Stanley, N.C. – Blum announced that it has ended its 2011-2012 fiscal year with a 6.6% increase in sales. Blum ended the year up $11.1 million with total sales of $178.4 million. These sales were achieved by 355 employees in their North Carolina facility.

Blum’s President and CEO, Karl Rudisser said, “We attribute this increase to the introduction of our COMPACT BLUMOTION soft closing hinges and the continued success of CLIP top BLUMOTION hinges and TANDEM plus BLUMOTION runners. Higher value products like these offer greater ‘wow factor’ in our customers’ showrooms, easier installations and greater value added to each kitchen they sell.”

Karl Rudisser also attributes this increase mainly to the remodeling sector and a strong Blum distributor network nationwide. “Blum’s distributor partners and their salespeople are a large part of our success. Remodeling and custom kitchen cabinet makers typically desire higher quality hardware. Our distributors are an important link to these customers.”

Blum reinvested $13.3 million in new assembly lines and other equipment in its North Carolina facility. Upgrades to the TANDEM plus BLUMOTION assembly line and two new assembly machines for COMPACT BLUMOTION were its largest investment. This investment allows Blum to manufacture these two products in the USA and better control inventory to meet the demands of its customers.

The Blum Group, headquartered in Austria, announced worldwide sales of $1.703 billion this year, up 8.2% over 2010-2011. Blum employs 5,460 people worldwide. Blum manufactures in four countries, has 27 subsidiaries and representation in 150 countries.

Source: Blum