INDUSTRY UPDATE THE BMA COLUMN
Installer opens Kinedo-only showroom in Wales
BMA – Know your dual-flush buttons and be lavvy savvy
T
he wet autumn and winter months can make water scarcity feel like a remote issue for many in the UK. However, our water demand could outstrip the supply in just 25 years if we don’t act to conserve and manage it properly. Increasing the awareness of this critical challenge is one the BMA takes very seriously.
We know that consumers are becoming increasingly pressured from a variety of angles. The economic strain caused by high energy and food costs, inflation at a 40-year record high and interest rate hikes are reducing household budgets to uncomfortable levels. Add to this the pressure to adapt and help mitigate climate change consequences causing drought and water stress in the UK can be overwhelming. However, reducing water and energy often go hand-in-hand. Shorter showers, for instance, are an easy way to reduce water and energy use. But consumers can avoid wasting water in other very simple ways when using the WC, and retailers have a crucial role to play.
Research by the Water Regulations Approval Scheme (WRAS) found that many people struggle to differentiate between the large or small flush on many two-button toilet designs. Even the best-performing designs only had 92% correct recognition. Manufacturers are already looking at and improving designs, but we all have a role in helping consumers better understand how to work their loo.
Waterwise recently launched a campaign highlighting the plumbers’ role in the awareness of dual flush buttons. Plumbers clearly have a significant role in advising and guiding consumers on how to use and recognise dual flush loos, but so do retailers.
Awareness of which button to press for a full or reduced flush can seem obvious; the large one for a full flush and the smaller one for a reduced flush. The smaller flush can use approximately two litres less, saving a significant amount of water (and money for those on a water meter). Regardless of whether the button design is unmistakable for a full or reduced flush, I would call on retailers to join in this awareness for consumers and help reduce wasted water.
Tom Reynolds Chief Executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association
For more information contact BMA on 01782 631619 or email
info@bathroom-association.org.uk
40 BKU DECEMBER 2022
South Wales plumber and installer Tom Pendrick opened a showroom in Neath selling the Kinedo brand exclusively. Ace Inspirations showroom at The Hub is also a training centre for local plumbers interested in Kinedo. Tom displays the new Brooklyn aimed squarely at younger consumers and family favourite Kinemagic Serenity featuring a fold-down seat and handrail and popular with families with young children but equally favoured by older, less mobile customers who have the peace of mind of a seat and support rails if required.
Other models include the Kineprime Contract, Eden, Moonlight, and a
Kinemoon tray and Kinestyle glass panel. Tom demonstrates how Kinedo offers a tremendous commercial opportunity for plumbers and fitters who can enjoy repeat business.
Quooker’s Stephen Johnson on cost-of-living support schemes
As this country faces ever-increasing costs of living, with a gloomy forecast of any real governmental support, onus must fall inevitably to employers to offer tangible support to its workforce. Whatever the financial, political or social situation, my priority has always been to retain staff. This cost-of-living crisis is no different. We must give-back to our employees and reward their hard-work over the years. That is why, at Quooker, we have made the decision to pay all staff in the UK & Ireland a substantial cost-of-living bonus and have increased all base salaries to accommodate increasing costs.
My hope is that other companies in the sector will consider doing likewise. We have worked hard as a sector to attract world-class talent – be that through impressive apprenticeship schemes, thorough training programmes and sector incentives. We must collectively work hard to keep that talent, thereby investing in the future of the sector.
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
