Ewer had taken over from Jim Moore who himself had only had the role for less than a year and, in fact, Moore took on the job from David Barber who had been operating as interim MD following the departure of Keith Boad. Jan Peter Tewes, Ideal Standard chief commercial officer, said: “David has been part of the Ideal Standard family for over 14 years. His in-depth knowledge of the business will be vital as we navigate the current, unprecedented situation and his strong leadership at this time will be key to ensuring our future success.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Stephen for all of his hard work and dedication in driving forward the UK business and we wish him the best of luck in the future.” Ideal Standard International has its headquarters in Brussels and the privately-owned company employs around 9,000 people and operates 16 manufacturing sites, serving over 100 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
