Kitchen sales heating up

Kitchen sales heating up

Local licensee of German firm says more consumers are cooking at home and not just showing off their kitchens

SOMPORN THAPANACHAI

More and more health-conscious city dwellers are cooking their own meals rather than simply buying food on the streets, kitchen makers say.

The increasing use of home kitchens, whcih are no longer just for show, has allowed Acmen International Group to grow steadily by providing western-style kitchens to new condominiums.

Klaus Kummer, technical adviser for the kitchen manufacturer that operates under licence from Germany's MEK Kuchen GmbH, said the traditional ''wet kitchen'' had been replaced by a ''dry kitchen'' as people want to cook simple foods with a shorter preparation time. They want less cutting and frying, he said, and more steaming and boiling.

With more people using kitchens, they are starting to pay more attention to design, function, materials and hardware. They prefer a kitchen that opens to a dining area, as cooking and eating have combined to become social events that involve family members and friends.

Currently, only a handful of firms provide western kitchens in Thailand. Acmen Group believed it would be the only company offering a one-stop service for kitchen installation when its 6,000- square-metre showroom on Ekamai Road opens next month.

Mr Kummer said the showroom would display up to 100 kitchens so customers could see the actual product before ordering a kitchen. It also has a 3D system to help design a kitchen space to fit each customer's needs.

The price ranges vary greatly depending on the required hardware and finishing materials, but a medium-end kitchen set may cost between 250,000 and 500,000 baht. The delivery period is about one month as the company needs about three weeks to finish ordering and a few days for installation.

Under the licence, Acmen manufactures different modules at different sizes, allowing the kitchen to be assembled within a short time.

The company requires more time to finish cabinet doors.

''Every kitchen will be different as each customer has different requirements and budget. All of them will look like a custom-made set,'' said Mr Kummer, who is also an independent designer.

He said the company had an online system linking it to MEK in Germany, which allows it to receive up-to-date information about the latest kitchen technology. However, Acmen needs to adjust designs _ especially the heights of counters and cabinets _ to match the physical needs of Asian people.

''We decided to get licences from a German firm that is advanced in kitchen production so we can get the know-how immediately rather than take 10 years to learn it by ourselves. The German system is precise and easy to install as we have a complete engineering package and software,'' said Mr Kummer.

Acmen estimated total modern kitchen sales in Thailand were two billion baht. It hopes to have a 10-15% market share next year and become the leader for this segment in a few years.

Currently, it has orders to install kitchens for more than 30 high-rise projects in Thailand, including 6,000 condominium units developed by Supalai Plc.

Besides Thailand, Acmen also has a licence to manufacture MEK kitchens in Asia. It recently obtained a contract to supply 500 kitchen sets to a property developer in Bangalore and is negotiating to install two million sets in housing units in several large cities in India. If it secures that order, the company must ask MEK in Germany to help fulfill it.

Mr Kummer said the response in the Middle East was interesting as well, as Acmen offered German kitchens at a much lower price.