News

Faber obtains rating 1 from Dun & Bradstreet

The prestigious agency awards the company the top score for financial solidity

Fabriano, October 28 2008 - Faber is a zero risk company. And it’s ratified as such by Dun & Bradstreet, the world’s top provider of business information, which announced its rating for the Fabriano company this month. Faber assesses the company’s stability as "1", the maximum rating signifying zero risk of insolvency.

The rating emerged out of a whole series of surveys conducted through financial statements, suppliers, acquaintances, and more or less official informers, all commissioned by about fifteen of Faber’s partner companies. The Fabriano-based group’s resistance to market conditions and dependability are impeccable.

"It’s a great satisfaction for us, knowing that we have behaved loyally toward everyone, particularly our suppliers,” explains Faber Finance & Administration Manager Paolo Cianconi. “After all, our financial performance is tangible: by rationalising and optimising our processes, we have managed to reduce our indebtedness to banks to practically nil".

This acknowledgement is particularly significant at a time when the home appliances sector is suffering all over the world. Faber, on the other hand, continued to reinforce its asset structure in 2008, even while investing consistently in product innovation, as revealed by the launch of the innovative Drop and Pearl hoods.

Faber, the world’s leading manufacturer of kitchen hoods under its own brand, is the company that made Fabriano the country’s historical hood manufacturing centre starting in the ’50s. Today, Faber is an international group with 1689 employees, €250 mln in annual sales and a production of 2.9 million hoods a year. The company has production plants not only in Italy but in France, Turkey, India, Sweden and Argentina. Ongoing internationalisation and openness to new challenges led Faber to join Franke, the Swiss multinational leader in Kitchen Systems.

D&B is the world’s top business information company. It has been working in Italy for more than 40 years, with a database of business information and financial statements on more than 3.5 million enterprises. The D&B rating, which takes into consideration qualitative and quantitative variables, expresses an opinion on the dependability of companies. This value is constantly kept up to date and is expressed on a scale of 1 to 4. Granting a "1 rating" is an explicit recognition of excellence in a company.

Faber doubles size of Turkey site to become number 1 for hood manufacture

Fabriano, 8 July 2008 – Last Friday Faber inaugurated its renovated production site at Manisa, Turkey located only a few kilometres from Smirne. Over the span of 8 months and with approx. 5,000,000 euros invested, the factory was doubled in size to now cover an area of 26,240 m2. The 14 assembly lines employ 284 factory workers with an additional 40 for personnel and managers to total 324 staff. Full production capacity will as such increase from 900,000 units to a maximum of 1,500,000 a year, involving around 500 workers. Almost 50% of all world production will be supplied by this new factory, dedicated to the manufacture of both decorative and traditional cooker hoods. By 2008 production is estimated to reach 1,170,000 units and it is estimated that this will reach 1,300,000 by 2011, with an increase in decorative units.
Turnover for 2007 was 31 million euros, a figure that is expected to increase considerably over the next years also due to the impact of mixed production.

"The professionalism of very skilled local labour, as well as the support from an excellent network of suppliers in the territory, allow us to maintain competitiveness in all markets, even during a period in which the cooker hood sector is slowing down," explains Stefano Socci, Managing Director of Faber. He further adds that “In this way we will be able to respond in a more timely fashion to the needs of strategic geographical areas such as the Middle East and Central/Eastern Europe thanks to the central position of Turkey, but at the same time we will also make the most of production efficiency to serve more distant markets. This will allow us to consolidate our presence at a world level without renouncing on quality."

The Faber philosophy is to guarantee a very high level of production and service that is homogenous in every part of the world. In this sense, there is an ongoing sharing of objectives and actions between the various “hood” business units to implement the best practices in the shortest possible time. Furthermore, Turkey offers a good standard of allied industries, thanks to the presence of other important electro-domestic manufacturers such as Indesit and Vestel. The site provides total quality from organisation to production and up to product manufacture. Fabio Ciucci, Managing Director of the Turkish factory explains, “We import all the qualitative criteria and the standards that are typical of Italian factories with the aim of manufacturing mid-range hoods with the same elevated skills of high-end products made in Italy.” It is not by chance that the decision was made to adopt the Lean Six Sigma optimisation processes in Turkey that have produced positive results for Faber for many years.

At the moment Faber Turkey exports 65% of its production to countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain, England, Romania, Bulgaria and a number of Southeast Asian countries.
“Following the doubling of the production area and therefore the increase in the number of manufactured hoods, the Manisa factory will be increasingly used by the Group in a strategic and collaborative way, not limiting itself to a specific area but operating with a global market approach, in line with the directives of the central Fabriano site,” explains the Marketing Manager Riccardo Remedi. He continues, “R&D and the coordination of the Group’s cooker hood business continues to be undertaken by the Fabriano site, to guarantee the utmost consistency in product standards that have always been recognised by clients, even in foreign based factories such as Manisa.”

Faber Turkey is already a leader in the Turkish market, where traditional cooker hoods dominate sales with an increasing expansion into the decorative segment. The factory produces both its own brands and goods for third parties.

Two Faber Models have received Adex Award

We proudly announce a festive event:

two  of  the  Faber  models exhibited at KBIS 2006
 
-    MISTERO  ISLAND (special execution)
-    MIRROR

have received respectively the PLATINUM and SILVER  ADEX  AWARD  for Design Excellence.
The award is promoted by the qualified magazine Design Journal, ADEX, and is considered by designers one of the most prestigeous international awards. The award is assigned every year to the best-in-class  design products in each category.  

At next KBIS , May 2007, both the models, with customized executions, will  be officially launched  as part of the Franke branded range in the United States.

Award  Achievements  in the United  States:

1999 - Axia                ADEX  PLATINUM AWARD
2003 - Concept          KBIS  GOLD AWARD
2006 - Matrix             ADEX PLATINUM  AWARD
2007 - Mistero Isola   ADEX PLATINUM AWARD
          Mirror              ADEX SILVER  AWARD

Faber attends the annual K/BIS

Faber attends the annual K/BIS event that showcases the very latest products and cutting-edge design ideas in the kitchen and bath industry.

This captivating event features the largest array of product displays and demonstrations, NKBA professional development courses, NKBA keynote speeches, interactive roundtable sessions and the opportunity to network with thousands of industry professionals.

K/BIS 2007 will bring together over 900 companies exhibiting their products and more than 40,000 national and international industry professionals.
This is your prime opportunity to come explore, experience and evolve

Come and visit us:
Las Vegas
May 8-10 2007
BOOTH N748

FABER, NEW CONCEPTS IN THE KITCHEN

Pordenone, 18-21 October  2006
After a great success in the U.S.A. the Concept cooker hood comes to Italy
New colours for Mirror and Orizzonte

Aesthetic evolutions and comfort together yet again for maximum freedom in the kitchen.  The Faber proposal continues, the first cooker hood producer in the world, responding to new and different market needs.

The new Faber proposal at the Zow is called Concept, a cooker hood which is already present on the American market and awarded Best Design of the Show for its design and creativity at the Orlando K-BIS.

So Concept comes to : elegant, refined and revolutionary for its versatility in the cooking ambient, it is a vertically installed built-in model which integrates completely into the wall, making the space above the cooker completely exploitable. Thanks to its characteristics, Concept liberates the fantasy of architects and designers, for an out of the usual scheme kitchen.

Among its main attractions: optimized velocity, intensive temporized 10' aspiration, remote control, comfort panel and naturally maximum silence.  The cooker hood is also available in the Remote Blower version, that is with an external kitchen wall motor.

To enrich the Faber range there is also the Mirror cooker hood, Eurokitchen 2006 novelty presented, this time, in the "white" version.  The same technical characteristics and technological attractions, the same elegant aesthetic, sober and refined but with a new luminosity, thanks to the transparent glass characteristics exalted by the clear finish. 

Performances and new electronics emphasize the design: touch control keys, of which key 24, capable of assuring air change 24 hours a day at a noise level imperceptible to the human ear; the 30'delay key for automatic switch off and motor delayed to complete the elimination of residue odours; the optimized velocity key to choose, by one key only, the aspiration capacity which assures comfort; the light dimmer key to regulate the intensity of the courtesy light.

Once again it is the inclined top that is exalted by the Orizzonte lines, proposed at the Zow in the very new version with black glass, which launches the shapes giving the spaces elegance.  Orizzonte only steel is available also in 60 cm., to emphasize, with style and effective aspiration, even the smallest spaces.

The Comfort Panel systems which exploit the principles of perimetrical aspiration reducing the sensation of sound perceived by 25% and increasing the aspiration capacity  -, Easy Cube - to install the cooker hood with the same simplicity as hanging up a picture -  and   Easy Dismounting - for a rapid dismounting of the aspiration group to facilitate maintenance and the periodical cleaning of the evacuation tube - being present in all versions, contributing to the new horizon of wellbeing in the kitchen.

FABER PRESENTS MIRROR and HORIZON

Chicago, April 21st – 23d, 2006
Faber new productions for 2006 at KBIS, one of the most important American kitchen and bath design trade-shows
Made in Italy technology and design reinterpret space in your kitchen. Faber, among the 3 main world range hood producers, first presents its latest products – Mirror and Horizon range hoods - at KBIS- Kitchen and Bath Industry Show which attracted 50 thousand visitors and more than 900 exhibitors in its past edition. The focus is on the inclined plane, which allows you to move freely around your cooker and aims to provide the maximum comfort.
A booth with renewed structure and graphics shall showcase the ultimate Faber trends, which combine design and technology thanks to the Comfort Panel System guaranteeing the maximum aspirating effectiveness and a reduction of perceived noise by 25%.

Let’s have a look at Mirror, a refined hood, with extreme lines and delicate shapes. Its futuristic design combines with high technology features, new electronics, aspirating efficiency and silence. With a simple touch the hood’s upper glass panel opens electronically and aspirates smoke and steam, while the illumination stays perfectly in the middle of the cook top.

Stainless steel for the extended lines of the new Horizon chimney hood, which allows the maximum use of the space above the cook top.

The innovative Wonder range hood combines the elegance of red glass and steel finishings and Mistero Isola with an extremely peculiar shape which reduces its dimensions allowing you to use space at best.

American Adex Award for the Matrix cooker hood by Faber

FABRIANO, JANUARY 2006 - Design and technology:  Made in Marche strikes again.  The Matrix, a unique designer rangehood, designed by Faber SpA, recives, the Top Adex Platinum Award 2006 for Design Excellence in the rangehood category.  ADEX (Awards for Design Excellence), through its Design Journal, caters to American architects and interior designers dedicated to design, with a panel who selects products for these awards. The Matrix incorporates an angled wall design with the Comfort Panel, a system which makes it 25% more silent than traditional models but produces excellent exhaust performance through its perimetric technology.  This rangehood is yet another example of Faber’s continuing search for combining technological innovation and dramatic design. "The Matrix - explains Alvaro Galassi, CEO of the company – introduces a new idea in the range hood category which combines design and functionality in the kitchen.   Its particular shape, a "picture" hanging on the wall, complements the cooking surface. The hood represents another example of Faber Group innovation, which offers technological, comfort and quality solutions to the home life". The current Adex award, is not the first design award for the Faber Group.  Faber first received the Platinum award for the Axia Isola in 1999, and again for the Concept hood in 2003.  This was followed by the Adex Gold award for the Cylindria and Cubia, and once again the Platinum award for the Matrix in 2006. These continuing awards confirm Faber’s leadership in appliance design and its commitment to the rangehood industry where it continues to be a global leader. See www.adexawards.com to view the Matrix and other Adex award winning hoods from Faber.

Franke acquires the Faber Group

Aarburg, Switzerland, 31 May 2005 – Yesterday Franke signed an agreement to purchase all the remaining shares of Finfaber S.p.A., the holding company of the Faber Group in Fabriano, Italy.

This acquisition will strengthen the Kitchen Systems business significantly by the addition of high quality extractor hoods. Franke had already acquired a 49% stake in the Faber Group in August 2004.

The Faber Group is one of the three world leaders in extractor hoods or cookers. In 2004, Faber generated consolidated sales worth more than CHF 300 million and has some 1,500 employees in 14 companies around the world (11 production plants and a further 5 distribution companies).

Manufacturing facilities are located in Italy, Turkey, Spain,France, Sweden, Russia, India, China and Argentina. Faber looks on this integration as an important step towards further growth on international markets, profiting by the multiple synergies of the two groups.

The Faber Group will be integrated into the Franke Kitchen Systems Division.
No changes in the Board : Mr. Abramo Galassi, founder of the company, and his son Mr. Alvaro Galassi will hold their position respectively as Chairman and CEO of the Group; Mr. Bruno Bigaran, CEO of Franke Italia Spa will act as second CEO of the Group. No changes as well at the Top Management level.

The Franke Group is a global provider of products, services and custom solutions for a wide range of applications in the household food preparation and catering sectors. Franke, whose holding company is domiciled in Aarburg, Switzerland, has some 5,700 employees around the world, and is firmly established with 73 subsidiaries in 37 countries.

The two divisions Franke Kitchen Systems (sinks, taps, cooking hobs, ovens, hoods etc. and washroom and sanitary systems) and Franke Foodservice Systems (products and services for quick service restaurants) are the global market leaders in their business sectors, exporting to over 100 countries.

The activities of Franke also include Franke Coffee Systems with a broad product programme of fullyautomatic, professional and semi-professional coffee machines as well as the technology field and beverage containers. In the financial year 2004, Franke generated consolidated sales of CHF 1,628.0 million.

K-BIS Show: Faber protagonist in Las Vegas

FABER, one of Europe’s largest and most experienced ventilation manufacturers, will be showcasing the present and future of premium kitchen ventilation at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas. The “Imago” luxury canopy hood, the first multimedia rangehood, complete with a 14” LCD screen, will be on display. In addition to offering advanced ventilation, the hood provides the possibility to make phone calls, watch DVD movies, check recipes, review calendar appointments and view other rooms in your house all from the hood above your stove.
Also, the “Luxury Collection”, which combines the ultimate in rangehood design and technology, will be shown. The award winning Concept and Cylindra Isola, along with the art gallery inspired Matrix, which all make use of the Perimetric Suction System, can be seen at Faber’s Booth #2148. The Perimetric Suction System works as air passes through the narrow slots on the ventilation panel, acquiring speed and causing an area of low pressure, which in turn captures more air. This amazingly quiet Perimetric Suction System saves energy by improving extraction efficiency without increasing extraction capacity.

Faber Exceeds Sales of 200 Million Euros in 2004!

18/03/2005
Faber, a world-wide leader in the production of cooker hoods, reached these levels as a result of its successful globalization strategy which showed positive performance in Turkey (Flaminia, +78%), Argentina (Spar, +42%), France (Roblin, +36%), India (Heatkraft, +26%), and Sweden (Futurum, +22%). Italy also increased its growth by 10%, enabling Faber to improve its market share by 12%. Strong relationships with its customers, as well as continuing product innovation evidenced by models like the “Magica”, are also critical factors to Faber’s success.
EBIT, continued to be strong improving by 1.8 million euros, despite a substantial increase in raw material prices, and continuing market pressure to lower selling prices. Cash flow also improved to over 13.0 million euros, versus 5.8 million euros in 2003. This allowed Faber to further reduce its debt levels, yet at the same time fund its capital investments of 9 million euros, an increase over the 7.6 million euros of the previous year.
Faber continues to be a successful employer as the total employees of the group increased to 1346 people. Of the 180 person growth, 71 of these people were in Italy, further evidence of Faber’s strength in its home country as well as global markets.

Faber at Imm Cologne Cuisinale 2005 -The International Furniture Fair - : the future of the hood has already begun!

While cooking you can make phone calls, watch movies, check your daily appointments or check the rooms of your house. With Imago high technology enters into your kitchen. This is the plus of ImagoMedi@, the first multimedia hood shown at Imm 2005 by Faber.
Imago anticipates the future thanks to its multimedia device patented by Faber which provides the possibility of interacting with the home environment and with the external world trough the 14" LCD Touch Screen: our window upon the world. It allows, in fact, :
To Check the hood functionality
To control the direct lights and environmental lights with coloured surroundings
To consult the kitchen recipes
To telephone
To use accessory functions such as timer, clock and calendar
To Connect with the DVD or VCR.
At Imm 2005 Faber shows the new functional electronics, also, that semplify the use of the hood, reducing and introducing new functions. A clear and simple display is matched with a design which becomes comfort, with new:
Motor Commands
Illumination Commands
there are moreover,
Additional functions, such as
-Auto: On/Off and automatic adjustment of the aspiration with sensors
-Delay: delayed aspiration switch-off
-Reset filters saturation warning
-Remote control receiver.