IDS Show – Perspectives

(April 2022)

The Interior Design Show took place in Toronto in early April. For the most part, the show was significantly smaller than in previous years. No vendor had as big a footprint as would be typical at the WMS show. Other members in attendance included  Blum, Richelieu, and Uniboard.

Blum also provided an update on their experience at the show. You can read their review here»

Varun Gajendran,Marketing Manager at Lucvaa Kitchens attended the show and gave us a run down of what he saw:

  • Richelieu featured several their TFL lines that they carry including Egger, AGT, Cleaf, Premline & Finsa
  • Richelieu had new, trendy handle boards including industrial iron, rope, polished brass, natural wood decorative pulls
  • BLUM showcased all their products with product specialists on-site to answer all my technical questions
  • BLUM’s Tony Henry also invited the Lucvaa team over to their new showroom to see the changes and visit their automation-heavy warehouse
  • Uniboard had their new colours, including their Supermat finish line, on display
  • Caesarstone had a cool booth, but there was unfortunately a 15-minute wait to see it (booth was very unconventional, with a giant mirrored orb hanging from the ceiling)
  • Miele booth featured a lot of built-in coffee machines and smaller appliances

“As a manufacturer, I wouldn’t consider IDS the best tradeshow as it is more catered toward designers. I went to network and catch-up with my vendors like Richelieu and Blum, who’s teams I haven’t seen in person in over 2 years. A few of our designers are heading over this afternoon and tomorrow to see what is there to inspire them on their next projects.”

Other observations:

  • Multi-family seminar was interesting
    • Presenters were Michael Leckie, Principal Architect, Leckie Studio Architecture & Gaile Guevara, Interior Designer, Gaile Guevara Studio
    • What I caught was talking about changing designing to accommodate not only multiple family, but also disability/accommodations
  • Other than the more relevant home renovation brands and industries, there were at least 3 acoustic paneling companies as well
    • One was using natural moss as a sound proofing
    • Another had 4cm thick decorative panels in a variety of colours
    • Maybe this is a growing industry for limiting noise pollution

 

Labour shortage is a very serious issue for kitchen cabinet industry (Part 2)

The Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association is active in pursuing solutions to the shortage of skilled labour in the kitchen cabinet industry. It is working with its partnering associations, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to track the complex issues surrounding labour shortages. CKCA is engaged on a number of fronts: attracting and retaining skilled labour, increasing awareness of attractive career opportunities within the industry, and advocating for better immigration and foreign workers programs. There are interesting developments in each of these areas.

In a recent report, the Conference Board of Canada and the Future Skills Centre assessed that the unrealized value of Canada’s skills shortage is equivalent to 1.3 percent of the country’s GDP. This unrealized value has  topped $25 billion in 2020, up from $15 billion in 2015. All levels of government recognize this is a critical problem and are finding ways to encourage greater numbers of skilled tradespeople. For example, in Ontario, the provincial government launched Skilled Trades Ontario, a new Crown agency, to improve trades training and simplify services. The new agency will promote and market the trades, develop the latest training and curriculum standards, and provide a streamlined user-friendly experience for tradespeople. It is hoped that the agency can deliver more skilled workers for in-demand jobs.

Specific to the kitchen cabinet industry, CKCA is supportive of the training program at the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing. The new program’s objective is to attract professionals and entrepreneurs to the wood products industry. Kudos to CAWP for opening the program to people without a background in wood products, who are preparing to take on supervisory or management roles in the industry.

CKCA is also working with four leading industry groups to offer an online jobs portal that will make it easier to promote job opportunities and attract new skilled workers to woodworking. Companies can post “help wanted” ads free-of-charge on WoodworkingJobs.ca in order to connect with potential candidates.

Effective immigration policies and foreign workers programs are necessary for Canada to increase the size of the country’s workforce. Canada needs one million workers over the next five years according to the latest federal analysis. This has prompted Ottawa, in early April, to give several provinces the ability to hire significantly more temporary foreign workers as part of changes to its immigration rules. The changes are meant to streamline the application process for employers.

In conjunction with this, the federal government is accepting 1.3 million new immigrants over the next three years, in part, to help fill critical labour shortages. On the surface this needs to be applauded. However, it is disturbing to learn that the government has actually cut its target for skilled workers because of the existing backlog of 1.8 million immigrants in the queue to be processed. In fact, some reports indicate Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has paused new invitations altogether because the department cannot process them.

There is no silver bullet to solving Canada’s labour shortage. It is the reason why CKCA is approaching the issues in a multifaceted manner. It is essential the Association continues to foster and support educational and awareness initiatives, attract new talent from available pools of executive and skilled workers, and work with government to improve immigration and foreign worker programs.

If you are interested in knowing more details about what CKCA is doing regarding the shortage of skilled tradespeople, or wish to join our efforts in advancing industry solutions, connect with the CKCA executive director Sandra Wood – sandra@ckca.ca

What did we say in Part 1?  Read here

Benefits of working in the kitchen cabinet manufacturing sector

Walk through a kitchen cabinet manufacturing company in Canada these days and you will see a diverse range of jobs.

Everything from design to engineering to woodworking and management. There’s something for everyone.

So why consider working in our sector? There’s lots of great reasons to get in to our industry. Most people you talk to who have been in the industry a long time will tell you that they love it and it’s why they stayed. But we know there has to be other reasons to enter this industry so here’s some of the top reasons:

  • Regular working hours to balance with friends and family
  • Lots of employment opportunities
  • Essential industry, everyone has a kitchen! (our industry kept very busy through Covid-19)
  • Make a difference in people’s lives by designing and building beautiful spaces where people live and work
  • Wide range of jobs to choose from within the industry
  • High School or College level apprenticeships
  • NO large student debt
  • Career Advancement to work your way up in the business
  • More independent to be able to fix things and have the confidence to do it
  • Option to work with your hands and create – the skies the limit!
  • Lots of tech, software/robotics etc.
  • Great working environment, part of a team
  • Canadian industry, manufacturing a Canadian product and being proud to do so
  • Good for environment – Wood is a sustainable product
  • Men and women are in this industry – women make great woodworkers!
  • Own your own business – be your own boss!
Continual Work!
"I don't think there will ever be a time that we are no longer making things out of wood. I feel like there's always a place for woodworkers in the world. I can't think of a lot of disadvantages to it because it's a pretty useful trade and you can be creative, add your own flair."
Learning and Growth
"You learn something new every day. It's a satisfying and fun job because you're building something and you're done and you look at what you've done and you are proud and impressed with what you can do."
Skills for Work and Home Life
"It's super fun once you get used to it. It's something that you'll always have, you'll never forget it. It's handy if you ever need to build something in your home and it's just a good skill to have."

Labour shortage is a very serious issue for kitchen cabinet industry (Part 1)

It cannot be overstated: the Canadian kitchen cabinet industry is facing a serious labour shortage issue – and there are signs that it will get worse if the industry and government does not immediately take action. The Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association is sounding the alarm bell to heighten awareness and accelerate strategies to attract and retain workers in the industry.

In its Fall 2021 study on labour shortages in our country, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) reported: “Labour shortage is not a new phenomenon in Canada, yet the pressure has intensified in recent years. More than half (55%) of Canadian entrepreneurs are struggling to hire the workers they need, leaving them with no choice but to work more hours, as well as delay or refuse new orders.”

There are many signs that the situation may have passed the tipping point.

  • Ontario Chamber of Commerce reported a total of 62 percent of Ontario businesses are confronting labour shortages and they expect this to be a long-term problem.
  • Canadian Apprenticeship Forum states skilled trades require an average of 75,000 new apprentices to be hired every year in the next five years in order to meet the demand.
  • Buildforce Canada reports the construction industry requires 309,000 new recruits by 2030.

What kitchen cabinet businesses are experiencing with its labour force is not unique, yet this industry must find solutions to its labour shortage issues or its future prosperity – perhaps survival – is in question. This industry in Canada employs almost 25,000 and Statistics Canada employment figures reveal there is currently a ten percent job vacancy rate. So, there is a significant shortfall of labour today.

Then there is the matter of a greying workforce. The federal government recently launched a campaign to promote skilled trades after its recent projections that estimate 700,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire between 2019 and 2028. On this point, one CKCA member revealed that his company will have 40 percent of its workforce retiring in the next five years.

Technology also creates a challenge for all skilled labour industries. The World Economic Forum estimates that 44 percent of the skills that employees currently have will need to change by 2025. So, industries today must not only plan to recruit and train thousands, but adopt upskilling and engagement strategies that will retain talent – just in order to keep the doors open.

To address this complex issue, the CKCA advanced a policy statement on the skilled labour shortage in Canada:

The CKCA and the Wood Manufacturing Council calls for support from industry and government in: 1) communicating the benefits of working in the kitchen cabinet industry, while building educational programs that include mentorship and relevant skills training, 2) financial assistance for the retention and re-training of employees for shops investing in automation and continuous improvement, and 3) creating a support network that promotes and makes more accessible existing tools that address shared labour challenges. (CKCA policy statement can be read here.)

Watch for – Part 2: CKCA reviews proposed solutions addressing the labour shortage problem in Canada.

Denca Cabinets goes solar and are sure glad they did!

(March 2022)

Dominic and Heidi Boudreault, Owners of Denca Cabinets decided to invest in Solar panels in 2020.  When they started doing some research they noticed the Alberta grants & solar panel pricing had come down significantly. Heidi says  “We will be able to start seeing returns in 2.5 years!.”

Getting solar panels on the roof of their 45,000 sq ft. building has provided a way for Denca  to decrease their carbon footprint. They installed 466 x 72 cell modules which produces approx. 237,500Kwh of energy. This is equivalent to 70% of Denca’s annual energy requirements.

According to Heidi “The 209.41 kW solar PV system is estimated to produce 6,824,000 kWh over the 30 year life of the system which will provide the following environmental benefits (check out this handy report they receive from their provider):

Equivalent 79840 trees planted

3,899,700 (kg CO2e) C02 Emission Saved

Equivalent to 45,493,640 Kilometers Driven by an Electric Vehicle.”

Well done Dominic and Heidi Boudreault for taking a big step forward in making your business more environmentally sustainable. As well, we are sure given the current prices for energy, the timing could not have been better. We look forward to hearing from you in the future to see how this journey continues and what other innovative solutions you find to turn your business into “a green machine”!!

Handhills Cabinets shows how capable their machinery really is

Handhills Cabinets, is  a proud member of CKCA based in Hanna, Alberta.

Recently they had a large commercial job that required plywood shelving.

With solid 3/4 strip wood on the front edges,– vs just some thin PVS edge, and without the options on this machine, Handhills admits they could not have bid on the job. What they found different about the machine is that only larger and really heavy duty machines can actually apply an edge that thick ( 3/4″ ) most only go to ( 3/8″ ) or smaller. The unit in video 3– is again a unit found only on larger machines, so they would never want to do without it, –unless you only ever want to straight kitchen cabinets.

Handhills Cabinets says “If you do both residential and commercial, it pays to spend a little more on a machine with more options.”

Video 1 – Feeding in and applying 3/4″ thick solid lumber to apply onto a commercial shelving job, using waterproof PUR adhesive.
Video 2 – Showing front and back trim cutting off excess overhand
Video 3 – Rough trimmer units – trimming applied piece flush to panel
Video 4 – Profile units putting a smaller chamfer edges

 

Working up the chain on the supply chain issue

CKCA is a member of the Canadian Manufacturer’s Coalition. We provide input and “feed it up the chain” about the issues we face in our sector so that our voice is heard. While we share many of the same challenges as other manufacturing sectors, it’s important we present a unified voice when speaking with Government. We are pleased to see CME continuing it’s work to seek solutions with Government to address the supply chain which is causing many difficulties across all sectors.

CME Urges Swift and Sustained Action at Supply Chain Summit (Jan 31, 2022)

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) took part in the federal government’s supply chain summit hosted today by Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra. With the goal of improving Canada’s supply chains, the summit was also attended by five other federal Ministers – Trade Minister Mary Ng, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, and Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan.

CME’s primary objective was to press the government to commit to sustained action on fixing supply chain problems that are impacting manufacturing operations across the country. Specifically, CME called on the government to create sector specific task forces that will identify supply chain problems and their solutions, and that the government will commit to implementing the task forces’ recommendations.

Further to sharing solutions, CME explained how supply chains are impacting manufacturers and offered the following priority recommendations:

  • Address all transportation bottlenecks and avoid policies that will aggravate them further;
  • Speed up immigration into Canada to fill vacant jobs in manufacturing and other key sectors; and
  • Provide government assistance for manufacturers still struggling with the impacts of supply chain disruptions.

Today’s meeting builds on CME’s months-long advocacy push to mitigate some of the impacts manufacturers have been experiencing with supply chain disruptions. From parts and ingredient shortages to trucker mandates impacting the cost and availability of transportation services, CME will continue to press for improvements on all these challenges behind the scenes and in the media

CKCA plugs in to Cyber Threat Security Strategies

CKCA continues to work to share insights with our members to help you protect your business assets from Cyber attacks.
Register for this session, hosted by the Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario.  Taking place Feb 15, 2022 (CKCA Members welcome)
We continue to stay plugged in to the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange, a valuable collaboration centre that brings security experts together to share intel on how to defend against the latest threats.
Recently we attended a panel discussion that heard from companies including TDBank. Due to issues on the international stage and conflicts in some parts of the world, cyber attacks are on the increase hitting big companies and small.
Furthermore, companies who have remote workers are at increased risk because workers may be on an unsecured network (i.e. coffee shop) working on the company computer with sensitive information. It’s important to have proper procedures in place to manage these situations in addition to taking steps to secure the data on your network.
Protect your business assets. Never assume. Use CKCA’s handy checklist to know what questions to ask your IT provider and and make sure you get answers.
Other tools:  Watch CKCA’s recorded session on Cyber Security here.
Cyber attacks are on the increase sparking more awareness to protect your business. Don’t get caught.