Page 8 - CMA PROfiles Fall 2019

CMA News

Roundup INTERZUM AND LIGNA 2019

REPORTS FROM EUROPE’S
BIG SHOWS

James Fox, VP of the CMA’s Board of Directors, headed to
Europe this past May and took in both the interzum and
LIGNA international trade shows. Fox has been to several
international shows over the years and knows how to make
the most of the experience.
When he returned from his travels, he shared reports
in the CMA members-only online forums about both his
overall show experiences and some of the products that
he found especially striking. We’ve pulled highlights to
share here (edited for space), and we’ll start with his report
from interzum, the world's leading trade fair for furniture
production and interior design, held May 21-24 in Cologne,
Germany. Here are the highlights, in his own words:
I would recommend spending two days at a minimum.
Three will let you really linger, and four will let you see
all of the halls. Roughly half of the eight or so buildings
feature items of interest to cabinetmakers. The booths Quick connectors are truly all the rage. Häfele was show-
are huge – Häfele’s footprint here was probably 10 times ing an interesting connector that only requires drilling a
the size of the booths they have at IWF or AWFS. hole. One end has ribs that insert into a deep hole, and
the other end has a kind of hook that grabs the side of a
Quite a few new hardware items are on the horizon and shallow hole. They seemed more solid in practice than I
will probably be available for our market in a year or would have expected.
two. Many vendors and manufacturers use the show to
demonstrate prototypes and get feedback; then they
decide what changes to make if they proceed to produc-
tion. One of the most common upgrades was the minimiz-
ing of lifting mechanisms for lift-up doors; there was also a
mechanism that is hidden in the side of a cabinet.

Besides allowing full use of the cabinet interior, the best
application for these “hidden” flap hinges seems to be
for a glass door that uses only a 3/4" frame or a complete
piece of glass that lies on top of a slim frame.
Blum showed a next-generation drawer box system that
has the straight interior wall but also an outside wall that
is flared a bit to allow for an improved slide mechanism.
The fully extended drawer has almost no sag even with
weight applied.

6 PROFILES FALL 2019