The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association has stepped up its efforts to remind design professionals and consumers about the signification of the trade association’s A161.1 Quality Certification Seal program.
The Reston, VA-based KCMA announced that it has embarked on an extensive marketing communications campaign aimed at touting the benefits of the association’s ANSI-approved certification program, which mandates that cabinet manufacturers go through myriad tests that simulate a cabinet’s typical lifetime of use.
“The KCMA’s A161.1 standard is unique in that it’s the only performance standard for kitchen and bath cabinets,” said Chuck Arnold, v.p./standards & certification for the KCMA. “This assures value-chain participants that specific standards have been met, giving the consumer confidence in what’s installed in their kitchens.”
Among the KCMA A161.1 standard tests are:
- Structural tests meant to verify the structural integrity and strength of cabinets.
- Drawer tests focused on the mechanisms to operate with loading during normal use.
- Door operation tests to measure the ability of doors, hinges and means of attachment to withstand daily use.
- Finish tests that simulate the cumulative effects of years of normal kitchen conditions of pre-finished cabinets.
“Who doesn’t want to know more about what they are buying these days?” said KCMA CEO Betsy Natz. “We wanted to remind everyone in the path to purchase – designers, architects, showrooms, dealers and consumers – what to look for in a cabinet.”
“These cabinets are put through rigorous procedures,” Natz added. “That’s why it’s so important in tough economic times for people to realize quality … (and) to verify what quality means.”
