Day: October 30, 2021

2022 KBIS, IBS Health & Safety Guidelines Updated

Essie Kennedy Kitchen Improvement
2022 KBIS, IBS Health & Safety Guidelines Updated

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ A revised set of health and safety protocols, including COVID-19 vaccination requirements and/or proof of a negative coronavirus test result, have been issued for the 2022 Design & Construction Week (DCW), the annual three-day event that encompasses the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and the International Builders’ Show (IBS).

The National Kitchen & Bath Association, which owns KBIS, and the National Association of Home Builders, owner of IBS, last month released the revised protocols for DCW, scheduled for Feb. 8-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The guidelines apply to attendee and exhibitor registrants for both KBIS and IBS, and are subject to revision, event sponsors noted.

“The safety and wellbeing of our attendees, partners, exhibitors, site workers and staff remains our top priority, said DCW organizers, adding that they are “working with our vendors, partners and the Orange County Convention Center to … deliver a safe and productive environment in which to conduct business.”

“As we get closer to returning to an in-person event, we continue to update our health and safety policies based upon current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of Florida and local Orlando health authorities, event organizers added. “We will continue to monitor their recommendations and will update relevant information as needed.”

Guidance related to large gatherings relative to COVID-19 and associated variants continues to change, DCW organizers said. “What will remain constant,” show officials said, “is the commitment of the NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) and NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) and to the health and safety of attendees, exhibitors, partners and staff at our shows.”

Details regarding the health and safety policies for Design and Construction Week can be found at: http://www.designandconstructionweek.com/healthsafety.html.

The post 2022 KBIS, IBS Health & Safety Guidelines Updated appeared first on Kitchen & Bath Design News.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.thehouseofbledsoe.com/?p=246

U.S. Action Urged on Supply Chain Bottlenecks, Tariffs

Essie Kennedy Kitchen Renovation
U.S. Action Urged on Supply Chain Bottlenecks, Tariffs

WASHINGTON, DC A pair of prominent industry-related trade associations have issued pleas for Congress and the Biden administration to help ease global supply chain bottlenecks that are stunting housing affordability and hindering the availability of key products used in new construction and residential remodeling.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) last month each issued separate calls for government policymakers to eliminate current trade barriers and seek solutions to port congestion and major delays in truck and rail transportation.

Testifying before the House Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations, NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke told government lawmakers that disruptions in the building materials supply chain exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic are having “a disproportionate” impact on smaller homebuilding firms.

“Without large economies of scale, small businesses generally cannot negotiate bulk discounts on lumber and other key building materials,” said Fowke. “The effects of this uncertainty trickle all the way to the (prospective) homebuyer, many of whom have balked at projects due to unexpected price increases.”

According to the Washington, DC-based NAHB, historically high lumber and building materials prices continue to serve as “headwinds” for the U.S. housing sector, significantly impeding housing affordability.

“From steel mill products and plastic piping to cooper pipe and wood windows and doors, prices are up dramatically year-to-date and are exacerbating the growing housing affordability crisis,” Fowke said. “Until a long-term solution can be reached, Congress and the administration should temporarily suspend duties on a wide array of imported building materials and goods, from Canadian softwood lumber to Chinese steel and aluminum.”

In addition, “policymakers must continue to aggressively explore solutions to ease building material supply chain disruptions that are causing project delays and putting upward pressure on home prices,” Fowke added.

Days before Fowke’s plea, AHAM joined several other trade associations in telling Congress that ongoing supply chain challenges “are hurting the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, stalling the economic recovery (and resulting in) unprecedented damage to the global product supply chain.”

“The ability to produce and deliver home appliances to consumers has been dramatically hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic and other supply-related issues, creating hardships for consumers and businesses at every step in the supply chain,” said Joseph McGuire, AHAM president and CEO. “The result is ongoing shortages of products, materials, components and labor, leading to delays and increased costs.”

The post U.S. Action Urged on Supply Chain Bottlenecks, Tariffs appeared first on Kitchen & Bath Design News.