ATLANTA -- Hettich, a manufacturer of hardware for the cabinets, furniture, closets and other wood products, is moving closer to consoldiating its U.S. manufacturing and sales operations into a new facility in Buford, GA.

Speaking at a press conference held August 26 during the International Woodworking Fair, Thomas Ginschel, president and CEO of Hettich America, said the consolidation should be completed in the fourth quarter of 2010 and that a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place early in 2011.

Wolfgang Steib, a member of Hettich Holding GmbH's Board of Directors, said, the consolidation is indicative of the company's commitment to the U.S. market place. He said that while Hettich's worldwide sales turnover declined about 10% in 2009, that 2010 sales were up approximately 12% through July. He also noted that U.S. sales have been relatively flat while sales in Canada have grown about 40% in the first seven months.

The company displayed several new products at IWF, including fittings for lightweight panels and the Sensys soft-closing hinges. The booth was highlighted by Hettich's Kitchen Concept 2015, which depicted the company's view of the kitchen of the not-so-distant future. It focuses on design, convenience, ergonomics, electrification and mutlimedia networking.

With Kitchen Concept 2015, appliances, sinks and taps disappear behind fascias when not needed. Drawers for pots, pans and garbage can be accessed from either side of an island. In terms of ergonomics, cabinet elements can be lowered or raised to the desired height by simply touching a control panel. Multimedia networking functions include flat TV monitors integrated into a kitchen front for accessing recipes on the Internet or monitoring surveillance cameras, for example.

Hettich displayed its visision of tomorrow's kitchen at IWF: Kitchen Concept 2015.